Under the leadership of Chinggis Khan and his descendants in the 13th century, the Mongols quickly built an empire that stretched from Korea to eastern Europe - the largest continuous area of land ever controlled by one ruling family. The rise of the Mongols marked the last major clash between nomadic and sedentary cultures. They united Eurasia in a truly international trading system, encouraged new forms of communication, and demonstrated the value of religious tolerance at a time when religious differences often led to wars.
Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay (Great Empires of the Past)
Beginning about 1200 CE, the Mali, Songhay, and Ghana empires spread their sequential influence across the western horn of Africa, making advances in trade, language, culture, and economy. Influenced heavily by Islam in their later periods, these empires flourished and grew under a series of powerful leaders, including one, Mansa Musa, whose skills were celebrated in European capitals.
Empires of Ancient Persia (Great Empires of the Past)
For almost 1,200 years, the Persians ruled a territory that stretched from the Black Sea into Central Asia, from India to Egypt and into the fringes of southern Europe. During that period from 550 BCE to 651 CE, the ancient Persians learned to cultivate crops such as wheat and barley and to domesticate animals; they also demonstrated their talents for architecture and art by building enormous palaces, such as at the site of Persepolis, and through intricate art painted on pottery.
Sorting through the myths of popular culture and contradictory
historical evidence, this volume provides a clear, detailed picture of
the life and history of the ancient Egyptians.
Great Empires of the Past series
128 pages - PDF - 7 mb
Great Empires of the Past series
Using accessible and lively prose, this volume explores the history and
culture of this fascinating civilization, making history relevant by
highlighting the ideas and items that originated in the empire and are
still encountered in the modern world, such as potatoes and jerky,
words from the Quechua language, and mobile military field hospitals.
