The overall aim of this lecture course is to provide an overview and structure your knowledge of the world history, from the first civilizations to the present day.

Here's what you will be able to do after successfully completing this course:

• identify major historical periods and events worthy of historical study;
• compare different historical periods and outline their charecteristics;
• recognize historical and cultural allusions in art and literature;
• visualize important hisorical periods, figures, and events;
• work with historical maps;
• formulate arguments to speak and write about history and current events.

What does each unit consist of?

Each unit includes from 1 to 3 lecture/s. There are 16 lectures in the course. Below the topic of each lecture you will find the following materials:

Presentations that the teacher demonstrates during the lecture (will be uploaded after online meetings).

Homework texts with questions (HW)
The texts will

• provide you with necessary terms and concepts,
• give you a broader picture of the discussed processes and events,
• enhance your understanding of the lectures.

It is important to answer the questions as they:

• outline the essential information,
• help you take notes from the articles and remember more after reading,
• may be used in post-lecture tests.

If the links to HW texts do not work properly, use the course folder. All the texts will be uploaded there.

Optional texts for reading
These texts are not mandatory reading. However, if you want to understand the topics under discussion better, do not skip them.

Presentation 1

Test 1

HW1 Introduction to Agrarian Societies
Read the text and answer the following questions:
1 Where did the first agrarian societies emerge?
2 What are the differences between cities, towns, and villages?
3 What characteristics did the first agrarian societies share? Name at least 10.
4 What is Mesopotamia? Where was it located?
5 Why did the first civilizations emerge along rivers?
6 How did ruling classes appear in agrarian societies?

HW2 The Rise of Empires
Read the text and answer the following questions:
1 What was the first civilization in Mesopotamia? What language did its people speak?
2 What is cuneiform?
3 What is an empire? What are its essential characteristics?
4 Why did the first empires in the world emerge in Mesopotamia?
5 Who built the first empire in Mesopotamia?
6 What are the main periods of Assyrian history?
7 When was the Assyrian Empire at its largest extent?
8 What is godnapping? Why was it important for ancient conquers?
9 How did Assyrians manage to control distant lands?
10 What does a patriarchal society mean? What are its traits?
11 According to the article, what was the principal reason for building such big empires as the Akkadian and Assyrian?
12 How did the Akkadian and the Assyrian empires fall?

Optional reading: Transition to Farming

Presentation

HW 1 Judaism
Read the text and answer the following questions:
1 What is Canaan? Where is it located?
2 What is the etymology of the word "Judaism"? What is Judah?
3 What is the Covenant, which is central to the Jewish religion?
4 What are "Abrahamic religions"? Why are they called so?
5 What was the religious role of prophets? Who were the first Hebrew prophets?
6 How did the Hebrew Bible establish rules of behaviour and moral standards?
7 How did Saul, David, and Solomon influence the political history of the Hebrew?
8 Why did Jews scatter so widely throughout the Mediterranean?
9 How did Jews manage to keep their identity while living without their own state?

HW 2 The Macedonian Empire
Read the text and answer the following questions:
1 Why did the Persian empire seem stronger than the Greek city-states?
2 Who united the divided Greek city-states
3 What is Hellenistic culture?
4 What territories did Alexander's empire consist of?
5 Why did the Macedonian empire collapse right after Alexander's death?
6 How did Alexander the Great affect ancient trade?
7 What did the Macedonian empire turn into after Alexander's death?

Optional reading: The Persian Empire

Presentation

HW 1 The Persian Empire
Read the text and answer the following questions:
1 How long did the Persian Empire last?
2 Why are the accounts of Herodotus and Xenophon about Persia inaccurate?
3 Who was the first ruler of the Persian Empire? What was his role in Jewish history?
4 What innovations helped the Persians to build and strengthen their empire? Name at least four.
5 What were the main similarities between Persian and Egyptian women?
6 What was the dominant religion in the Persian Empire?
7 How did the conflict between Persia and Greece start?
8 Why did the Persian Empire fall? What happened to the Persian lands after the collapse?

HW 2 The Roman Empire
Read the text and answer the following questions:
1 What are the main periods of Roman history?
2 When did the third period start? What historical figure is associated with that transition?
3 What is the Pax Romana? How long did it last?
4 What factors contributed to the growth of the Roman Empire?
5 How did the empire's attitude to Christianity evolve? When did it become the state religion?
6 Why did only "a sort of fall" happen to the empire in 476 CE?
7 How was the Byzantine Empire different from the Roman Empire?

Optional reading: The Ptolemaic Dynasty

Presentation

HW Christianity
Read the text and answer the following questions:
1 When and where did Christianity begin?
2 Why did it spread among the Jewish people?
3 What were the main ideas of Jesus's preaching? What teachings were the most progressive for his time?
4 What are gospels? Why are they important for Christianity?
5 What does the word 'Christ' mean?
6 Why did Christianity spread after Jesus's death?
7 How did Christianity turn into a formalized religion? What elements proved that it had developed its own church?
8 Why were rituals important for early Christians? Did they worship only Jesus?
9 Why did Constantine support the Christian Church?
10 What is the Sermon on the Mount? What are the most famous/important commandments?

Presentation

HW 1 Islam
Read the text and answer the following questions:
1 How did Islam help unite the Arabian peninsula?
2 What does Islam mean?
3 What do hijra and umma mean? Why are they important for Muslims?
4 Why did Islam become influential so rapidly? What is jihad?
5 What rules do the Five Pillars of Islam include? What is shari'a?
6 What are the main movements within Islam?
7 What peoples did convert to Islam in the Middle Ages? When?
8 What are possible reasons for the diversity of Islamic religious practices?

HW 2 Networks and Exchange in the Islamic World
Read the text and answer the following questions:
1 What is a caliphate?
2 How did trade affect the spread of Islam? Give at least 3 examples.
3 Why did Arabic become a lingua franca? What does this term mean?
4 What do caravan and caravanserai mean?
5 What is hajj? How is it connected with trade?
6 How did Islamic trade influence the development of science and culture?

Presentation

HW Read the text and answer the following questions:

HW Read the text and answer the following questions:

Optional reading

Presentation

HW Read the text and answer the following questions:

HW Read the text and answer the following questions:

Optional reading

Presentation

HW Read the text and answer the following questions:

HW Read the text and answer the following questions:

Optional reading

Presentation

HW Read the text and answer the following questions:

HW Read the text and answer the following questions:

Optional reading