This is one of the problems I had with “World History” as I was taught it in grade school and high school: it’s NOT.
It is European history. There was some mention about the ancient Middle Eastern civilizations, but even these were more Eurocentric. Alexander the Great is noted for advancing Greek culture. However, he went east where all the action was taking place and not west.
While Europe was taking a 500-year “nap,” the Americas had booming civilizations and the Arab world preserved and advanced science and art and was trading with the empires in the Far East.
We were told that Vasco da Gama was the first person to go around the Cape of Good Hope in Southern Africa. The Chinese beat him to it by 500 years.
We most likely would not have heard of Genghis Khan except that he actually got as far as Europe.
This is one of the problems I had with “World History” as I was taught it in grade school and high school: it’s NOT.
It is European history. There was some mention about the ancient Middle Eastern civilizations, but even these were more Eurocentric. Alexander the Great is noted for advancing Greek culture. However, he went east where all the action was taking place and not west.
While Europe was taking a 500-year “nap,” the Americas had booming civilizations and the Arab world preserved and advanced science and art and was trading with the empires in the Far East.
We were told that Vasco da Gama was the first person to go around the Cape of Good Hope in Southern Africa. The Chinese beat him to it by 500 years.
We most likely would not have heard of Genghis Khan except that he actually got as far as Europe.