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Read more about Western Civilization: A Concise History Volume 1

Western Civilization: A Concise History Volume 1

(7 reviews)

Christopher Brooks

Copyright Year: 2019

Last Update: 2021

Publisher: Portland Community College

Language: English

Formats Available

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CC BY-NC-SA

Reviews

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Reviewed by Denise Griffin, Adjunct Faculty / ABE Program Coordinator and Instructor, Holyoke Community College on 6/29/21

The text is comprehensive while being concise. The courses I teach need more breadth than depth which this text has. I think that my students will enjoy the informal diction. The style of writing makes for enjoyable, interesting reading while... read more

Reviewed by Nikolas Hoel, Instructor, Northeastern Illinois University on 5/11/21

For the immense project the text aspires to take on, the end product achieves a level of comprehensiveness that is on par with most print-based texts of a similar nature. That said, there is room for improvement. The text could easily expand to... read more

Reviewed by Robert Harrison, Instructor of History, Linn-Benton Community College on 6/25/20

The text is very comprehensive in terms of the number of civilizations and cultures covered. In fact, I wonder if even a 16-week semester would suffice to cover them. It is gratifying to see a fairly detailed chapter on Islamic civilization. The... read more

Reviewed by David Henry Paradis, Senior Instructor, University of Colorado Boulder on 6/11/20

The comprehensiveness of this work is somewhat uneven. Some topics, such as ancient Sumeria and the Greeks resemble similar treatments in other concise editions. Other topics, such as the medieval religion, medieval state building, and the... read more

Reviewed by Nicole V. Jobin, Instructor, University of Colorado Boulder on 6/11/20

The text includes an introduction and thirteen chapters covering the history of Western Civilization from the Origins of civilization in Mesopotamia through the era of the Viking invasions in Western Europe. The introduction frames the entirety... read more

Reviewed by Mark Janzen, Assistant Professor of History, Louisiana College on 4/25/20

The chapters covered in this first volume are well-organized and the major topics are addressed but sometimes without sufficient space (more in "Consistency" section). I was especially happy to the ancient world given several chapters instead of... read more

Reviewed by Michael Hofstetter, Professor of History, Southwest Minnesota State University on 6/24/19

The text covers the main ideas and areas of the subject well. However, it lacks an index, glossary, and bibliography. The addition of a bibliography (or at least some suggested readings connected with each chapter) would be most helpful for... read more

Table of Contents

  • Chapter 1: The Origins of Civilization
  • Chapter 2: Egypt
  • Chapter 3: The Bronze Age and the Iron Age
  • Chapter 4: The Archaic Age of Greece
  • Chapter 5: Persia and the Greek Wars
  • Chapter 6: The Classical Age of Greece
  • Chapter 7: The Hellenistic Age
  • Chapter 8: The Roman Republic
  • Chapter 9: The Roman Empire
  • Chapter 10: The Late Empire and Christianity
  • Chapter 11: Byzantium
  • Chapter 12: Islam and the Caliphates
  • Chapter 13: Early Medieval Europe

 

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About the Book

Western Civilization: A Concise History is an Open Educational Resource textbook covering the history of Western Civilization from approximately 8,000 BCE to 2017 CE. It is available in three volumes covering the following time periods and topics:

  • Volume 1: from the origins of civilization in Mesopotamia c. 8,000 BCE through the early Middle Ages in Europe c. 1,000 CE. Volume 1 covers topics including Mesopotamia,Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome, the Islamic caliphates, and the early European Middle Ages.
  • Volume 2: from the early Middle Ages to the French Revolution in 1789 CE. Volume 2covers topics including the High Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the European conquest of the Americas, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment.
  • Volume 3: from the Napoleonic era to the recent past. Volume 3 covers topics including the Industrial Revolution, the politics of Europe in the nineteenth century, modern European imperialism, the world wars, fascism, Nazism, and the Holocaust, the postwar era, the Cold War, and recent developments in economics and politics.

About the Contributors

Author

Dr. Christopher Brooks

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