Assignment
Answer these essay questions:
Discuss why Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam became world religions. How did each of them deal with older religious traditions? How did the patrons use these religions to conquer new environments and expand their political influence and gain acceptance? In what parts of Eurasia had Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam each become dominant by 1000? Why did each of these religions develop differing and rival forms of belief?
How did societies take advantage of new ways of managing and exploiting the environment during the late 1st Millennium? What were the effects of environmental expansion in the Islamic world?
How did geography impede the diffusion of culture and crops in sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas?
What influences contributed to the flourishing of South American and Mesoamerican cultures and states?