Robert W. Strayer
Ways of the World:
A Brief Global History
First Edition
CHAPTER 7
Classical Era Variations:
Africa and the Americas
500 B.C.E.–1200 C.E.
Copyright © 2009 by Bedford/St. Martin’s
The African Northeast
Meroe: Continuing a Nile Valley
Civilization
Axum: The Making of a Christian
Kingdom
Along the Niger River:
Cities without States
South of the Equator:
The World of Bantu Africa
Cultural Encounters
Society and Religion
Civilizations of Mesoamerica
The Maya: Writing and Warfare
Teotihuacán: America’s Greatest City
Civilizations of the Andes
Chavín: A Pan-Andean Religious
Movement
Moche: A Regional Andean Civilization
North America in the Classical Era:
From Chaco to Cahokia
Pit Houses and Great Houses: The
Ancestral Pueblo
The Mound Builders of the Eastern
Woodlands
Chapter 7
Classical Era Variations: Africa and the Americas, 500
B.C.E.‒1200 C.E.
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Map 7.1 Africa in the Classical Era (p. 185)
Spot Map 7.1 Classical Civilizations of Mesoamerica (p. 193)
Spot Map 7.2 Classical Civilizations of the Andes (p. 197)
Spot Map 7.3 North America in the Classical Era (p. 201)
An Elite Maya Woman (p. 180)
A Bracelet from Meroë (p. 186)
The Columns of Axum (p. 187)
Khoikhoi of South Africa (p. 191)
A Mural of Teotihuacán (p. 196)
The Lord of Sipan (p. 200)
Pueblo Bonito (p. 202)
Chapter 7: Classical Era Variations: Africa and
the Americas, 500 B.C.E.–1200 C.E.
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Questions
Comparison: In comparison to classical era
Eurasia, the Americas
a. possessed more pastoral societies concentrated on
the edges of empires.
b. possessed proportionally larger numbers of peoples
living in communities that did not feature cities or
states.
c. possessed more advanced metallurgy, especially iron
technologies.
d. possessed more and generally larger empires.
Connection: Africa’s long-term contact with
Eurasia shaped its development in all EXCEPT
which of the following ways?
a. Christianity established itself in regions of North and Northeast
Africa.
b. The arrival of the camel from Arabia increased trade contact
between Sub-Saharan Africa and the Mediterranean basin.
c. Bantu settlement of Africa south of the equator was facilitated
by the adoption of Southeast Asian crops.
d. Roman political conquest of equatorial West Africa resulted in
the emergence of powerful centralized states.
Change: Which of the following was NOT a
spur for change in the classical era
Americas?
a. The spread of the maize crop into North America
b. The emergence of the Maya and Teotihuacán
civilizations in Mesoamerica
c. The widespread migration of Maya peoples bringing
their language and crops to North America
d. The emergence and spread of the Chavín religious
cult in the Andes
Discussion Starter: Which of the following criteria
do you think should be the most important in
deciding what to include in a world history
course?
a. The duration of time that a development persists
b. The premise that change is more important than
continuity
c. The number of people affected by a development
d. The location of the historian and his or her audience
Discussion Starter: Which of the following
do you think was most different from
Eurasian classical models?
a. Bantu Africa south of the Equator
b. The Andes
c. The Niger River
d. Mesoamerica
Discussion Starter: Do you think that the
author has struck a good balance so far in his
efforts to cover world civilizations?
a. Yes
b. No
Answer Key for Chapter 7
1. Answer is B
2. Answer is D
3. Answer is C