Religion in World History

Resources and lessons in this section provide general information about the major religious ideas and influence of major faiths across world history or major eras within it. There are timelines, discussions of religious diffusion and adaptation processes, and effective ways to study religions and their influence on art, culture, and society.

Ancient Peoples
Here are resources and lessons related to archaeological and anthropological evidence of spiritual beliefs and practices of early humans, and how these influenced culture in pre-historic society.
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Early Civilizations
These resources and lessons explore the relationship between the religious, cultural, political, and social systems in Mesopotamian societies, ancient Egypt, the Levant, the Indus Valley, early China, Greece, Rome, and the Americas.
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Medieval to 1700
These resources and lessons provide materials on Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the major religions of Asia from the era of the Roman Empire through 1700. Religious diffusion, wars, and global shifts in power, evolving ideas of justice and law, and religious influences on art and culture are included.
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1700-1950
These resources and lessons explore the influence of major religious reformers on culture and society, the interaction between religious and secular responses to advances in science and technology, massive migrations of people to the Americas, the commercial revolution, and the growth of nationalism and imperialism.
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1950 to Today
These resources and lessons explore the influence of religion and belief differences on society during the World Wars, across national borders during the first part of the 20th c., during the Cold War, and in both the West and non West in modern times.
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Other
This section has a changing group of resources and lessons related to current issues in the world with a religious dimension. Materials in this section relate to religious groups, but also non-religious or even anti-religious groups and their attitudes and actions related to problems or issues in the contemporary world.
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