How can we define a “civilization” and how has the idea of “civilization” and “civilized life” been used to falsely represent certain groups of people as undeveloped or unsophisticated? Between 10,000 and 5000 BCE, cultures across the world turned from migratory lives based on following herds of game and natural plant growth patterns, to sedentary lives based on deliberate cultivation of a few key crops. What motivated so many people across the world to abandon the hunter-gatherer lifestyle in favor of agriculture? What advantages did agriculturalism confer? What were some of the drawbacks? The Chinese and Roman empires were titans of their eras. Lasting thousands of years and with control over many millions of people, these empires have left a mark on history that endures to this day. What made these empires so successful and long-lasting, and how/where can we still see some traces of their existence in the modern world? The adage “well-behaved women rarely make history” is often cited as a reason that women should be active and fight for their rights. However, the statement was intended to be an indictment of how history has treated women. The fact is the majority of women in the past conformed to societal expectations and thus were not noted in the historical record. How were some women able to use societal restrictions to their advantage, and leave an account of their lives and views for the future? The major world religions — Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism– have quite a bit in common. They all descended from earlier localized religious traditions. They all claim to be universally true. They have all spread across the globe and diversified into numerous (sometimes competing) interpretations of their own dogma. How did these religions develop from local to “universal” religions, and how did they change once they spread beyond their points of origin? We tend to think of globalization and long-distance trade as hallmarks of the modern world, yet goods and people moved across the globe even during the Medieval era. How did the movement of people, goods, and ideas affect this era of world history?Historians often juxtapose “civilized” groups with “barbarians,” groups of nomads or pastoralists who do not conform to traditional definitions of civilization. This negative characterization overshadows the important role peoples like the Huns, Vikings, and Mongols had in shaping world history. How did “barbarians” affect the world they lived in, and what kinds of positive and negative influences might they have left behind?
