Panorama, A World History

Volume 1: Beginnings to 1500

Ross Edmunds Dunn (Author) , Urmi Engineer Willoughby (Author)

Online Access / Resources

Textbook

Panorama, A World History

Volume 1: Beginnings to 1500

Ross Edmunds Dunn (Author) , Urmi Engineer Willoughby (Author)

Online Access / Resources

Textbook

Paperback ~~$71.99~~ $64.79 Hardback ~~$220.00~~ $198.00 Ebook (Epub & Mobi) $64.80 Ebook (PDF) $64.80

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Description

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 surveys up 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.

List of Maps
Tour of the book
Online resources
About the Authors
Prologue
Acknowledgements

PART 1 - SETTLING THE PLANET: BEGINNINGS TO THE FIRST MILLENNIUM BCE
Introduction - The Earth: World History's Theater
Afroeurasia
-The Great Arid Zone
-The Tropical Zone
-The Northern Latitudes of Tropical Climate
-Afroeurasia's Mountain Spine
-Seas and Rivers
Australia
North and South America
-Connecting the Two Americas
-The Americas' Long Mountain Chain
-American Rivers
The Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

1. The Peopling of the World 7,000,000–10,000 BCE
Human Ancestors in Africa and Beyond
-Early Hominin Evolution
-Well-Traveled Hominins
-Other Hominins
Homo sapiens 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
Individuals Matter: The Turkana Boy, a Distant Ancestor
Weighing the Evidence: Ornament-Makers of the Santa Elina Rock Shelter
Global and Comparative Themes: Sources of evidence for Paleolithic history

2. Farms, Cities, and the New Agrarian Age 10,000-2000 BCE
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
Individuals Matter: Ötzi: A Neolithic Hunter
Weighing the Evidence: A Pharaoh's Warning in Stone
Global and Comparative Themes: The spread of farming

3. Afroeurasia's Moving Frontiers: Farmers, Herders, and Charioteers 3000-1000 BCE
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
-Indic 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
Individuals Matter: The Beauty of Xiaohe: A Woman of the Steppes
Weighing the Evidence: “Here Is the Situation”: The King of Alashiya Writes to the Pharaoh of Egypt
Global and Comparative Themes: The Indo-European languages

4. Early Odysseys in the Americas, Australia, and Oceania 8000–500 BCE
Farmers and Platform Builders in the Americas
-American Farmer Power
-Norte Chico: The World's First Cities?
-Andean Societies
-Maize, Sculptures, and Ballgames in Mesoamerica
-The Olmecs
-North of Mexico
Change in Australia
-Long-Term Patterns
-Were Australians Becoming Farmers?
Pioneers on the Pacific Frontier
-Colonizers of Near Oceania
-Into Remote Oceania
-Pacific Migration and the Lapita Culture
Individuals Matter: Harvester Mountain Lord: A Mesoamerican King
Weighing the Evidence: The Olmec Heads
Global and Comparative Themes: Different types of societies

PART 2 - AGRARIAN SOCIETIES AND THEIR INTERCONNECTIONS 1200 BCE - 300 CE
5. Afroeurasia: Centers of Power, Trade, and New Ideas 1200–600 BCE
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 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
Individuals Matter: Adad-Guppi: Babylonian Priestess and Queen Mother
Weighing the Evidence: The Book of Songs (Shijing)
Global and Comparative Themes: New inventions, discoveries, and institutions

6. Empire Building and Cultural Exchange from India to the Mediterranean 600–200 BCE
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 Campaigns
-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
Individuals Matter: Queen Arsinoe: Ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt
Weighing the Evidence: Rock Edicts of the Emperor Ashoka
Global and Comparative Themes: The spread and endurance of Greek-style culture

7. An Age of Giant Empires 300 BCE – 300 CE
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
Individuals Matter: Boudica: British Rebel Leader
Weighing the Evidence: Trade in the African Port of Adulis
Global and Comparative Themes: Comparing early Buddhism and Christianity

8. American Complexities 900 BCE – 900 CE
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: Chavín de Huántar
-Back to the Coast: The Moche Society
-The Nazca
-Troubles in the Sixth Century
Individuals Matter: Lady Xoc: An Aristocratic Woman in Maya Politics
Weighing the Evidence: An Account of Creation in the Popol Vuh
Global and Comparative Themes: Empires and cultural styles

PART 3 - SHIFTING POWER, THICKENING WEBS AFROEURASIA, 200–1000 C.E
9. Turbulent Centuries 200-600 CE
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 Manichaean Way
Tropical Africa: Farmers, Towns, and Iron
-The Nok Culture
-The African East and South
-Southeast Asian Contributions to African Society
Individuals Matter: St. Augustine of Hippo, Christian Theologian
Weighing the Evidence: The Sculptures of Nok
Global and Comparative Themes: The decline and fall of empires

10. Afroeurasia in the Era of the Arab Empire 500–800 CE
Empire-Building in the Great Arid Zone
-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
Individuals Matter: The Empress Wu: Patron of Buddhism
Weighing the Evidence: Two View of the Battle of Tours
Global and Comparative Themes: The relative success of empire-building between the sixth and eighth centuries

11. State Power and Expanding Networks of Exchange 750–1000 CE
Muslim Power and Prosperity
-From Damascus to Baghdad: The Abbasid Empire
-Rival Centers of Muslim Power
-The Byzantine Recovery
-Islam on New Frontiers
-New Crops 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
-Korea and Japan at the Eastern End of the Chain of Seas
The Sahara Rim: A New Zone of Intercommunication
-Bridging the Sahara
-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
Individuals Matter: Abu Bakr al-Razi, Muslim Physician
Weighing the Evidence: Bjarni Herjolfsson and the Viking Discovery of America
Global and Comparative Themes: Land and sea basins as significant historical regions

PART 4 - INTERCONNECTIONS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES 900-1500
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
Colonizers in Remote Oceania
-Settling Polynesia
-Complexities of Oceanic Societies
Conquerors and Migrants in the Muslim Lands
-Turkic Horse Power
-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
Individuals Matter: King Philip II: French State-Builder
Weighing the Evidence: A Jewish Merchant Writes to His Wife
Global and Comparative Themes: Comparing the three regions of Oceania

13. Afroeurasia in the Era of Mongol Power 1200–1350
The Ascendance of the Mongol Empires
-Chinggis Khan's Path of Conquest
-Explaining Mongol Power
-Mongol Expansion After Chinggis
-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
Trans-Saharan Connections
-North Africa Between the Mediterranean and the Sahara
-The Mali Empire
-Other West African Kingdoms
Urban Society in Europe
-Many Governments and Languages
-Private Groups and Charters
The Flow of Ideas
Individuals Matter: Sorghaghtani Beki: A Woman of Influence
Weighing the Evidence: Ibn Battuta Assesses the Mali Empire
Global and Comparative Themes: The growth of Buddhism Christianity, and Islam

14. Cities and Empires in the Americas 900–1500
American Societies in a Time of Environmental Change
-The Mound Builders of Cahokia
-The Ancestral Puebloans and Their Great Houses
-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
Individuals Matter: Nezahualcoyoti (Fasting Coyote): Political Strategist, Survivor, and Poet
Weighing the Evidence: Chastity and Marriage in Inca Society
Global and Comparative Themes: Effects of environmental change in the Americas

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
-India: A Steadier Course of Change
-Astronomy and Empire Building in the Central Muslim Lands
-The Meaning of Recovery in Europe
Individuals Matter: Ibn Khaldun: A Thinker for Troubled Times
Weighing the Evidence: Perspectives on the Black Death
Global and Comparative Themes: Comparing pandemics

Good Reading list
Index
References

Product details

Published	02 Apr 2026
Format	Paperback
Edition	2nd
Pages	608
ISBN	9781350434202
Imprint	Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations	120 color illus
Dimensions	246 x 189 mm
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Ross Edmunds Dunn

Ross Dunn is Professor Emeritus of History at San…

Author

Urmi Engineer Willoughby

Urmi Engineer Willoughby is an Associate Professor…

“Panorama: A World History is a timely work that incorporates multiple disciplines in its examination of human interconnectedness and exchange. It is a vital examination of the ties that have bound humanity together and will be of great use in the classroom and beyond.”

Ian Abbey, Prairie View A&M University, USA
“Panorama seamlessly navigates global, regional, civilizational, local, and individual scales of time and space, offering clear signposts to help readers put the temporal and spatial pieces together. Designed with exceptional learning features to help students make sense of the past, it's a “considerate” text-including marginal notes, guiding questions, comparative charts, primary sources, and an engaging narrative to enable historical thinking. Ideal for college-level surveys, it will be a valuable resource to prepare world history teachers.”

Bob Bain, University of Michigan, USA
“Panorama represents the best recent thinking in world history, and the authors have crafted a book which feels both comprehensive and grounded, covering major moments and themes without losing sight of individuals and their social context. The text feels written with the instructor in mind, and almost seems to anticipate what is needed – there is always a case study, map, artefact or provocative question in the book right when you would want it for your students.”

Jack Bouchard, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, USA
“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
In Panorama, A World History, Dunn and Willoughby have produced an engaging and comprehensive coursebook covering the span of human existence from pre-history to the present. Judiciously incorporating the history of societies and cultures around the globe and weaving these into a coherent narrative, it balances the broad-brush approach inevitable in world history with accounts of exemplary individuals, objects and events, and invites the student to consider how historians approach their subject. Comprehensive without being overly dense, and generously illustrated in color with images, maps and tables, it is both visually and intellectually engaging. The new edition of Panorama, A World History is a boon to both instructors and students.

Brian Aivars Catlos, University of Colorado Boulder, USA
“Panorama is an innovative textbook that uses an environmental approach to make the daunting field of world history more manageable for undergraduates. Each chapter includes valuable resources that illustrate key themes and pushes students to make important connections across time and place. Panorama is an engaging and timely introduction to the field, and it has my highest recommendation!”

David Eaton, Grand Valley State University, USA