| 1.
Survival
and Idea in the Stone Age:
Hunters and gatherers. Stone Age farming and greater
insecurity. The origins of religion. Human and animal
sacrifices. |
| 2.
The
Sumerians:
The rise of civilization in Syria and Mesopotamia. Sumerians
believe in sin, war, male supremacy and slavery, and they
create a tradition in writing sacred stories. |
| 3.
Africa
and Egypt, to 1750 BCE: Early
agriculture and herding across Africa. Civilization along
the Nile, to 1750 BCE. Egyptian religion, autocracy
and rebellion. |
| 4.
New
Societies in West Asia:
Migrations. Empires. Stories of creation and a flood.
Genetic diffusions. Disease, the misunderstood evil. |
| 5.
Hebrews
between Assyria and Egypt:
The Hebrews into Canaan. Genesis. A divided Israel. The
Prophets. Assyria overruns Israel and conquers Egypt. |
| 6.
India,
Hinduism and Religious Rebellion, to 483 BCE:
Mohenjo Daro. Aryan expansion, Hinduism and the origins of
Jainism and Buddhism. |
| 7.
The
Rise of China: The Shang and Zhou
dynasties. Confucius, Mo-zi, and Daoism. Wars among
principalities. Imperial conquest and creation of a
unity called China. |
| 8.
Europe,
Greece, and Philosophy: Agricultural
Europe. The Mycenaean Greeks and Minoans. Homer. Athens and
Sparta. Early Greek philosophers. |
| 9.
Babylon,
Persia and Judaism: Assyria's demise.
King Josiah and the Moses legend. Babylon and the
captive Jews. Persia, Zoroastrianism and
Judaism. |
| 10.
The
Greeks in Triumph and Futility:
Herodotus. The Persian and Peloponnesian wars. The
demise of victorious Sparta. |
| 11.
Ideas
from Anaxagoras to Aristotle:
Anaxagoras, Protagoras, Thucydides, Hippocrates, Democritus,
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. |
| 12.
Alexander
Changes the World: Philip unites
Macedonia and dominates Greece. His son Alexander conquers
Egypt and eastward through Persia to India. |
| 13.
Hellenistic
Civilization -- an Almost Modern World:
Alexander's successors. Cosmopolitanism, religion,
prosperity, hard times and philosophy. |
| 14.
Empire,
Fragmentation and Salvation in India:
The Mauryan Empire. Invasions and a not-so-dark age.
Mahayana Buddhism, Hindu scripture and loving gods. |
| 15.
The
Rise and Fall of Han China: A new order
and prosperity. Confucianism and Taoism. Decline and
fall of the Han Dynasty. |
| 16.
The
Rise of Rome: Rome's origins, religion
and laws. Strength through compromise. Rome
dominates Italy. The Punic wars and aftermath to 200
BCE. |
| 17.
Roman
Empire and Dictatorship: Rome expands.
The historian Polybius. Slave revolts. The Gracchi, politics
and murder. Marius and Sulla. |
| 18.
Judaea
and Civil War: Revolt of the Maccabees
and Hanukkah. Religious and class divisions. War among the
Hasmonaeans and loss of independence. |
| 19.
Fall
of the Roman Republic: Spartacus and a
decline in Roman slavery. Julius Caesar. Octavian, Antony
and Cleopatra. Rule by Octavian (Augustus Caesar). |
| 20.
Jews
and Christians in Rome's Golden Age:
The Essenes. The Dead Sea Scrolls. Jesus and the early
Christians. Jews against Rome to the year 250. |
| 21.
Rule
by the Julio-Claudians:
The unpopular but able Tiberius. Caligula does his best.
Claudius the family man. Nero, Christians and the Great
Fire. |
| 22.
Rome,
from Golden Age to Political Chaos:
Good and bad emperors, prosperity, Plutarch and Cynics.
Power to the military. Rome swallowed by its empire. |
| 23.
Persia
and Its New Religious Mix, to the year 300:
Rise of the Sassanid dynasty. Zoroastrian priests and
Manichaeism. Jews and Christians under the Sassanids. |
| 24.
Rome's
Decline and Christianity's Ascent:
Plunder, taxation and escape to estates. Christian
martyrdoms. Neo-Platonism. The emperor Diocletian. |
| 25.
Christian
Emperors, Persia, and the Fall of Rome:
Constantine. Bishop Eusebius. Persecutions of Jews and
pagans. John Chrysostom. Germanic invasions. |
| 26.
Augustine
Influences Christianity: Augustine's
theory about the fall of Rome and original sin.. Augustine
against the pantheists, the Pelagians and Donatists. |
| 27.
Remnants
of the Roman Empire: Vandals in North
Africa. Ostrogoths in Italy. Attila the Hun. Clovis. Rivalry
between bishops. |
| 28.
Persia,
India and a Common Enemy:
Intolerance, hard times and a communist uprising in Persia.
A golden age and decline in India. |
| 29.
China,
Korea and Japan, to they year 500:
Buddhism and turmoil in China. Daoism changes and
Confucianism declines. Buddhism migrates to Korea.
Civilization in Japan. |
| 30.
The
Americas, Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania:
Agriculture and civilizations in the Americas and Africa.
Escape to uninhabited islands. |
