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Period: 250 to 900
Maya (Classic Period only)
Location: Northern Guatemala, parts of Mexico, Belize, and Honduras (The Americas)
Fact: The Maya believed in many gods, most of them based on nature. Some examples of this are, war serpent, the sun god, rain god, thunder god, and lightning god. Their name for god was K'uh, they also impersonated some gods, with each city believing in different gods. -
Period: 320 to 550
Gupta Empire
Location: Northern, Central, and some of Southern India
Fact: Within the Gupta Empire, also known as the Gupta Golden age, most believed in Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddhism is the belief of ending suffering, and to end suffering, you must end desire. Hinduism is the belief in one god with multiple deities. -
Period: 330 to 1453
Byzantine Empire
Location: Eastern Mediterranean region and the Middle East (Europe) Fact: For a while, the Eastern and Western parts of the empire both had the same beliefs when it comes to Christianity. Although pretty soon the east was developing its own ways and beliefs, we know these beliefs as the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Byzantine rulers soon started to have conflict with the pope in Rome, which resulted in a permanent split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. -
Period: 500 to 1240
Ghana
Location: West Africa
Fact: Like Songhai and Mali, Ghana had many gods, and their kings were spiritual leaders. Muslim rulers tried and failed to conquer Ghana, but failed, although the religion reached there through traders and missionaries. Most did not convert to Muslim religion, but they tolerated Muslim beliefs and practices in their empire. -
Period: 618 to
Imperial China (Tang-Ming Dynasties)
Location: Korean Peninsula in the east to present day Afghanistan in the West (China)
Fact: The Chinese had many religions, at first they mainly believed in Confucianism, but under the Tang dynasty Buddhism soon became a huge part of life. -
Period: 632 to 1258
Muslim Empire (Rashidun-Abbasid Caliphate)
Location: Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe (Arabia)
Fact: The religion in the Muslim Empire was Islam. It all started with Muhammad, who had a dream in which he was called to be a prophet of Allah. At first, many people rejected this, although slowly the Muslims started to convert to Islam. -
Period: 794 to
Japan (Heian and Edo Periods)
Location: Japan, capital Heian Kyo, and Edo
Fact: Japan originally followed Shintoism, although due to the significant amount of Chinese influence in Japan, they soon adopted a mix of Shintoism and Buddhism. -
Period: 800 to
Holy Roman Empire
Location: Central and Western Europe
Fact: The main religion in the Holy Roman Empire was the Roman Catholic Church, this provided leadership for many. The Pope in many ways has more power than the Kings at the time, he can excommunicate them from the church. The Pope also holds power over people by telling them if they don't listen to him, they won't go to heaven. -
Period: 1240 to
Mali
Location: West Africa
Fact: Along with Ghana and Songhai, they also believed in many gods and their kings were also spiritual leaders. The Mali converted to Islam while they Ghana had ruled, although they did change some of the practices. -
Period: 1428 to 1519
Aztec
Location: Central Mexico (The Americas)
Fact: The Aztec believed in the serpent god, Quetzalcoatl, and forced those who they captured as prisoners of war to follow their ruler and religion, they also sometimes used them as offerings or sacrifices. -
Period: 1438 to 1532
Inca
Location: Andean region in South America (The Americas) Fact: The Inca, just like the Mayans, believed in many gods who controlled various aspects of nature. The most important god for them was Inti, the sun god. This religion was very formal with many priests to perform rituals. Another part of their religion was sacrifices, they made human sacrifices for sacred occasions or for natural disasters. -
Period: 1464 to
Songhai
Location: West Africa
Fact: At first, just like Mali and Ghana, they believed in many gods, and kings were not only seen as political leaders, but also spiritual leaders. Although they soon converted to the Muslim faith, just like Mali would, the rulers weren't very strict at first, but became very strict and even incorporated it into their laws after a rebellion from the people.