Single Volume Contents Volume I includes Chapters 1-22 and Volume II includes Chapters 21-40 Each chapter begins with an introduction I The Neolithic Revolution and the Birth of Civilization? Human Life in the Era of Hunters and Gatherers Document: Tales of the Hunt: Paleolithic Cave Paintings as History Agriculture and the Origins of Civilization: The Neolithic Revolution Visualizing the Past: Representations of Women in Early Art In Depth: The Idea of Civilization in World Historical Perspective The First Towns: Seedbeds of Civilization Global Connections: The Neolithic Revolution as a Basis for World History The Rise of Civilization in the Middle East and Africa Setting the Scene: The Middle East by 4000 B.C.E Civilization in Mesopotamia Visualizing the Past: Mesopotamia in Maps Document: Hammurabi's Law Code Ancient Egypt Egypt and Mesopotamia Compared In Depth: Women in Patriarchal Societies Civilization Centers in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean The End of the Early Civilization Period Global Connections: The Early Civilizations and the World Asia's First Civilizations: India and China The Indus Valley and the Birth of South Asian Civilization Aryan Incursions and Early Aryan Society in India Document: Aryan Poetry in Praise of a War-Horse A Bend in the River and the Beginnings of China Visualizing the Past: Mapping the Rise of Civilizations The Decline of the Shang and the Era of Zhou Dominance In Depth: The Legacy of Asia's First Civilizations Global Connections: Contrasting Legacies: Harappan and Early Chinese Civilizations The Classical Period In World History Unification and the Consolidation of Civilization in China? Philosophical Remedies for the Prolonged Crisis of the Later Zhou Document: Teachings of the Rival Chinese Schools The Triumph of the Qin and Imperial Unity In Depth: Sunzi and the Shift from Ritual Combat to "Real" War The Han Dynasty and the Foundations of China's Classical Age Visualizing the Past: Capital Designs and Patterns of Political Power Global Connections: Classical China an d the World and Affluence Classical Greece and the Hellenistic World The Persian Empire: Parallel Power in the Middle East The Political Character of Classical Greece The Hellenistic Period Creativity in Greek and Hellenistic Culture Document: The Power of Greek Drama In Depth: Defining Social History Patterns of Greek and Hellenistic Society Visualizing the Past: Commerce and Society Global Connections: Greece and the World Religious Rivalries and India's Golden Age The Age of Brahman Dominance In Depth: Inequality as the Social Norm Religious Ferment and the Rise of Buddhism Visualizing the Past: The Pattern of Trade in the Ancient Eurasian World Brahmanical Recovery and the Splendors of the Gupta Age Document: A Guardian's Farewell Speech to a Young Woman About to Be Married Global Connections: India and the Wider World Rome and Its Empire A Foundation Story The Development of Rome's Republic Document: Rome and a Values Crisis Roman Culture The Institutions of Empire The Evolution of Rome's Economic and Social Structure Visualizing the Past: Religions in Rome In Depth: The Classical Mediterranean in Comparative Perspective The Origins of Christianity The Decline of Rome Global Connections: Rome and the World The Peoples and Civilizations of the Americas? Origins of American Societies Spread of Civilization in Mesoamerica Document: Deciphering the Maya Glyphs The Peoples to the North In Depth: Different Times for Different Peoples The Andean World? Global Connctions: American Civilizations and the World The Spread of Civilizations and the Movement of Peoples? The Spread of Civilization in Africa Document: Myths of Origin In Depth: Language as a Historical Source Noma