Professor Peter Stearns will deliver a series of four lectures on the world in the post-classical period at the Smithsonian Institution in April. To attend the lectures, see the posting at the Smithsonian Associates website. Here is a overview of the topic:
Follow the paths of great travelers and great conquerors like Marco Polo and Genghis Khan as Peter N. Stearns, professor of history at George Mason University, examines a vital and surprisingly complex period of world history. Sandwiched between the triumphs of the great classical empires and the rise of the West, an investigation of the period 500 to 1450 offers exciting insights into a pivotal millennium for the growth of civilizations.
Stearns offers a sweeping view of the significant developments in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and West Africa during this era that witnessed the spread of three world religions and the dramatic impact of international trade. It constitutes one of the crucial transitional periods in human history—one that included, arguably, the effective birth of globalization.
February 26, 2016