Streams of Civilization: Volume 1
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Copyright © 2016 Christian Liberty Press i ii Streams of Civilization Volume One Streams of Civilization, Volume One Original Authors: Drs. Albert Hyma and Mary Stanton Original copyright © 1976, 1978 Creation-Life Publishers and Mott Media Copyright to the first edition transferred from Mary Stanton to Christian Liberty Press in 1992 Streams of Civilization, Volume One, Third Edition Copyright © 2016, 1992 Christian Liberty Press All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher. Brief quota- tions embodied in critical articles or reviews are permitted. Christian Liberty Press 502 West Euclid Avenue Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004-5402 www.christianlibertypress.com Copyright © 2016 Christian Liberty Press Authors: Drs. Albert Hyma and Mary Stanton Reviewers: Dr. Marcus McArthur and Prof. Paul Kostelny Layout and editing: Edward J. Shewan Copyediting: Diane C. Olson and Eric L. Pfeiffelman Cover and Text Design: Bob Fine Graphics: Bob Fine, Edward J. Shewan, and Lars Johnson ISBN 978-1-629820-50-7 (print) 978-1-629820-56-9 (e-Book PDF) Printed in the United States of America iii Contents Foreword and Acknowledgements .......................................1 Introducing History ..............................................................5 Chapter 1 How Did It All Begin? .....................................................17 In the Beginning .................................................................. 17 Men, Monkeys, and Missing Links ....................................23 The History of the Earth .....................................................29 Chapter 2 Dawn of Civilization .......................................................39 The Fertile Crescent ............................................................42 The Indus River Valley ........................................................47 Ancient Egypt ...................................................................... 51 Chapter 3 Expanding Civilizations ................................................ 63 Egypt’s New Kingdom .........................................................63 The Old Babylonian Kingdom ............................................72 The Aegean Civilization ......................................................75 The Western Hemisphere ....................................................80 Chapter 4 Rise of Small Kingdoms ...................................................87 Copyright © 2016 Christian Liberty Press The Middle East ...................................................................87 The Early Russians ..............................................................94 The Greek Dark Ages ...........................................................97 The Earliest American Civilizations ................................104 Chapter 5 Sunset of Mesopotamian Influence ..............................111 The Assyrian Empire ......................................................... 111 The Chaldean Empire........................................................ 115 The Persian Empire ........................................................... 119 The Indian Vedic Ages.......................................................124 Chapter 6 Classical Greece and Hellenization ..............................133 Greek City-States and Colonies ........................................ 133 Greek Freedom Threatened .............................................. 139 The Golden Age of Greece .................................................144 Spread of Greek Culture .................................................... 149 iv Streams of Civilization Volume One Chapter 7 Rise of the Roman Republic ..........................................157 Early Beginnings ............................................................... 157 Roman Expansion ............................................................. 163 Fall of the Roman Republic ............................................... 167 Chapter 8 The Roman Empire .......................................................177 The Pax Romana ................................................................ 177 The Germanic Tribes ......................................................... 193 Chapter 9 Christianity, Rome, and the Byzantine Empire ...........201 The Development of Christianity .....................................201 The Fall of Rome ................................................................208 Influence of the Byzantine Empire ................................... 213 Chapter 10 Amazing Africa and the Mysterious East ....................221 The African Continent ...................................................... 221 The Indian Middle Ages ....................................................227 The Origins of Chinese Civilization ................................236 Chapter 11 The Early Middle Ages...................................................249 European Dark Ages ..........................................................249 Islam—A New Faith Emerges ...........................................258 Feudalism ...........................................................................266 Copyright © 2016 Christian Liberty Press Cahpter 12 England, the Norsemen, and the Age of Chivalry ........273 The Development of England ...........................................273 The Norsemen of Scandinavia .......................................... 276 The Age of Chivalry...........................................................286 Chapter 13 The Development of the European Nations .................295 Twilight of Feudalism ........................................................295 The Crusades—For Glory, God, and Unity .....................309 European Society Changes................................................ 313 Russia and the Golden Horde ........................................... 316 Chapter 14 The Far East and African Developments .....................325 China and the Mongols .....................................................326 Japan—Land of the Rising Sun ........................................ 333 The Muslims Conquer India ............................................. 339 Muslim Influence in Africa ..............................................343 v Chapter 15 Pre-Columbian America ...............................................349 The Pre-Aztec Civilizations ..............................................350 The Mayas ..........................................................................353 The Aztecs ..........................................................................359 The Pre-Inca Civilizations ................................................364 The Incas ............................................................................366 The North American Indians ........................................... 371 Chapter 16 Nationalism and the Renaissance ................................381 French and English Nationalism ...................................... 381 Eastern European Nationalism ........................................388 The European Renaissance ...............................................395 Chapter 17 The Reformation and a New World ............................ 407 The Eve of the Reformation ..............................................407 The Reformation ................................................................ 415 A New World ......................................................................424 Epilogue ............................................................................. 431 Bibliography ..................................................................435 Index ............................................................................. 443 Copyright © 2016 Christian Liberty Press Introduction Foreword and Acknowledgements Streams of Civilization represents the fruition of a four-year project sponsored by the Institute for Creation Research. This volume is designed to produce a truly objective textbook on world history, suitable for use in various school settings.* Practically all textbooks on world history have been written from a secular, evolutionary, humanistic point of view. Frequently, texts contain an anti-Christian and even anti-American bias. Such books are offensive to many parents of public and private school students, and even more so to both parents and teachers in Christian day schools and home schools. Furthermore, such texts have presented a distorted view of history that has contributed to a modern-day decline of interest in history as a subject for serious study, especially ancient and medieval history. Therefore, there has been a great need for an introductory textbook of world history that attempts to remedy these deficiencies. A school textbook should be objective, recognizing that parents and Copyright © 2016 Christian Liberty Press pupils represent a wide variety of philosophical, political, and religious beliefs. Every attempt has been made to present a balanced and objective perspective on world history, which should commend itself to all types of school systems. For example, the evidences for both the creationist and evolutionist interpretations of prehistory are given. Western civiliza- tion is emphasized, but not overemphasized, with much space devoted to Public Domain the important histories of African, Asian, and pre-Columbian peoples. Throughout the book the writers and editors have conscientiously tried Creation. This depicts the hand of God (on the right)