Simply History: Prehistory to the Middle Ages

The first in a series of three accessible world history overviews, Simply History: Prehistory to the Middle Ages reviews the key people, places, and events in the history of the world from the beginning of human life to about 1600.

The book also describes how elements of history continue to affect societies around the world today.

As with other books in Walch's Simply History series, it strives to present a brief, even-handed overview of selected highlights.

These include:

The Earliest People - first people and first communities on Earth and how these groups developed into the world's first civilizations.

The Ancient Greeks - Greek civilization and its lasting effects on today s world, including the development of democracy.

Ancient India and China - the development of these two great civilizations, which remain the basis of many Asian societies.

The Ancient Romans - Roman civilization and the spread of Roman culture throughout the far-flung lands of the Roman Empire.

Europe in the Middle Ages - gradual development of European societies and the beginnings of today s nation-states.

The Middle East and the Rise of Islam - the ascent of the world religion of Islam and the spread of Islamic culture throughout the vast Islamic Empire.

South and East Asia - developments in China, the Mongol Empire, India, and early Japan from the 300s to the 1600s.

Africa and the Americas - an overview of early societies in Africa and the Americas, and about the great kingdoms of West Africa.