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500 BCE
13.1-Ancient West Africa- Africans Discover Iron
The Africans discovered a long time ago that by heating up certain kinds of rock they could get a hard metal called iron. Iron is stronger than other metals and was used for making tools and weapons. Iron tools allowed farmers to clear land faster and grow food easier than they could with tools not made of iron. -
Period: 500 BCE to 1580
Chapter 13- Early African Civilizations
In Early Africa there were empires, including Ghana, Songhai, and Mali. The Africans had many great people including Sundiata, Mansa Musa, and others. Africans also were good traders, asa they did silent barter and had good trade routes. -
105
14.2- China- Paper is Invented
During the Han Dynasty, a man named Cai Lun invented paper, and was one of the greatest Chinese inventions. It was a great invention because it gave the Chinese an easy way of keeping records and made the possibility of printing. -
Period: 200 to 1537
Chapter 16- The Early Americas
The early America had three great civilizations: the Incas, the Aztecs, and the Maya. They all accomplished great things like building pyramids, causeways, and other great stuff. Although they all got conquered, they managed to leave a huge imapact on us today. -
Period: 550 to
Chapter 12- Islamic World
The Islamic World had many notable people. Muhammad created the religion of Islam, Abu Bakr was the leader of Islam after Muhammad. There were three empires, Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughai. These people and groups have effected this deeply. -
Period: 550 to
Chapter 15- Japan
The Japanese left a huge impact on our society. Olden Japan had Samurai, Shoguns, Emperors, and they practiced the religion of Shinto. They accomplished many things and should be remembered and respected. -
593
15.1- Japan- Prince Shotoku Serves as Regent
Prince Shotoku started serving as a regent only at 20 years old. His job as a regent was to help his aunt rule since she was unable to rule alone. He was a great ruler and brought Chinese culture to Japan. He brought Buddhism back to Japan and managed to influence many minds to practice Buddhism. -
613
12.1- Mecca- Muhammad Starts to Teach
Muhammad started to go around teaching Islam, which was believed told to him by an angel. However, the people did not like his teachings. Islam was monotheistic, and most Arabs practiced polytheism. They didn’t like that the rich and poor would be considered equal, and that the people should give money to the poor, because they wanted it all for themselves so they could’ve more powerful than the poor. -
618
14.1- China- Tang Dynasty Begins
The Tang Dynasty began when a former official of the Sui Dynasty overthrew the Sui Dynasty. The dynasty was in rule for nearly 300 years, and one of the greatest rulers who ruled this dynasty, Taizong, conquered many lands, reformed military, and created law codes. Xuanzong, another great ruler of the Tang flourished culture, and Empress Wu ruled with an iron fist and was a great ruler. -
Period: 730 to
Chapter 14- China
The Chinese had many dynasties, including the Tang, the Sui, the Tang, the Yuan and the Ming. They had emperors like Empress Wu, Kublai Khan, and others. The dynasties each made a huge impact on China, and they each achieved many things. They all impacted society differently and should be remembered and appreciated for what they have done. -
762
12.3- Baghdad- Baghdad Becomes A Rich City
Baghdad was the capital of the Islamic Empire. Trading and farming made the city very rich. The caliphs supported science and the arts. The city was a place of culture and learning and was one of the richest cities in the world. -
800
12.4- Ancient Arabia- Scholars Create New Number System
Muslim scholars also excelled in math. They combined the Indian number system with the Greek science of math. A Muslim mathematician used both ideas to write two important books. One explained the foundation of modern algebra and the other explained the new number system. -
800
13.2- Ghana- Ghana has Control of West Africa's Trade Routes
Ghana was in complete control of the trade routes in West Africa. This was because nearly all trade routes passed through Ghana. The army of Ghana kept the routes safe do trade increased, and so did the wealth of Ghana. They also charged taxes on people who were trading so they would earn profit. -
900
16.1- Yucatan Peninsula- Mayan Civilization Collapses
The Mayan civilization began to decline by people who had stopped building temples and other structures. People left cities and moved to the countryside. People do not know what caused this collapse, but there could be factors possible. For example, the people may have wanted to be free of the king's control. They could have also been fighting each other, or there could not be enough food for everyone. There are other theories as well, but no one knows for sure. -
1000
15.2- Japan- Lady Murasaki Shikibu Writes the Tale of Genghi
The Tale of Genghi is considered to be the world's first full-length novel. She was one of the greatest writers in early Japanese history. The story is about Genghi, a prince, and his quest to find love. It is considered one of the greatest Japanese novels. -
1184
14.3- China- Neo-Confucianism is Invented
The Song Dynasty appreciated the ideas of Confucianism, so they made a new branch of it called Neo-Confucianism, which emphasized spiritual matters and it became the official government teachings after the Song Dynasty. -
1211
13.4- China- Mongols Invaded China
The Mongols were a nomadic people who attacked China. They were led by Temüjin, or better known as Genghis Khan. He organized the Mongols into a big and powerful army and led them on expeditions of bloody conquest. He killed many men, women and children in many cities and villages. He managed to conquer China and is known for this. -
1230
13.3- Mali- Sundiata Conquers Nearby Kingdoms
Sundiata built an army when he was a grown man and earned independence for his country Mali. After that, he conquered other kingdoms nearby, including Ghana. He took over the salt and gold trades and became a strong ruler. -
1274
15.3- Japan- Kublai Khan Sends Army to Conquer Japan
Kublai Khan, China's emperor, sent an army to Japan so he could conquer them. The shogun sent troops to fight the Mongols, and the nobles that were fighting each other worked together so they could fight the Mongols. A great storm arrived and sunk many ships belonging to the Mongols and they were forced to leave. -
1353
13.4- West Africa- Ibn Battutah Writes About West Africa
Ibn Battutah was the most famous Muslim visitor that wrote about West Africa. He travelled to each region in West Africa and the writing contained the political and cultural lives of West Africa with lots of detail. -
1400
16.2- Tenochtitlan- Cortes Conquers the Aztecs
The Aztecs were conquered by the Spanish led by Hernán Cortés. They wanted to find gold, claim land, & convert the native people. The Aztec Emperor welcomed them because he though Cortes was the god Quetzalcoatl that promised to return the year Cortés arrived. The emperor gave the Spaniards gold & other gifts, but he wanted more and made the emperor a prisoner. There was a war, and the emperor was killed during that time. The Spanish brought diseases to the Aztecs & they eventually surrendered. -
1453
12.2- Constantinople- Ottomans Conquer Byzantine Empire
Mehmed II led the Ottomans into Constantinople so they could conquer the Byzantine Empire. They used huge cannons and they successfully conquered the Byzantine Empire. Mehmed became known as "The Conquerer". He made Constantinople his knew capital, but it was called Istanbul by the Ottomans. He turned the Byzantine's church into a mosque. -
1532
16.3- Cuzco- Francisco Pizarro Defeats the Incas
When a ruler died, the two sons of the ruler engaged on a civil war. Atahualpa won the battle, but the war weakened the Incas. When he was about to be crowned, he found out that there were 180 Spanish soldiers led by Francisco Pizarro. The Spanish attacked, and although they were outnumbered they managed to defeat the Incas, and capture Atahualpa. He gave the Spanish everything valuable that he had, but they killed him anyway. The Spanish ruled for the next 300 years. -
Chapter 12- Modern Event- Islamic Religion
The religion of Islam is still popular today. There are still many people practicing it and it is one of the popular religions practiced. The people still pray five times a day, and it is a common religion that is practiced a lot. -
Chapter 13- Modern Day- Iron
Iron is still used today for weapons and tools, and is highly common. It still helps us and makes the tools and weapons we use sturdier. -
Chapter 15- Modern Day- Performing Arts
The Japanese people often gathered to watched performances by musicians, acrobats, and jugglers. Something very popular were the plays people mimicked other people in. Today we do some of these performances still and we are glad they were introduced by the Japanese. -
Chapter 16- Modern Day- Masonry
The Incas were experts at masonry, also known as stonework. They would cut the stones so precisely that cement was not needed. They have made great buildings because if this skill, and should be tried to remaster again. It is an important skill and has impacted the Inca civilization hugely. -
Chapter 14- Modern Event- Compass
The Chinese invented the magnetic compass. It works by using the earth's magnetic field to show direction, and was a big milestone on the study of travel. It was easier to find direction with this invention and was used and still is used by many explorers.