Trade, migration, empire-building, and cross-cultural mixing led to the diffusion, of religious practices, cultural traditions and style, and scientific and technological innovations

• Cross Cultural Exchange and Cultural Growth

  • Cross-cultural exchange shaped art, literature, and traditions of many parts of the world

  • Buddhist culture: spread throughout East Asia, Korea then to Japan

  • Neo-Confucian principles of hierarchy and filial piety spread widely, reinforcing social stratification and gender inequality throughout East Asian societies

  • Buddhist and Hindu influences radiated outward from India

  • Islam extended from North Africa to the Middle East and Persia, and even beyond

  • In the Americas, pyramid building, human sacrifice, sun god worship and the use of quips was followed

    • quipi: knot tying instead of writing

  • Mulsim scholars derived much of their expertise from encounters with mathematical writings from India and ancient Greece

    • formation of algebra, Greek philosophy and science

    • navigation tools such as the compass and astrolabe

  • China invented (wood) block printing, and movable-type printing

• Far From Home: Interregional Travelers

  • Interregional Travelers created ties between distant societies through writing, travel and raised geographical and cultural awareness

Old and New Traditions: Cultural Developments by Region

• Medieval and Renaissance Europe

  • The medieval period advanced from the Dark ages to the cultural revival known as the Renaissance

  • Latin was the international language of learning

  • Geocentric theory: the sun revolves around the Earth

  • first cost-effective movable-type printing press

  • Artists could not violate Church dictates, and humanism: the conviction that o be human is something to rejoice in

• Islam and The Middle East

  • Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are three monotheistic faiths possess an eventful shared history

  • Follow the Quran

  • Sharia is the codification of traditional Islamic law

  • Follow the Five Pillars of Faith

  • Social community called the umma, governed by the caliph

• Africa

  • Islamic culture powerfully shaped artistic and intellectual life in many parts of Africa

  • African literature was preserved through oral tradition

• Asia and Oceania

  • The Tang and Song dynasty were the world’s scientifically and technologically advanced society

  • Revival of Neo-Confucianism teachings

  • Officials had to pass the civil service examination

  • A new form of Buddhism emerged in China known as Chan and Zen known in Japan

  • Forbidden City: architectural masterpiece of the early Ming period

• The Americas

  • Lived by hunting and foraging

  • Built large earth mounds which were used for religious and ceremonial purposes

    • Built pyramids to serve as temples, and worshipped the same gods as MesoAmericans that proceeded them

    • Temple of the Sun was the largest place of worship