Based on Bentley and Ziegler's best-selling, comprehensive survey text, Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History provides a streamlined account of the cultures and interactions that have shaped world history. The text's strong hallmark themes of traditions (the formations and development of the world's major societies) and encounters (cross-cultural interactions and exchanges) bring focus to the human experience and help turn the giant story of world history into something more manageable to teach and learn. At the same time, an effective part structure organizes developments into seven eras of global history, putting events into perspective and creating a framework for cross-cultural comparisons. With an engaging narrative, visual appeal, extended pedagogy, and a strong emphasis on critical thinking, this concise version offers enhanced flexibility and affordability without sacrificing the features that have made the complete text a favorite among instructors and students alike.

PART I THE EARLY COMPLEX SOCIETIES, 3500 TO 500 B.C.E.  

1 The Foundations of Complex Societies  
2 Early African Societies and the Bantu Migrations 
3 Early Societies in South and East Asia 
4 Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania
 

PART II THE FORMATION OF CLASSICAL SOCIETIES, 500 B.C.E. TO 500 C.E.  

5 The Empires of Persia  
6 The Unification of China 
7 State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation in India  
8 Mediterranean Society under the Greeks and the Romans  
9 Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads  

PART III THE POSTCLASSICAL ERA, 500 TO 1000 C.E. 

10 The Christian Commonwealth of Byzantium  
11 The Expansive Realm of Islam  
12 The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia  
13 India and the Indian Ocean Basin 
 

PART IV AN AGE OF CROSS-CULTURAL INTERACTION, 1000 TO 1500 C.E.  

14 Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration  
15 States and Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa 
16 Christian Western Europe during the Middle Ages 
17 Worlds Apart: The Americas and Oceania  
18 Reaching Out: Cross-Cultural Interactions 
 

PART V THE ORIGINS OF GLOBAL INTERDEPENDENCE, 1500–1800  

19 Transoceanic Encounters and Global Connections 
20 The Transformation of Europe  
21 New Worlds: The Americas and Oceania  
22 Africa and the Atlantic World  
23 Tradition and Change in East Asia  
24 The Islamic Empires   

PART VI AN AGE OF REVOLUTION, INDUSTRY, AND EMPIRE, 1750–1914  

25 Revolutions and National States in the Atlantic World  
26 The Making of Industrial Society  
27 The Americas in the Age of Independence  
28 The Building of Global Empires 
 

PART VII CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL REALIGNMENTS 

29 The Great War: The World in Upheaval  
30 An Age of Anxiety  
31 Nationalism and Political Identities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America  
32 New Conflagrations: World War II  
33 The Cold War and Decolonization  
34 A World without Borders