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Period: 250 to 900
Maya
Location: The Maya empire was located in Southeastern Mexico and on the Yucatan Peninsula.
Fact: Maya religion was polytheistic meaning they believed in many gods. These gods were usually identified with natural phenomenons like the sun, moon, rain, etc... -
Period: 320 to 550
Gupta Empire
Location: The Gupta empire was located in Northern, Central, and parts of Southern India.
Fact: In the Gupta Empire Hinduism and Buddhism thrived. A majority of the leaders during this time were Hindu. Many of the sculptures and architecture created were inspired by these two religions. -
Period: 330 to 1453
Byzantine Empire
Location: The Byzantine included land surrounding the Mediterranean sea in Europe, and Northern Africa.
Fact: Most people living in the Byzantine empire followed Christianity, or more specifically Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Orthodox churches are led by an emperor and patriarch. Conflict with the Catholic Church led to the Great Schism in 1054. -
Period: 618 to
Imperial China
Location: Imperial China took up a majority of modern day China, but it extended into some of Southeast Asia.
Fact: Confucianism and Daoism were both a part of Imperial China although they were very different. Confucianism emphasized social harmony and respect for authority, whereas Daoism focused on more natural harmony and following your own spiritual path. -
Period: 632 to 1517
Muslim Empire
Location: This empire was located in the Middle East but spread to, North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and parts of Asia.
Fact: Islam was the main religion in the Muslim Empire followed by the five pillars. The first pillar is Shahadah or a declaration of faith. The second pillar is Salat which is a ritual prayer. Zakat is the third pillar and is charitable givings to the poor. Ramadan, the fourth pillar, is one month of fasting. Hajj is the final pillar and it's taking a pilgrimage to Mecca. -
Period: 794 to
Japan
Location: The Heian and Edo periods took place in Japan.
Fact: Shintoism was very popular in Japan but eventually Chinese influences brought over Buddhism. These two religions are very different but over time they blended and thrived together. There were two types of Buddhism that samurai followed; Amida or Zen Buddhism. Zen was a lot more popular among the samurai because they liked how it put emphasis on discipline. Whereas Amida Buddhism emphasized prayer repetition. -
Period: 800 to 1235
Ghana
Location: Ghana was located in Western Europe.
Fact: Islam was brought over to Ghana from traders and missionaries, although most people already living there did not convert. The king didn't have a problem with Muslims settling and eventually the community grew and thrived. Twelve mosques were built in the city. -
Period: 800 to
Holy Roman Empire
Location: The Holy Roman Empire was located in Central and Western Europe.
Fact: Just like the Byzantine Empire in the East, the Holy Roman Empire also followed Christianity but as Catholic. The Catholic church was led by the people but the Pope had more authority and power to make decisions. Having these two types of Christianity in Europe led to many conflicts between the East and West -
Period: 1230 to
Mali
Location: Mali was located in Western Africa.
Fact: Before taking over, Mali had already accepted Islam while Ghana had ruled. At the beginning of the empire leaders practiced Islam but only chose certain parts to follow. It wasn't until the empire was ruled by Mansa Musa that he practiced religion devoutly. -
Period: 1324 to 1521
Aztec
Location: The Aztecs lived in Central Mexico.
Fact: Religion in the Aztec was influenced by a lot of previous people. They would make pilgrimages to old ruins and eventually adopted Quetzalcoatl, the serpent god. -
Period: 1438 to 1533
Inca
Location: The Inca were located in the Andes Mountains along the west coast of South America.
Fact: The Inca believed in many gods who controlled aspects of nature. The most important god to them was Inti, the sun god. It's a very formal religion with many priests and ceremonies. In times of a natural disaster they would occasionally perform human sacrifices. -
Period: 1462 to
Songhai
Location: The Songhai empire was located in West Africa.
Fact: When Songhai took over in the 1460's, leaders like Sunni Ali weren't the most strict Muslims. After some rebellions the people chose a ruler who enforced Muslim law and forced people to convert. Over time more laws about religion were created making it enforced in Songhai.