Turkomen on the Silk Road with camels Just like under Persian or Sassanian rule, the economy of West Asia during the Islamic period depended very heavily on trade. The Silk Road ran right across the Islamic Empire. It [...]
Islamic art: Mosaic from the Great Mosque in Damascus (about 710 AD) Umayyad art: no people or animals As soon as the Islamic Empire formed, under the Umayyad dynasty, artists began exploring the [...]
What is karma? Jataka Tales: King Siva offers his body to save a dove from a hawk, and King Candraprabha is so generous that he gives away his own head (Mogao [...]
These punch-marked silver coins might be from the time of Chandragupta I, in Mauryan India. Chandragupta I Alexander went back to Babylon in 324 BC. Then a man named Chandragupta overthrew [...]
Ancient India trade: Indian herbal medicines What did most people do for work? Most people in ancient India were farmers. That's the same as in other parts of Asia and Europe at this [...]
Alexander in the east: Darius' palace at Persepolis Alexander reaches Afghanistan When Alexander finished conquering Persia (modern Iran), he burned Darius' great palace at Persepolis: only ruins are left today. [...]
Hellenistic economy: a sculpture of a woman selling vegetables at the market Mercenary soldiers After the Peloponnesian War was over in 404 BC, everyone in Greece was poorer than before, [...]
Abrigo del Ciervo, Spain, ca. 6000 BC: Early European economy Hunting and gathering The first people in Europe lived by hunting and gathering; they probably had both dogs and bows [...]
History of sugar: Sugar cane harvest in India When did sugar cane evolve? Sugar cane began to grow wild in India and south-east Asia about a hundred million years ago, [...]
Peaches growing on a peach tree Where do peaches come from? China was the first home of peaches. Peaches are related to almonds and apples, but apples and almonds grew [...]
