Summary of DK's The Little Book of History

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The development of civilizations was based on the progress in agriculture. When only part of the population was required to work in the fields to produce food, the rest could inhabit towns and palaces, performing a variety of specialty functions.

#2 The first civilizations were developed in areas where it was possible to practice intensive agriculture, which involved the use of irrigation systems. In Eurasia and North Africa, these civilizations developed independently, but they shared ideas and technology.

#3 Around 1000 BCE, Eurasian civilizations began to find a innovative momentum. The use of writing evolved from practical record-keeping to the creation of sacred books and classic literary texts that embodied the founding myths and beliefs of different societies.

#4 The ancient world reached its classical period around 2,000 years ago. The world’s population had grown from around 20 million at the time of the first civilizations to an estimated 200 million. About 50 million of these lived in a united Han China, while about the same number were under the governance of the Roman Empire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jul 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822543225

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Insights on DK's The Little Book of History

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The development of civilizations was based on the progress in agriculture. When only part of the population was required to work in the fields to produce food, the rest could inhabit towns and palaces, performing a variety of specialty functions.

#2

The first civilizations were developed in areas where it was possible to practice intensive agriculture, which involved the use of irrigation systems. In Eurasia and North Africa, these civilizations developed independently, but they shared ideas and technology.

#3

Around 1000 BCE, Eurasian civilizations began to find a innovative momentum. The use of writing evolved from practical record-keeping to the creation of sacred books and classic literary texts that embodied the founding myths and beliefs of different societies.

#4

The ancient world reached its classical period around 2,000 years ago. The world’s population had grown from around 20 million at the time of the first civilizations to an estimated 200 million. About 50 million of these lived in a united Han China, while about the same number were under the governance of the Roman Empire.

#5

The decline of the classical empires in the 3rd century CE was caused by several factors, including epidemic diseases, internal power struggles, and the geographical limitation of the civilized areas of Eurasia.

#6

The Egyptian pharaohs were the most powerful rulers in the ancient world, and their temples were designed to signify and embody that power.

#7

The Egyptian civilization was based around the pharaoh, who was viewed as a living god who could control the order of the cosmos. The pharaoh was also often depicted as a farmer in agricultural scenes, representing his role as guardian of the land.

#8

The Old Kingdom was the first dynasty in Egypt, and it was ruled by a succession of dynasties that were led by powerful pharaohs. These rulers channeled the bureaucratic and economic might of the unified kingdom into monumental building projects, such as the pyramids.

#9

The Old Kingdom collapsed in the 22nd century BCE, and the Middle Kingdom dynasties restored unified control of Egypt from 2134 BCE until around 1750 BCE, when they were invaded by the Hyksos. The Hyksos were expelled from Egypt in about 1550 BCE, with the XVIII dynasty coming to power and establishing the New Kingdom.

#10

The Buddha, or Siddhartha Gautama, was born in India around BCE. He developed a similar philosophy based on mystical Hinduism, but he also rejected the increasingly rigid strictures of Vedic ritual and the inherited piety of the Brahmins.

#11

Buddhism was the first religion to have spread beyond the society in which it originated. It was also the first to be called a world religion. It was practiced in India since the 6th century BCE.

#12

The life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is shrouded in myth and legend. He was born in 563 BCE and died in 483 BCE. He renounced his family and material possessions to seek enlightenment, and after six years of meditation, he achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha.

#13

The democracy that developed in ancient Athens around 507 BCE and flourished in its purest form from 462 to 322 BCE, however, was not the same from its modern form.

#14

The Greek Dark Ages, which followed the breakdown of Mycenaean civilization around 1100 BCE, were a period of chaos. However, the development of the hoplite model of citizen-soldiery in the 8th to 7th centuries BCE led to a certain level of egalitarianism.

#15

In Athens, the democracy was established around 507 BCE, when the city was ruled by a tyrant named Pisistratus. The democracy allowed all citizens to vote on Athenian policy, and selected citizens by lot to serve on juries.

#16

The Athenian democracy was a direct democracy, meaning that all decisions were made by the people. However, not all citizens were allowed to participate in the system, as they were not considered true citizens.

#17

The pre-Socratic philosophers, who developed theories about the elements, classifications of nature, and mathematical and geometric proofs, were opposed by the popular and pompous Socrates, who asked questions and laid bare the limits of existing thinking.

#18

The democracy of Athens was taken as an indictment by