Essay On An Age Of Changing The World 500-1500

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Recommended: Contributions of early civilizations

Caitlynn Zielinski
HIST113 – World History – Laurie Brown (March / April 2014)
An Age of Changing the World 500-1500

Connections between early civilizations played a huge part in how history developed. Each and every civilization during the time period 500-1500 had unique and different interactions with the world. Economic, political and or military, social, intellectual and religious interactions of ancient civilizations all shaped the world into what it is today. If it was not for trial and error interactions, our world would not be as advanced as it today.
All waterways, including oceans and seas, played a major role in how civilizations interacted. Water provided a means of travel and a steady source of food for ancient cultures. If there was not a solid source of water to develop farming, early civilizations like the Egyptians, Mesopotamians, or the Indus River civilizations would not have survived.
China’s physical geography affected the development of its early civilization. At one point in time, China was isolated from other civilizations and they had no idea what trade or other culture was. However, China was a very self sufficient civilization. China had everything they needed and were technologically advanced for the time period. This meant that they had no need to interact with other people for what they needed.
Even though the geography of China had disadvantages it also had many advantages. Due to China’s high mountain ranges, forbidden deserts and chaotic seas, China was protected from anyone who tried to invade them. Although this was useful, it made it incredibly hard for the Chinese to import and export their goods.
China’s most enduring and intense interactions were with the foreigners to the...

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... and hunting societies, known as the Paleolithic (old stone age) peoples. All of Australia, much of Siberia, the arctic coastlands, and parts of Africa and the Americas fell into this category. “(Page 560)
Technological innovations led to increase land and sea exploration and trade. Religious faiths, technology, and eventually diseases followed the same routes as the goods did. The world was never the same after some of the many different interactions people had during the time period of 500-1500. If it was not for trade and the spread of religious beliefs over time, the world would not have known right and wrong. Civilizations became stronger by trial and error. Some empires survived and are still around today, whereas others have disappeared. It did not help that some societies were undeveloped and that is who the strong civilizations targeted.
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