Unit TWO:
Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter (500 - 1200)
The period between 500 - 1200 AD is marked by population growth and urbanization. The ideas of Chinese philosophers, and the beliefs of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity extended beyond their places of origin. Informal trading networks were established, moving people, goods, and technologies throughout Eurasia and Africa. Islam spread widely throughout Eurasia and Africa. The Gupta, Byzantine, Chinese, and Islamic cultures flourished. In this period, Christian Europe played a marginal role in terms of the history of the Eastern Hemisphere.