Ibn Battuta (1304-1369) was one of the most well-traveled humans of history trekking over 73,000 miles during his life.

Global Regions, ​c. 1200-1450

Asia

Topics

• Religious Traditions
• East Asia
• South & Southeast Asia
• ​Dar al-Islam
• Mongol Empire

Goals

• Explain systems of government employed by Chinese dynasties.
• Explain the influence of Chinese culture on East Asia.
• ​Explain Chinese economic innovations.
• Explain Asian belief systems and practices.
• Explain the development of South and Southeast Asian states.
• Explain the rise of Islamic states.
• ​Explain Islamic intellectual innovations.
• ​​​Explain how empires influenced trade and communication.
• ​Explain the significance of the Mongol Empire.

Africa

Topics

• Ghana & Benin
• Mali & Songhai
• ​Swahili
• ​​Great Zimbabwe

Goals

• ​​Explain developments in African states.

Europe

Topics

• Judeo-Christian Traditions
• Feudalism
• Manorialism

Goals

• ​Explain European religious beliefs and practices.
• ​Explain the European political decentralization.

The Americas

​Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA was built by the Anasazi people of the modern American southwest.

Topics

• Moundbuilders & Cliff-dwellers
• Mayans
• Aztecs
• ​Incas

Goals:

• ​​Explain developments in American states.

Regional Trade

Catalan Atlas depicting Marco Polo

Topics:

• Commercial Innovations
• Silk Roads
• Indian Ocean Trade
• Trans-Saharan Trade
• Mercantile City-States
• Travellers
• Cultural Diffusion

Goals:

• ​​Explain the growth of trade networks.
• ​​Explain how imperial expansion influenced trade and communication.
• ​​​Explain the intellectual and cultural effects of trade.
• ​​Explain the environmental effects of trade.

Links

• ​Academic.edu - The contiguity between churches and mosques in early Islamic Bilad al-Sham
  
• ​The National Interest - The Black Death: How Rats, Fleas and Germs Almost Wiped Out Europe
  
• Daily Mail - Black Death backtrack: Don't blame the rats, the plague was 'spread by PEOPLE'
• VICE - 'Medieval Reactions' Turns Ancient Art into Hilarious Memes
• Ecophiles - Here are the 8 Creepiest Churches Made of Bones
• History Today - Arab Conquests and Sasanian Iran
  
• Medievalist - Women and Power in the Middle Ages: Political Aspects of Medieval Queenship
• Russia Beyond the Headlines - Why do Russians call Moscow the Third Rome?
• Smithsonian - Why Did the Mayan Civilization Collapse? A New Study Points to Deforestation and Climate Change
• History Extra - The brutal brilliance of Genghis Khan
• Hark! A Vagrant - Wu Zetian
• Ars Technica - New research changes our understanding of who built ancient Silk Roads
• Smithsonian - Riddles of the Anasazi
• Smithsonian - The Lost City of Cambodia
• National Geographic - Thread That Speak: How the Inca Used Strings to Communicate
• BBC Culture - The Surprising Discovery at Angkor Wat
• Science - It wasn't just Greece: Archaeologists find early democratic societies in the Americas
• Core Spirit - THE FASCINATING DISCOVERY OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST BOOK
• Ancient History Encyclopedia - Aztec Pantheon
• Ancient Origins - The Amazing Story of Yasuke: The Forgotten African Samurai
• National Geographic - Angkor Wat’s Collapse From Climate Change Has Lessons for Today​