Overview

How did Teotihuacán in Mexico become one of the world’s largest cities? Why did Roman soldiers in Britain worship a Persian god? What important roles did women play in the Mongol empire? Panorama explores these questions by following the journey of humankind in a global context, weaving a world-scale narrative with a single chronological thread. It empowers you to connect the regional histories of particular states, empires, and cultural traditions to larger patterns of change on hemispheric and global scales—examining migratory movements, networks of trade, the spread of religions, pandemics, and environmental transformations. Richly illustrated with 120 images and over 50 maps, this new edition is organized into four chronological parts, each covering a defined era in world history. Volume 1 starts with the Paleolithic era and extends to the late fifteenth century CE. Each chapter includes dedicated learning features: · “Individuals Matter” presents biographical sketches of individuals, both notable historical figures and ordinary people, whose lives in some way illuminate the chapter’s main developments. · “Weighing the Evidence” asks you to analyse and interpret primary sources, either texts or visual artifacts. · “Thinking about the Past with Global and Comparative Themes” encourages you to examine the threads of change that cut across global space and time. · “Thinking History” questions help consolidate your knowledge, and “Reflecting on the Past” questions invite you to contemplate broader chapter themes. · In-margin definitions of words and phrases help you build key vocabulary. With its unique global narrative, chronological storytelling and exceptional features, Panorama provides a clear framework to analyse and engage with the changes, continuities, and anomalies in our world’s past—and their impact on the present.

Full Product Details

Author:   Ross Edmunds Dunn (San Diego State University, USA) ,  Urmi Engineer Willoughby (Pitzer College, USA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Edition:   2nd edition
ISBN:  

9781350434219

ISBN 10:   1350434213
Pages:   608
Publication Date:   19 February 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Earth, World History’s Theater The Big Land Masses: The Main Stage of History Moving Land Masses Seven Continents, or Only Five? Afroeurasia The Tropical Belt The Northern Latitudes of Temperate Climate Afroeurasia’s Mountain Spine The Eleven Seas Rivers Australia North and South America Connecting the Americas The America’s Long Cordillera Rivers and Seas The Oceans Conclusion Chapter 1: The Peopling of the World, 7,000,000-10,000 B.C.E. Human Ancestors in Africa and Beyond Early Hominin Evolution Well-Traveled Hominins Other Traveling Hominins Modern Humans in Africa: The First 100,000 Years The Debut of Homo Sapiens The Power of Language Colonizing the World The Routes Eastward to Asia and Australia North to Europe The American Frontier Why Did Homo Sapiens People the Earth? Homo Sapiens: The Last Hominin Why People Look Different from Each Other, but Not Much Global Culture of the Upper paleolithic Dawn of a Multicultural World Social and Economic Life Technical Wonders Paleolithic Artists Conclusion Chapter 2: Farms, Cities, and the New Agrarian Age, 10,000-2000 B.C.E. The Coming of Farmers: A Peculiar Event Early Farming and the Big Thaw The Drift toward Domestication The Spread of Agrarian Societies Sunrise over the Village Super Villages Early Complex Societies Irrigation and Complex Society in Mesopotamia Complex Society on the Nile Harappan Society in the Indus Valley Interregional Communication and Commerce Complex Societies and the Environment Conclusion Chapter 3: Afroeurasia’s Moving Frontiers: Farmers, Herders, and Charioteers, 3000-1000 B.C.E. Across Afroeurasia: More Farmers, More Cities The Cavalcade of Inventions Complex Society and Commerce in the Mediterranean Basin Developments in Western Europe The Oxus complex society in Central Asia Complex Society in East Asia Pastoral Nomads Ride into History Horses, Riders, and Wagons Pastoral Nomadic Society Encounters between Agrarian Societies and Migrating Peoples Indo-European Speakers in Southwest Asia: The Hittite Empire States of Mesopotamia and Syria From Middle Kingdom to New Kingdom in the Nile Valley Rivalry and Diplomacy among Militarized Kingdoms Early Greeks Indo-European-Speaking Migrants in Iran and India Migrations from the Steppes into Europe Chariot Riders in East Asia Developments in the Afroeurasian Tropical Belt Herders and Farmers South of the Sahara Desert Austronesian farmers in Southeast Asia Conclusion Chapter 4: Early Odysseys in the Americas, Australia, and Oceania, 8000-500 B.C.E. Farmers and Platform Builders in the Americas American Farmer Power Norte Chico: The World’s First Cities Andean Societies Maize, Sculpture, and Ball Games in Mesoamerica The Olmec North of Mexico Change in Australia Change over the Long Term Were Australians Becoming Farmers Pioneers on the Pacific Frontier Colonizers of Near Oceania Austronesians and Their Lapita Culture Remotest Oceania Conclusion Chapter 5: Afroeurasia: Centers of Power, Trade, and New Ideas, 1200–600 B.C.E. The Clang of Iron The Spread of Iron: The Southwest Asian Epicenter The Spread of Iron: The Tropical African Epicenter Iron’s Benefits and Costs Warfare, Empire Building, and Trade in Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean Lands Twelfth-Century Troubles The Neo-Assyrian Empire The Hebrews and the Origins of Judaism Phoenicians and Greeks: Trade and Migration Up the Nile to Nubia Woodland Europe and the Mediterranean World India: A New Era of City Building The Shape of Indian Society New Kingdoms and Cities The Early Hindu Tradition The East Asian Sphere The Era of the Western and Eastern Zhou Destruction and Innovation during the Later Zhou Period China’s Near Neighbors Conclusion Chapter 6: Empire Building and Cultural Exchange from India to the Mediterranean, 600–200 B.C.E. Persia Ascending Empire Building on a New Scale The Achaemenids as Universal Rulers The Persian Empire as Communications Hub The Achaemenids and the Teachings of Zoroaster Achaemenid Multiculturalism Inventive Greeks Government and Society in Greek City-States The Flowering of Athens Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Era Alexander’s Short, Brilliant Career Foundations of the Hellenistic World Cultural Trends Buddhism and the Maurya Empire in India Foundations of Buddhism The Reign of Ashoka Maurya Cavalry and Caravans in Inner Eurasia Nomad Power Early Times on the Silk Roads Conclusion Chapter 7: An Age of Giant Empires, 300 B.C.E.-300 C.E. Rome and Mediterranean Unification Rome the Republic Rome the Empire The Era of the Han Empire in East Asia The Qin Dynasty and the First Emperor The Han state and the Ascendance of Confucianism States between Rome and China The Xiongnu and Their Relations with Han China The Parthian and Kushan Empires The African Kingdoms of Kush and Axum Bridges across Afroeurasia Afroeurasian Roads, Trails, and Sea Lanes The First Missionary Religions Conclusion Chapter 8:American Complexities, 900 B.C.E. – 900 C.E. The Spread of Complex Societies in North America Empire Builders of Teotihuacán Zapotec Society in the Oaxaca Valley The Innovative Maya Developments in Upper North America South America: Complex Societies along the Andean Spine Andes Urbanization: The Example of Chavín de Huántar Back to the Coast: The Moche Society The Nazca Troubles in the Sixth Century Conclusion Chapter 9: Turbulent Centuries, 200-600 C.E. The Shifting Map of Empires Turbulence in Inner Eurasia China after the Han Empire: Growth without Unity The Sasanids: A New Power in Persia Crisis and Recovery in the Roman Empire The Huns and the Collapse of the Western Empire The Mediterranean Fractured A New Empire in South Asia Religions for Troubled Times The Buddhist Web The Christian Web The Manichean Way Tropical Africa: Farmers, Towns, and Iron The Nok Culture The African East and South Southeast Asian Contributions to African Society Conclusion Chapter 10: Afroeurasia in the Era of the Arab Empire, 500-800 C.E. New Empires of Steppe and Desert Empires along the Silk Roads The Arab State and the Emergence of Islam The Arab Muslim Empire Christian Societies in Europe and Africa The Byzantine Empire Holds Its Own Christian Society in Central and Western Europe Dwindling Christian Society in North Africa East Asia: Return to Unity in China The Tang State Cultural Integration Conclusion Chapter 11: State Power and Expanding Networks of Exchange, 750-1000 C.E. Muslim Power and Prosperity From Damascus to Baghdad: The Abbasid Empire Rival Centers of Muslim Power The Byzantine Recovery Islam on New Frontiers A “Green Revolution” in Muslim Lands Muslim Urban Society The Stream of Ideas Cities, Merchants, and Kingdoms along the Chain of Seas Trade of the Arabian Sea The Maritime Empire of Srivijaya China: Rising Economy, Falling Dynasty Japan and Korea at the Eastern End of the Chain of Seas The Sahara Rim: A New Zone of Intercommunication Gold and Slaves, Horses and Salt The Empire of Ghana Islam in West Africa Europe’s Struggle for Stability Muslims and Magyars The Viking Adventure The Changing Shape of Western Europe Conclusion Chapter 12: Dynamic Centuries across Afroeurasia, 1000-1250 The East Asian Powerhouse in the Song Era The Elements of China’s Prosperity Governing China in an Era of Change China and Its Near Neighbors Japan within and without the Chinese Sphere China in the Hemisphere Conquerors and Migrants in the Muslim Lands Turkic Horse Power Muslim Ships on the Mediterranean New Empires in the Western Mediterranean Cultural Trends in the Muslim Lands Foundations of Urban Society in Europe Warm Weather, Better Plows New Order in Political Life The Expansion of Western Christendom European Commercial Power in the Mediterranean Western Europe’s Cultural Style Conclusion Chapter 13: Afroeurasia in the Era of Mongol Power, 1200-1350 The Ascendance of the Mongol Empires Chingis Khan’s Path of Conquest Explaining Mongol Power Mongol Expansion after Chingis Mongol Murderers: A Deserved Reputation? The Ambiguous Mongol Peace Silk Road Traffic Slaves, Diplomats, and Career Seekers Cross-Fertilization in Science and Technology The Changing Religious Map Profit and Power in the Southern Seas Trade and State Building in Southeast Asia The South Asian Pivot East and Southern Africa in the Indian Ocean World Urban Society in Europe Many Governments and Languages Private Groups and Charters The Flow of Ideas Trans-Saharan Connections North Africa between the Mediterranean and the Sahara The Mali Empire Other West African Kingdoms Conclusion Chapter 14: Cities and Empires in the Americas, 900-1500 American Societies in an Age of Environmental Change The Mound Builders of Cahokia Ancestral Puebloans on the Colorado Plateau Maya, Mixtec, and Toltec The Coming of the Nahuas The Caribbean and Amazonia States of the Andes American Empires in the Fifteenth Century The Aztec Empire The Incas Conclusion Chapter 15: Calamities and Recoveries across Afroeurasia, 1300-1500 Environmental Crises of the Fourteenth Century Downpour and Drought The Great Pestilence Crises in the Political and Social Realms China: The Collapse of Mongol Rule Political and Economic Troubles in the Central Muslim Lands Europe in the Aftermath of the Black Death Fifteenth-Century Recuperation Technologies for the Future Ming China: New Prosperity and a Maritime Thrust South Asia: A Steadier Course of Change Astronomy and Empire Building in the Central Muslim Lands The Meaning of Recovery in Europe Conclusion

Reviews

Praise for first edition: “Finally, a world history text that puts human history on world time! Focused on humankind as a whole and its interactions over time, Panorama provides a conceptually organized and integrative approach to the human past” * Edmund Burke, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA * ""Panorama demonstrates the promise of the ‘new world history’, as revealed in the authors’ skillful integration of far-reaching global connections with careful attention to the lives of individuals in specific places. Their discussion of peoples who are often found at the periphery of world history, such as Africans, is certain to push world historians and their students to diversify their historical perspectives"" * Richard Warner, Wabash College, USA * “Students want to understand the order of events, but so often world history begins to look like stacked timelines. Panorama’s format helps to bring global issues and broad themes together.” * Erika Briesacher, Worcester State University, USA * “Teaching students to move among the different scales at which world history is studied is among the biggest challenges, and Panorama is like a storyteller that moves skillfully among them. The narrative flows seamlessly from big-picture views of migration and other movements across land and water, comparison of common phenomena, and details from well-chosen objects, individuals, documents, and art. The most important benefit of a global/chronological view of history is the opportunity to study interactions among societies over time, and Panorama takes full advantage of this strength. Instead of using a regional or civilizational frame and splicing in coverage of interactions, Panorama's narrative integrates it throughout.” * S Douglass, Georgetown University, USA * “I think I’ve finally found a world history textbook that is truly “world” in an intelligent and useful way. It’s readable, its coverage is very good, and it has a clear analytical framework. I particularly like its environmental perspective.” * P. Jestice, College of Charleston, USA * “This is an excellent text. The authors’ categories of analysis, global research, and their years of experience teaching world history are brilliantly displayed. For those of us who have been in the trenches teaching world history, we finally have a masterful global textbook by world history scholars who have extensive experience teaching such courses."" * Elaine Carey, St. John’s University, USA * “What makes Panorama unique is a truly comparative framework that is global in scope within successive eras. It lays a solid foundation for the development of individual societies in the Americas and the Pacific and the cooperative and competitive cultures of Afroeurasia before contact is established in the late 15th century. Then Panorama unfolds a gradual and impressive analysis of human interaction across the globe since that pivotal event."" * Ryan Thompson, Cleveland State Community College, USA * “This is a compelling text that makes me eager to teach World History as soon as possible! Panorama introduces issues of climate and geography to the human story in a truly profound and innovative way"" * Brian Black, Pennsylvania State University, USA *

Author Information

Ross Dunn is Professor Emeritus of History at San Diego State University, USA, where he taught African, Islamic, and world history. He was the first elected president of the World History Association, and he is a recipient of its Pioneers of World History award. Urmi Engineer Willoughby is an Associate Professor of History at Pitzer College, USA. Her research focuses on histories of disease and medicine from a global and ecological perspective. Her first book, Yellow Fever, Race, and Ecology in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans (2017) was awarded the 2017 Williams Prize for the best book in Louisiana history.

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