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 S IX TH E DITION

Traditions &
Encounters
Volume 1 From the
Beginning to 1500

Jerry H. Bentley
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I

Herbert F. Ziegler
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I

Heather Streets-Salter
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM

Craig Benjamin
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
TRADITIONS & ENCOUNTERS: VOLUME 1 FROM THE BEGINNING TO 1500, SIXTH EDITION

Published by McGraw-Hill Education, 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121. Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill
Education. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Previous editions © 2011, 2008,
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 BriefContents

Maps xviii
Sources from the Past xix PART 3
Connecting the Sources xix THE POSTCLASSICAL ERA,
Preface xx 500 TO 1000 C.E. 262
Acknowledgments xxvii 13 The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia 264
14 The Expansive Realm of Islam 288
PART 1 15 India and the Indian Ocean Basin 312
16 The Two Worlds of Christendom 334
THE EARLY COMPLEX SOCIETIES,
3500 TO 500 B.C.E. 2
1 Before History 4
PART 4
2 Early Societies in Southwest Asia and the Indo-European THE ACCELERATION OF CROSS-CULTURAL
Migrations 26 INTERACTION, 1000 TO 1500 C.E. 360
3 Early African Societies and the Bantu Migrations 50 17 Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration 362
4 Early Societies in South Asia 74 18 States and Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa 382
5 Early Society in Mainland East Asia 90 19 The Increasing Influence of Europe 402
6 Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania 110 20 Worlds Apart: The Americas and Oceania 426
21 Expanding Horizons of Cross-Cultural Interaction 446
PART 2 Glossary G1
THE FORMATION OF CLASSICAL SOCIETIES, Credits C1
ca. 500 B.C.E. TO ca. 500 C.E. 132 Index I1
7 The Empires of Persia 134
8 The Unification of China 152
9 State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation in India 174
10 Mediterranean Society: The Greek Phase 194
11 Mediterranean Society: The Roman Phase 216
12 Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads: During the
Late Classical Era 238

ix
Contents
Maps xviii THE QUEST FOR ORDER 28
Sources from the Past xix Mesopotamia: “The Land between the Rivers” 28
Connecting the Sources xix
The Course of Empire 30
Preface xx
Teaching Resources xxv The Later Mesopotamian Empires 32
About the Authors xxvi SOURCES FROM THE PAST: The Flood Story from the
Acknowledgments xxvii Epic of Gilgamesh 33
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: The Invention of

PART 1
Politics 33
THE FORMATION OF A COMPLEX SOCIETY AND
THE EARLY COMPLEX SOCIETIES, SOPHISTICATED CULTURAL TRADITIONS 35
Economic Specialization and Trade 35
3500 TO 500 B.C.E. 2
The Emergence of a Stratified Patriarchal Society 36

CHAPTER 1 The Development of Written Cultural Traditions 38

SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Hammurabi’s Laws on Family
Before History 4 Relationships 39
EYEWITNESS: Lucy and the Archaeologists 5
THE BROADER INFLUENCE OF MESOPOTAMIAN
THE EVOLUTION OF HOMO SAPIENS 6 SOCIETY 40
Hominids 6 Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews 40
Homo sapiens 7 The Phoenicians 42

PALEOLITHIC SOCIETY 10 THE INDO-EUROPEAN MIGRATIONS 44

Economy and Society of Hunting and Gathering Peoples 10 Indo-European Origins 44
Paleolithic Culture 12 Indo-European Expansion and Its Effects 45
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Intelligence, Language, THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Technological
and the Emergence of Cultural Traditions 14 Diffusion and Its Effects 47

THE NEOLITHIC ERA AND THE TRANSITION TO Chronology 48

AGRICULTURE 15 Summary 49
The Origins of Agriculture 15 Study Terms 49
For Further Reading 49
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Migrations and the
Early Spread of Agriculture 17
Early Agricultural Society 17 CHAPTER 3
REVERBERATIONS: The Role of Urbanization in Early African Societies and the
the Creation of Patriarchy 20 Bantu Migrations 50
Neolithic Culture 20 EYEWITNESS: Herodotus and the Making of a Mummy 51
The Origins of Urban Life 22
EARLY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY IN AFRICA 52
Chronology 23
Climatic Change and the Development of Agriculture
Summary 24
in Africa 52
Study Terms 24
For Further Reading 24

CHAPTER 2
Early Societies in Southwest Asia and the
Indo-European Migrations 26
EYEWITNESS: Gilgamesh: The Man and the Myth 27

x
 Contents xi

Egypt and Nubia: “Gifts of the Nile” 53 SOURCES FROM THE PAST: The Mundaka Upanishad on
The Unification of Egypt 54 the Nature of Brahman 86
Turmoil and Empire 56 THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Cross-Cultural
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Environment, Climate, Encounters and Religious Change 87
and Agriculture 57 Chronology 88
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Harkhuf’s Expeditions Summary 89
to Nubia 58 Study Terms 89
For Further Reading 89
THE FORMATION OF COMPLEX SOCIETIES AND
SOPHISTICATED CULTURAL TRADITIONS 59
The Emergence of Cities and Stratified CHAPTER 5
Societies 59
Early Society in Mainland East Asia 90
Economic Specialization and Trade 61
EYEWITNESS: King Yu and the Taming of the
CONNECTING THE SOURCES: Thinking about Non-elites
Yellow River 91
in the Egyptian Past 62
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Interactions between POLITICAL ORGANIZATION IN EARLY CHINA 92
Egypt and Nubia 66 Early Agricultural Society and the Xia Dynasty 92
Early Writing in the Nile Valley 66 The Shang Dynasty 93
The Development of Organized Religious The Zhou Dynasty 96
Traditions 67 SOCIETY AND FAMILY IN ANCIENT CHINA 98
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Hymn to Osiris 68 The Social Order 98
BANTU MIGRATIONS AND EARLY AGRICULTURAL SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Peasants’
SOCIETIES OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA 69 Protest 100
The Dynamics of Bantu Expansion 70 Family and Patriarchy 101
Early Agricultural Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa 71 SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Family Solidarity in
Chronology 72 Ancient China 102
Summary 73 EARLY CHINESE WRITING AND CULTURAL
Study Terms 73 DEVELOPMENT 102
For Further Reading 73 Oracle Bones and Early Chinese
Writing 103
CHAPTER 4 THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Culture and
Early Societies in South Asia 74 Writing 103
Thought and Literature in Ancient China 104
EYEWITNESS: Indra, War God of the
Aryans 75 ANCIENT CHINA AND THE LARGER WORLD 105
HARAPPAN SOCIETY 76 Chinese Cultivators and Nomadic Peoples of
Central Asia 105
Foundations of Harappan Society 76
Harappan Society and Culture 78 THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Chinese Cultivators
and Their Nomadic Neighbors 106
THE INDO-EUROPEAN MIGRATIONS AND
The Southern Expansion of Chinese Society 107
EARLY VEDIC INDIA 80
Chronology 107
The Aryans and India 80
Summary 108
Origins of the Caste System 81
Study Terms 108
The Development of Patriarchal Society 82
For Further Reading 108
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Comparing Societies
and Understanding Their Differences 82
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: The Rig-Veda on the Hindu CHAPTER 6
God Indra 83 Early Societies in the Americas and
RELIGION IN THE VEDIC AGE 84 Oceania 110
Aryan Religion 84 EYEWITNESS: Chan Bahlum Spills Blood to Honor the
The Blending of Aryan and Dravidian Values 85 Gods 111
xii Contents

EARLY SOCIETIES OF MESOAMERICA 112 RELIGIONS OF SALVATION IN CLASSICAL PERSIAN

The Olmecs 113 SOCIETY 146
Heirs of the Olmecs: The Maya 115 Zarathustra and His Faith 146
Maya Society and Religion 116 Religions of Salvation in a Cosmopolitan Society 148
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: The Creation of Humanity SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Zarathustra on Good
According to the Popol Vuh 118 and Evil 149
Heirs of the Olmecs: Teotihuacan 119 THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Religions on
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Agriculture and the the Move 149
Maya Way of Life 119 Chronology 150
Summary 151
EARLY SOCIETIES OF SOUTH AMERICA 121
Study Terms 151
Early Andean Society and the Chavín Cult 121
For Further Reading 151
Early Andean States: Mochica 122
EARLY SOCIETIES OF OCEANIA 123
Early Societies in Australia and New Guinea 124
CHAPTER 8
The Peopling of the Pacific Islands 125 The Unification of China 152
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Human Migration EYEWITNESS: Sima Qian: Speaking Truth to Power in
to the Pacific Islands 126 Han China 153
Chronology 127 IN SEARCH OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ORDER 154
Summary 128 Confucianism 154
Study Terms 128 SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Confucius on Good
For Further Reading 128 Government 156
Daoism 157
STATE OF THE WORLD: A World with Crops and Herds,
Cities and States, Writing and Religion 130 Legalism 158
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Laozi on Living in Harmony
with Dao 159
THE UNIFICATION OF CHINA 159
PART 2 The Qin Dynasty 160
The Early Han Dynasty 162
THE FORMATION OF CLASSICAL THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Confucians and
SOCIETIES, ca. 500 B.C.E. TO Legalists 164
ca. 500 C.E. 132 THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Relations between
Chinese and Xiongnu 166
CHAPTER 7 FROM ECONOMIC PROSPERITY TO SOCIAL
The Empires of Persia 134 DISORDER 166
Productivity and Prosperity during the Early Han 166
EYEWITNESS: King Croesus and the Tricky Business of
Predicting the Future 135 Economic and Social Difficulties 167
CONNECTING THE SOURCES: Prescriptive Literature and
THE PERSIAN EMPIRES 136
the Lives of Chinese Women during the Han Dynasty 168
The Achaemenid Empire 136
The Later Han Dynasty 171
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Sinews of the Persian
Empire 139
Decline of the Achaemenid Empire 139
The Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanid Empires 141
IMPERIAL SOCIETY AND ECONOMY 142
Social Development in Classical Persia 143
Economic Foundations of Classical Persia 145
REVERBERATIONS: Long-Distance Trade
Networks 146
 Contents xiii

Chronology 172 THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: The Establishment of

Summary 173 Greek Colonies: Major Implications for Much of the
Study Terms 173 Mediterranean Basin 202
For Further Reading 173 The Macedonians and the Coming of Empire 202
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Arrian on the Character of
Alexander of Macedon 205
CHAPTER 9 The Hellenistic Empires 205
State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation
THE FRUITS OF TRADE: GREEK ECONOMY AND
in India 174 SOCIETY 207
EYEWITNESS: Megasthenes: A Greek Perspective on Trade and the Integration of the Mediterranean
Classical India 175 Basin 207
THE FORTUNES OF EMPIRE IN CLASSICAL INDIA 176 THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Maintaining Identity in
The Mauryan Dynasty and the Temporary Dispersal 209
Unification of India 176 Family and Society 209
The Emergence of Regional Kingdoms and the THE CULTURAL LIFE OF CLASSICAL GREECE 210
Revival of Empire 178
Rational Thought and Philosophy 210
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Socrates’ View of
DISTINCTIONS 180
Death 211
Towns and Trade 180
Popular Religion 212
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Routes to Encounters Hellenistic Philosophy and Religion 213
in Classical India 181
Chronology 214
Family Life and the Caste System 181
Summary 215
RELIGIONS OF SALVATION IN CLASSICAL INDIA 183 Study Terms 215
Jainism and the Challenge to the Established For Further Reading 215
Cultural Order 184
Early Buddhism 185
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Religion and Society in CHAPTER 11
Classical India 186
Mahayana Buddhism 187
Mediterranean Society: The Roman
The Emergence of Popular Hinduism 188
Phase 216
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Ashoka Adopts and Promotes EYEWITNESS: Paul of Tarsus and the Long Arm of
Buddhism 189 Roman Law 217

SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Caste Duties according to the FROM KINGDOM TO REPUBLIC 218
Bhagavad Gita 191 The Etruscans and Rome 218
Chronology 191 The Roman Republic and Its Constitution 219
Summary 192 The Expansion of the Republic 220
Study Terms 192 FROM REPUBLIC TO EMPIRE 221
For Further Reading 192 Imperial Expansion and Domestic Problems 221
The Foundation of Empire 222
CHAPTER 10 Continuing Expansion and Integration of the
Empire 224
Mediterranean Society: The Greek Phase 194
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Empires and Their
EYEWITNESS: Homer: A Poet and the Sea 195 Roads 225
EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF GREEK SOCIETY 196 SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Tacitus on the Abuse of Power
Minoan and Mycenaean Societies 196 in the Early Roman Empire 226
The World of the Polis 197
ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN THE ROMAN
GREECE AND THE LARGER WORLD 200 MEDITERRANEAN 226
Greek Colonization 200 Trade and Urbanization 227
Conflict with Persia 201 Family and Society in Roman Times 229
xiv Contents

PART 3
THE COSMOPOLITAN MEDITERRANEAN 231
Greek Philosophy and Religions of Salvation 231
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Foreign Gods in the
Roman Empire 233
THE POSTCLASSICAL ERA,
Judaism and Early Christianity 233 500 TO 1000 C.E. 262
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Jesus’ Moral and Ethical
Teachings 234 CHAPTER 13
Chronology 235 The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia 264
Summary 236 EYEWITNESS: Xuanzang: A Young Monk Hits the Road 265
Study Terms 236
THE RESTORATION OF CENTRALIZED IMPERIAL RULE
For Further Reading 236 IN CHINA 266
The Sui Dynasty 266
CHAPTER 12 The Tang Dynasty 267
The Song Dynasty 269
Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: The Poet Du Fu on Tang
Roads: During the Late Classical Era 238 Dynasty Wars 270
EYEWITNESS: Zhang Qian: An Early Traveler on the Silk
THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF TANG AND SONG
Roads 239
CHINA 271
LONG-DISTANCE TRADE AND THE SILK ROADS Agricultural Development 271
NETWORK 240
Technological and Industrial Development 274
Trade Networks of the Hellenistic Era 240
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Technology and
The Silk Roads 241
Society 275
CULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL EXCHANGES ALONG THE The Emergence of a Market Economy 275
SILK ROADS 245
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: The Arab Merchant Suleiman
The Spread of Buddhism and Hinduism 245 on Business Practices in Tang China 277
The Spread of Christianity 246
CULTURAL CHANGE IN TANG AND SONG CHINA 277
The Spread of Manichaeism 248
The Establishment of Buddhism 277
The Spread of Epidemic Disease 249
REVERBERATIONS: The Spread of Religious
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: The Exchange of
Traditions 278
Religions along the Silk Roads 250
Neo-Confucianism 281
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: St. Cyprian on Epidemic
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Chinese Influence in
Disease in the Roman Empire 250
East and Southeast Asia 281
CHINA AFTER THE HAN DYNASTY 250
DEVELOPMENT OF COMPLEX SOCIETIES IN KOREA,
Internal Decay of the Han State 250
VIETNAM, AND JAPAN 282
Cultural Change in Post-Han China 252
Korea and Vietnam 282
THE LATE ROMAN EMPIRE 253 Early Japan 283
Internal Decay in the Roman Empire 253 Medieval Japan 285
Germanic Invasions and the Collapse of the Western Roman Chronology 286
Empire 254 Summary 287
Cultural Change in the Late Roman Empire 256 Study Terms 287
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: The Evolution of For Further Reading 287
Christianity 257
Chronology 258
Summary 259
Study Terms 259
For Further Reading 259

STATE OF THE WORLD: A World with Capitals and Empire,

Roads and Sea Lanes, Philosophies and Churches 260
 Contents xv

CHAPTER 14 THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Geography,

The Expansive Realm of Islam 288
EYEWITNESS: Season of the Mecca Pilgrimage
A PROPHET AND HIS WORLD 290
Muhammad and His Message 290
Muhammad’s Migration to Medina 291
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: The Quran on Allah and His
Expectations of Humankind 293
The Establishment of Islam in Arabia 294
Environment, and Trade 322
Caste and Society 323
289 SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Cosmas Indicopleustes on
Trade in Southern India 324
RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTH ASIA 324
The Increasing Popularity of Hinduism 324
Islam and Its Appeal 326
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: The Development of
Hinduism and Islam 327

THE EXPANSION OF ISLAM 295 THE INFLUENCE OF INDIAN SOCIETY IN SOUTHEAST

ASIA 327
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: The Prophet and the
Principles of Islam 295 The States of Southeast Asia 327
The Early Caliphs and the Umayyad Dynasty 295 The Arrival of Islam 330
The Abbasid Dynasty 297 Chronology 332
Summary 333
ECONOMY AND SOCIETY OF THE EARLY ISLAMIC
Study Terms 333
WORLD 298
For Further Reading 333
New Crops, Agricultural Experimentation, and Urban
Growth 299
The Formation of a Hemispheric Trading Zone 300
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Religion and
CHAPTER 16
Agriculture 302 The Two Worlds of Christendom 334
The Changing Status of Women 302 EYEWITNESS: Emperor Charlemagne and His
ISLAMIC VALUES AND CULTURAL EXCHANGES 303 Elephant 335
The Formation of an Islamic Cultural Tradition 304 THE QUEST FOR POLITICAL ORDER 336
Islam and the Cultural Traditions of Persia, India, The Early Byzantine Empire 337
and Greece 305 Muslim Conquests and Byzantine Revival 339
CONNECTING THE SOURCES: Sufi Mysticism and the The Rise of the Franks 340
Appeal of Islam 306 The End of the Carolingian Empire 342
Chronology 309 The Age of the Vikings 342
Summary 310
ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN EARLY MEDIEVAL
Study Terms 310
EUROPE 344
For Further Reading 310
The Two Economies of Early Medieval Europe 345
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: The Wealth and Commerce of
CHAPTER 15 Constantinople 346
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Northern
India and the Indian Ocean Basin 312 Connections 347
EYEWITNESS: Buzurg Sets His Sights on the Social Development in the Two Worlds of
Seven Seas 313 Christendom 348
ISLAMIC AND HINDU KINGDOMS 314 SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Pope Gregory the Great on
The Quest for Centralized Imperial Rule 314 Peasant Taxation on the Papal Estates, ca. 600 349
The Introduction of Islam to Northern India 315 THE EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIAN SOCIETIES IN
The Hindu Kingdoms of Southern India 317 BYZANTIUM AND WESTERN EUROPE 350
PRODUCTION AND TRADE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN Popes and Patriarchs 351
BASIN 318 Monks and Missionaries 352
Agriculture in the Monsoon World 319 Two Churches 354
Trade and the Economic Development of Southern India 319 THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Competing
Cross-Cultural Trade in the Indian Ocean Basin 320 Christianities 354
xvi Contents

Chronology 355
Summary 356
Study Terms 356
For Further Reading 356

STATE OF THE WORLD: Revived Networks and New Cultural

Zones 358

PART 4
THE ACCELERATION OF
CROSS-CULTURAL INTERACTION,
1000 TO 1500 C.E. 360
EFFECTS OF EARLY AFRICAN MIGRATIONS 384
CHAPTER 17 Agriculture and Population Growth 384
Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Political Organization 385
Integration 362 ISLAMIC KINGDOMS AND EMPIRES 386
EYEWITNESS: The Goldsmith of the Mongolian Steppe 363 Trans-Saharan Trade and Islamic States in
West Africa 386
TURKISH MIGRATIONS AND IMPERIAL EXPANSION 364
Economy and Society of Nomadic Pastoralism 364 THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Religion and
Commerce 390
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: William of Rubruck on Gender
Indian Ocean Trade and Islamic States
Relations among the Mongols 366
in East Africa 390
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Social Organization on
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Ibn Battuta on Muslim Society
the Steppes 367
at Mogadishu 392
Turkish Empires in Persia, Anatolia, and India 367
AFRICAN SOCIETY AND CULTURAL
THE MONGOL EMPIRES 368 DEVELOPMENT 393
Chinggis Khan and the Making of the Mongol Empire 368 Social Classes 393
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Marco Polo on Mongol Military African Religion 396
Tactics 371 The Arrival of Christianity and Islam 397
The Mongol Empires after Chinggis Khan 371 THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Tensions between Old
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Cultural Preferences and New Values 399
of the Mongols 374 Chronology 400
The Mongols and Eurasian Integration 375 Summary 401
Decline of the Mongols in Persia and China 375 Study Terms 401
REVERBERATIONS: The Diffusion of Technologies 376 For Further Reading 401
AFTER THE MONGOLS 378
Tamerlane and the Timurids 378 CHAPTER 19
The Foundation of the Ottoman Empire 379 The Increasing Influence of Europe 402
Chronology 380 EYEWITNESS: From Venice to China and Back 403
Summary 381
REGIONAL STATES OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE 404
Study Terms 381
The Late Byzantine Empire 404
For Further Reading 381
The Holy Roman Empire 405
Regional Monarchies in France and England 407
CHAPTER 18 Regional States in Italy and Iberia 408
States and Societies of Sub-Saharan ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SOCIAL
Africa 382 DEVELOPMENT 409
EYEWITNESS: The Lion Prince of Mali 383 Growth of the Agricultural Economy 410
 Contents xvii

The Revival of Towns and Trade 411 SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Mo`ikeha’s Migration from
Social Change 412 Tahiti to Hawai`i 443
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Privileges Granted in London Chronology 444
to the Hanse of Cologne 1157–1194 413 Summary 445
EUROPEAN CHRISTIANITY DURING THE HIGH MIDDLE Study Terms 445
AGES 416 For Further Reading 445
Schools, Universities, and Scholastic
Theology 416
Popular Religion 417 CHAPTER 21
Reform Movements and Popular Heresies 418
Expanding Horizons of Cross-Cultural
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Prosperity and Its
Problems 419
Interaction 446
EYEWITNESS: On the Road with Ibn Battuta 447
THE MEDIEVAL EXPANSION OF EUROPE 420
Atlantic and Baltic Colonization 421 LONG-DISTANCE TRADE AND TRAVEL 448
The Reconquest of Sicily and Spain 421 Patterns of Long-Distance Trade 448
The Crusades 422 Political and Diplomatic Travel 451
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: The Historical Missionary Campaigns 452
Significance of the Crusades 422 SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Ibn Battuta on Customs in the
Chronology 424 Mali Empire 453
Summary 425 Long-Distance Travel and Cross-Cultural
Study Terms 425 Exchanges 454
For Further Reading 425 SOURCES FROM THE PAST: John of Montecorvino on His
Mission in China 455
CRISIS AND RECOVERY 456
CHAPTER 20 Bubonic Plague 456
Worlds Apart: The Americas and THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Long-Distance Travel
Oceania 426 and Cross-Cultural Exchanges 458
Recovery in China: The Ming Dynasty 459
EYEWITNESS: First Impressions of the Aztec
Capital 427 CONNECTING THE SOURCES: Individual Experiences of the
Bubonic Plague 460
STATES AND EMPIRES IN MESOAMERICA AND NORTH
Recovery in Europe: State Building 461
AMERICA 428
Recovery in Europe: The Renaissance 463
The Toltecs and the Mexica 428
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: Comparative Cultural
Mexica Society 431
Revivals 465
SOURCES FROM THE PAST: Mexica Expectations of Boys
and Girls 432 EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION 465
Mexica Religion 433 The Chinese Reconnaissance of the Indian Ocean
Basin 466
THINKING ABOUT TRADITIONS: The Mexica and
European Exploration in the Atlantic and Indian
Mesoamerican Bloodletting Rituals 433
Oceans 468
Peoples and Societies of North America 434
Chronology 471
STATES AND EMPIRES IN SOUTH Summary 472
AMERICA 435
Study Terms 472
The Coming of the Incas 435
For Further Reading 472
Inca Society and Religion 438
STATE OF THE WORLD: A World on the Point of Global
THE SOCIETIES OF OCEANIA 439
Integration 474
The Nomadic Foragers of Australia 439
The Development of Pacific Island Societies 441
Glossary G1
THINKING ABOUT ENCOUNTERS: Maritime Encounters Credits C1
and Their Effects 441 Index I1
Maps
MAP 1.1 Global migrations of Homo erectus and Homo MAP 12.3 China after the Han dynasty, 220 c.e. 251
sapiens 8 MAP 12.4 Germanic invasions and the collapse of the western
MAP 1.2 Origins and early spread of agriculture 18 Roman empire, 450–476 c.e. 254
MAP 2.1 Early Mesopotamia, 3000–2000 b.c.e. 29 MAP 13.1 The Sui and Tang dynasties, 589–907 c.e. 267
MAP 2.2 Mesopotamian empires, 1800–600 b.c.e. 32 MAP 13.2 The Song dynasty, 960–1279 c.e. 271
MAP 2.3 Israel and Phoenicia, 1500–600 b.c.e. 41 MAP 13.3 Borderlands of postclassical China: Korea, Vietnam,
MAP 2.4 Indo-European migrations, 3000–1000 b.c.e. 46 and Japan 283
MAP 3.1 The Nile valley, 3000–2000 b.c.e. 53 MAP 14.1 The expansion of Islam, 632–733 c.e. 296
MAP 3.2 Imperial Egypt, 1400 b.c.e. 57 MAP 15.1 Major states of postclassical India,
MAP 3.3 Bantu migrations, 2000 b.c.e.–1000 c.e. 70 600–1600 c.e. 315
MAP 4.1 Harappan society and its neighbors, ca. 2000 b.c.e. 77 MAP 15.2 The trading world of the Indian Ocean basin,
MAP 5.1 The Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, 600–1600 c.e. 321
2200–256 b.c.e. 94 MAP 15.3 Early states of southeast Asia: Funan and Srivijaya,
MAP 5.2 China during the Period of the Warring States, 100–1025 c.e. 328
403–221 b.c.e. 99 MAP 15.4 Later states of southeast Asia: Angkor, Singosari, and
MAP 6.1 Early Mesoamerican societies, 1200 b.c.e.– Majapahit, 889–1520 c.e. 329
1100 c.e. 113 MAP 16.1 Successor states to the Roman empire,
MAP 6.2 Early societies of Andean South America, 1000 ca. 600 c.e. 337
b.c.e.–700 c.e. 122 MAP 16.2 The Carolingian empire, 814 c.e. 342
MAP 6.3 Early societies of Oceania, 1500 b.c.e.–700 c.e. 126 MAP 16.3 The dissolution of the Carolingian empire (843 c.e.)
MAP 7.1 The Achaemenid and Seleucid empires, 558–330 b.c.e. and the invasions of early medieval Europe in the
and 323–83 b.c.e. 137 ninth and tenth centuries 344
MAP 7.2 The Parthian and Sasanid empires, 247 b.c.e.– MAP 17.1 Turkish empires and their neighbors,
651 c.e. 143 ca. 1210 c.e. 369
MAP 8.1 China under the Qin dynasty, 221–207 b.c.e. 160 MAP 17.2 The Mongol empires, ca. 1300 c.e. 372
MAP 8.2 East Asia and central Asia at the time of Han Wudi, MAP 17.3 Tamerlane’s empire, ca. 1405 c.e. 379
ca. 87 b.c.e. 165 MAP 18.1 Kingdoms, empires, and city-states of sub-Saharan
MAP 9.1 The Mauryan and Gupta empires, 321 b.c.e.– Africa, 800–1500 c.e. 388
550 c.e. 177 MAP 19.1 The regional states of medieval Europe, 1000–
MAP 10.1 Classical Greece, 800–350 b.c.e. 198 1300 c.e. 405
MAP 10.2 Classical Greece and the Mediterranean basin, MAP 19.2 Major trade routes of medieval Europe 414
800–500 b.c.e. 201 MAP 19.3 The medieval expansion of Europe, 1000–
MAP 10.3 Alexander’s empire, ca. 323 b.c.e. 204 1250 c.e. 420
MAP 10.4 The Hellenistic empires, ca. 275 b.c.e. 206 MAP 20.1 The Toltec and Aztec empires, 950–1520 c.e. 429
MAP 11.1 Expansion of the Roman republic to 146 b.c.e. 221 MAP 20.2 The Inca empire, 1471–1532 c.e. 436
MAP 11.2 The Roman empire, ca. 117 c.e. 225 MAP 20.3 The societies of Oceania 440
MAP 12.1 The Silk Roads, 200 b.c.e.–300 c.e. 243 MAP 21.1 Travels of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta 450
MAP 12.2 The spread of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity, MAP 21.2 Chinese and European voyages of exploration,
200 b.c.e.–400 c.e. 247 1405–1498 468

xviii
 SourcesfromthePast
Chapter 2 Chapter 12
The Flood Story from the Epic of Gilgamesh 33 St. Cyprian on Epidemic Disease in the Roman Empire 250
Hammurabi’s Laws on Family Relationships 39 Chapter 13
Chapter 3 The Poet Du Fu on Tang Dynasty Wars 270
Harkhuf’s Expeditions to Nubia 58 The Arab Merchant Suleiman on Business Practices in
Hymn to Osiris 68 Tang China 277
Chapter 4 Chapter 14
The Rig-Veda on the Hindu God Indra 83 The Quran on Allah and His Expectations of Humankind 293
The Mundaka Upanishad on the Nature of Brahman 86 Chapter 15
Chapter 5 Cosmas Indicopleustes on Trade in Southern India 324
Peasants’ Protest 100 Chapter 16
Family Solidarity in Ancient China 102 The Wealth and Commerce of Constantinople 346
Chapter 6 Pope Gregory the Great on Peasant Taxation on the Papal
The Creation of Humanity According to the Popul Vuh 118 Estates, ca. 600 349

Chapter 7
Zarathustra on Good and Evil 149
Chapter 8
Confucius on Good Government 156
Laozi on Living in Harmony with Dao 159
Chapter 9
Ashoka Adopts and Promotes Buddhism 189
Caste Duties according to the Bhagavad Gita 191
Chapter 10
Arrian on the Character of Alexander of Macedon
Socrates’ View of Death 211
Chapter 11
Tacitus on the Abuse of Power in the Early Roman
Empire 226
Jesus’ Moral and Ethical Teachings 234
Chapter 17
William of Rubruck on Gender Relations among
the Mongols 366
Marco Polo on Mongol Military Tactics 371
Chapter 18
Ibn Battuta on Muslim Society at Mogadishu 392
Chapter 19
Privileges Granted in London to the Hanse of Cologne
1157–1194 413
Chapter 20
205 Mexica Expectations of Boys and Girls 432
Mo`ikeha’s Migration from Tahiti to Hawai`i 443
Chapter 21
Ibn Battuta on Customs in the Mali Empire 453
John of Montecorvino on His Mission in China 455

ConnectingtheSources
Chapter 3
Document 1: Stela (inscribed stone) from the tomb of a man named
Mentuhotep, from the 11th dynasty (2133–1991 b.c.e.). 62
Document 2: Declaration freeing slaves, from the 20th dynasty
(1185–1070 b.c.e.). 63
Chapter 8
Document 1: Selection from the Analects of Confucius, “On
Women and Servants.” 168
Document 2: Excerpt from Ban Zhao’s Lessons for Women, written
in about 80 c.e. 168
Chapter 14
Document 1: Poem attributed to Rabi’a al-’Adawiyya. 306
Document 2: Selection from Alchemy of Happiness by Abu Hamid
al-Ghazali. Early 12th century. 306
Chapter 21
Document 1: Metrica, by Francesco Petrarca (1304–1374) 460
Document 2: “Essay on the Report of the Pestilence,” 1348, by Ibn
al-Wardi (ca. 1290–1349). 460

xix
 Preface

Outstanding Features of
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TRADITIONS & ENCOUNTERS

SIXTH EDITION

NEW Reverberations feature helps students draw

connections across chapters. Taking a “big picture”
topic like the Columbian exchange, industrialization, or
technological change, it traces the reverberations of such
large-scale processes through different regions and
cultures to encourage thinking about cause and effect. The
Reverberations feature appears in the first chapter of every
part and then reappears as a shorter boxed feature titled
“Reverberations of . . .” in each subsequent chapter.
ben0702x_ch03_050-073.indd Page 62 7/31/14 12:35 PM f-496
Reverberations of
Urbanization and the Creation of Patriarchy
Recall from chapter 1 that some scholars have attempted to explain the
relatively high status of Egyptian and Nubian women by arguing that
their societies were less militarized than those of Mesopotamia, and
thus not as predisposed to valuing male warriors. Given the evidence of
frequent warfare between Egypt and Nubia from the Archaic Period
through the Middle Kingdom, do you agree with this theory? Can you
think of other reasons why women of the Nile might have had more in-
fluence than their counterparts in Mesopotamia?
/204/MH02175/ben0702x_disk1of1/007340702x/ben0702x_pagefiles

Connecting NEW Connecting the Sources feature asks students to

the Sources compare and contrast two documents or images and think
Thinking about non-elites the following two documents, which were generated centuries
critically about the different ways the given information
apart, think about what historians can and cannot infer about
in the ancient Egyptian past the lives of non-elites in ancient Egypt.

The documents Read the documents below, and con-

In order to write about the past, historians must fi nd
and interpret primary sources. Primary sources can
include material objects, archaeological evidence, oral
traditions, texts (including official documents, letters,
accounts, newspapers), or images. They provide the
evidence on which historical narratives rest. This exercise
highlights some of the challenges of interpreting original
primary sources by asking you to consider the kinds
of contextual information you might need in order to
interpret such documents accurately, and by asking you
to consider what individual documents can and cannot
tell you.
can be interpreted. This feature occurs once per part,
sider carefully the questions that follow.
supplementing the Sources from the Past feature in every
Document 1: Stela (inscribed stone) from the tomb of a man
named Mentuhotep, from the 11th Dynasty (2133–1991 B.C.E.). chapter.
Mentuhotep is depicted to the left, with his parents and his son.
To the right are Mentuhotep’s other children and his servants.
(1) O ye who live and are upon the earth and who shall pass
by this tomb, who love life and hate death, say ye: “May
Osiris, head of the Westerners [people of the underworld],
glorify Menthotpe.”

The problem Writing about the ancient past poses mul- (2) Now I was first among my contemporaries, the foreman
tiple problems for historians. Among these is the problem of of my gang [man of the people], one who discovered the
preservation, since many potential sources for historical docu- statement about which he had been asked, and answered
mentation simply have not survived over thousands of years. (it) appropriately,
For textual sources there is also the problem of language and
script, since ancient societies used languages and forms of (3) cool(-headed), one who obtained bread in its (due) season,
writing very different from our own. In addition, even when one whose (own) counsel replaced for him a mother at home,
sources have been preserved and historians are able to deci-
pher ancient texts, there is the problem of selectivity—meaning
that the sources most likely to have
been preserved were those gener-
ated by elites.
Fortunately for historians, ancient
Egyptian peoples left many textual,
material, and archaeological sources
behind. The arid climate helped to
preserve many textual sources written
on papyrus, while the use of stone al-
lowed many monuments to withstand
thousands of years of exposure to the
elements. Despite the abundance of
primary sources, however, much less
is known about the lives of everyday
Egyptians than is known about Egyp-
tian monarchs, nobles, political elites,
and religious authorities. Historians
know that most Egyptians were farm-
ers, but few surviving sources tell their Document 1: Stela from the tomb of Mentuhotep.
story from their own perspective. In

xx
 Preface xxi

“Thinking About” Questions Two critical-thinking

questions inben0702x_ch01_002-025.indd
each chapter—onePage on17“traditions” and
7/31/14 12:08 PM f-496 Thinking about /204/MH02175/ben0702x_disk1of1/007340702x/ben0702x_pagefiles
TRADITIONS
one on “encounters”—promote classroom discussion
and reinforce the themes of the text. Intelligence, Language, and the
Emergence of Cultural Traditions
High intelligence and sophisticated language enabled Homo
sapiens to devise clever ways of exploiting natural resources
and passing knowledge along to their descendants. Later gen-
ions
ns did not
erations not have
have to reinvent
reinv
re invent
ent methods
metho
me thods
ds of providing
p vid
providing
ing
g for
for them-
them-
them
es but, rather, could learn earlier techniques and find ways
selves
Thinking about ENCOUNTERS
nhance them. In what ways did intelligence and language
to enhance
ble early Homo sapiens to create traditions of refl
enable flection
ut the relationship between humans and the natural world?
about
Migrations and the Early Spread of Agriculture
Ever since Homo erectus left Africa almost two million years
ago and established communities in the Eurasian continent,
humans have been migratory creatures, quick to search for
opportunities in lands beyond the horizon. Whenever humans
moved to new lands, they carried their technologies with them
and introduced new ways of exploiting natural resources. In
what ways did early human migrations help explain the early
spread of agriculture?

Sources from the Past features showcase a significant

primary source document of the period,
ben0702x_ch06_110-131.indd such
Page 118 7/29/14as
8:23a
AMpoem,
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journal account, religious writing, or letter. Thought-

provoking questions prompt readers to analyze key issues
raised in the document.

SourcesfromthePast
The Creation of Humanity According to the Popol Vuh
The Popol Vuh, a Maya creation myth, describes how, after their flesh by means of She Who Has Borne Children and He
several failed attempts, the Maya gods finally created humans Who Has Begotten Sons.
out of maize and water. The maize, along with many other Thus they rejoiced over the discovery of that excellent
delicious foods, including chocolate, was revealed to the gods mountain that was filled with delicious things, crowded with yel-
by two animals and two birds. Human flesh was made from the low ears of maize and white ears of maize. It was crowded as
maize, and water became the blood of humanity. The following well with pataxte and chocolate, with countless zapotes and
exerpt from the myth concludes by naming the first four humans, anonas, with jocotes and nances, with matasanos and honey.
describing them as “our first mothers and fathers.” The version From within the places called Paxil and Cayala came the sweet-
of the work that survives today dates from the mid-sixteenth est foods in the citadel. All the small foods and great foods were
century, but it reflects beliefs of a much earlier era. there, along with the small and great cultivated fields. The path
was thus revealed by the animals.
THIS, then, is the beginning of the conception of humanity, when
The yellow ears of maize and the white ears of maize were
that which would become the flesh of mankind was sought.
then ground fine with nine grindings by Xmucane. Food entered
Then spoke they who are called She Who Has Borne Children
their flesh, along with water to give them strength. Thus was
and He Who Has Begotten Sons, the Framer and the Shaper,
created the fatness of their arms. The yellowness of humanity
Sovereign and Quetzal Serpent:
came to be when they were made by they who are called She
“The dawn approaches, and our work is not successfully
Who Has Borne Children and He Who Has Begotten Sons, by
completed. A provider and a sustainer have yet to appear—a
Sovereign and Quetzal Serpent.
child of light, a son of light. Humanity has yet to appear to pop-
Thus their frame and shape were given expression by our
ulate the face of the earth,” they said.
first Mother and our first Father. Their flesh was merely yellow
Thus they gathered together and joined their thoughts in the
ears of maize and white ears of maize. Mere food were the legs
darkness, in the night. They searched and they sifted. Here they
and arms of humanity, of our first fathers. And so there were four
thought and they pondered. Their thoughts came forth bright
who were made, and mere food was their flesh.
and clear. They discovered and established that which would
These are the names of the first people who were framed
become the flesh of humanity. This took place just a little before
and shaped: the first person was Balam Quitze, the second was
the appearance of the sun, moon, and stars above the heads of
Balam Acab, the third was Mahucutah, and the fourth was Iqui
the Framer and the Shaper.
Balam. These, then, were the names of our first mothers and
It was from within the places called Paxil and Cayala that
fathers.
the yellow ears of ripe maize and the white ears of ripe maize
came. For Further Reflection
THESE were the names of the animals that obtained their
 To what extent does this account of human creation reflect
food—fox and coyote, parakeet and raven. Four, then, were the
the influences on Maya society of both agriculture and the
animals that revealed to them the yellow ears of maize and
untamed natural world?
the white ears of maize. They came from Paxil and pointed out
the path to get there.
Thus was found the food that would become the flesh of
the newly framed and shaped people. Water was their blood. It Source: Allen J. Christenson, trans. Popol Vuh. Sacred Book of the
became the blood of humanity. The ears of maize entered into Quiché Maya People, pp. 180–184.
xxii Preface
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2
Revised Part Openers Seven brief part openers—newly
designed for this edition—explain the coherence of each PART
major era in human history by introducing the themes that
run through all the chapters in each part. Taken together,
THE FORMATION OF CLASSICAL
the seven part openers provide a brief, highly analytical SOCIETIES, ca. 500 B.C.E. TO ca. 500 C.E.
summary of the book’s seven-era periodization of the
global past.

S hortly after Homo sapiens turned to agriculture, human

communities began to experiment with new methods of
social organization. In several cases the experimentation en-
couraged the development of complex societies that inte-
grated the lives and livelihoods of peoples over large regions.
These early complex societies launched human history on a
trajectory that it continues to follow today. States, social
classes, technological innovation, specialization of labor,
trade, and sophisticated cultural traditions rank among the
most important legacies of these societies.
Toward the end of the first millennium B.C.E., several early
societies achieved particularly high degrees of internal organi-
zation, extended their authority over extremely large regions,
and elaborated especially influential cultural traditions. The
most prominent of these societies developed in Persia, China,
India, and the Mediterranean basin. Because their legacies
have endured so long and have influenced the ways that liter-
ally billions of people have led their lives, historians often refer
to them as classical societies.
Differences between Classical Societies
The classical societies of Persia, China, India, and the Medi-
terranean basin differed from one another in many ways.
They raised different food crops, constructed buildings out of
different materials, lived by different legal and moral codes,
and recognized different gods. Classical China and India de-
pended on the cultivation of rice, millet, and wheat, whereas
in Persia and the Mediterranean wheat was the staple food
crop. In China, packed earth and wood served as the principal
construction material even for large public buildings; in India,
wood was the most common building material; and in Persia
and the Mediterranean, architects designed buildings of brick
and stone. The classical societies differed even more strik-
ingly when it came to beliefs and values. They generated a
wide variety of ideas about the organization of family and so-
ciety, the understanding of what constituted proper public
and private behavior, the nature of the gods or other powers
thought to influence human affairs, and proper relationships
among human beings, the natural world, and the gods.
Common Challenges in the Classical Societies
Despite those differences, these societies faced several com-
mon problems. They all confronted the challenge, for example,
of administering vast territories without advanced technologies
of transportation and communication. Rulers built centralized
imperial states on a scale much larger than their predecessors in
earlier societies. They constructed elaborate systems of bureau-
cracy and experimented with administrative organization in an
effort to secure influence for central governments and extend
imperial authority to the far reaches of their realms. To encourage

“State of the World” Part Closers Each of the seven parts now
ends with a “State of the World” essay, which reassesses the global
themes that emerged in the preceding chapters. Each “State of the
World” essay is accompanied by a global map and timeline, which
offer students a big-picture snapshot of the world that is both
textual and visual.
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STATE OF THE WORLD Classical Greece

Roman republic
Roman empire
Qin dynasty

A World with Capitals and Han dynasty

Empires, Roads and Sea Lanes, Mauryan empire

Bactrian rule in northern India
Kushan empire in northern India

Philosophies and Churches Gupta empire

Achaemenid empire
Alexander’s empire
Seleucid empire
Parthian empire
Sasanid empire

1000 B.C.E. 500 B.C.E. 0 500 C.E. 1000 C.E.

Alexander’s empire, ca. 336–323 B.C.E.

F ollowing the adoption of agriculture, the early complex societies demonstrated the remarkable potential
of the human species. Building on foundations laid by the early complex societies, the classical socie-
ties scaled the size of human communities and the range of human influence up to dimensions that their
Achaemenid empire,
558–330 B.C.E. Parthian empire,
SOUTHWEST ASIA

247 B.C.E.–224 C.E.

ancestors could hardly have imagined. They inherited forms of social organization and techniques of state-
craft from the early complex societies, but they made adjustments that enabled them to extend their reach Sasanid empire, 224–651 C.E.
far beyond individual regions to distant lands and peoples. The Achaemenid, Han, and Roman empires, for
example, all borrowed forms of social organization from their predecessors, but all of them also dwarfed Seleucid empire, 323–83 B.C.E.
their forerunners and built impressive capital cities from which they supervised sprawling empires and held
enormous territories together for centuries at a time.
The classical societies grew to such large geographic proportions that they all found it necessary to
devote resources to the construction of roads and the discovery of reliable routes over the neighboring
Classical Greece, 800–350 B.C.E.
seas. Although expensive to build and maintain, transportation and communications networks served the
rulers of classical societies as links between their capitals and the distant reaches of their empires. Roads MEDITERRANEAN
and sea lanes functioned as the nerves of the classical societies.
Roman republic, 509 B.C.E.–1st century C.E.
Transportation and communications networks were not captives of individual societies. They eventu-
ally pointed beyond the boundaries of individual societies and offered access to a larger world. Rulers
originally built roads to facilitate communications between their capitals and their provinces—and, if neces-
Roman empire, 1st century–476 C.E.
sary, to send their armed forces to put down rebellions or ensure implementation of their policies. It is
possible, however, that merchants made better use of the magnificent road systems of classical societies
than did the rulers themselves. Merchants tied regions of the classical societies together by linking produc-
ers and consumers. Moreover, they put the classical societies in communication with one another by jump-
ing their frontiers and creating trading relationships across much of the eastern hemisphere. Mauryan empire, India, Kushan empire in northern
Merchants and their trade goods shared the roads and the sea lanes with other travelers, including 321–185 B.C.E. India, 1–300 C.E.
agricultural crops, domesticated animals, and disease pathogens. Some of their more prominent traveling
companions, though, were missionaries spreading the word about their beliefs. Building on traditions of
ASIA
writing and reflection inherited from their forerunners, the classical societies all generated cultural and reli- Bactrian rule in northern India,
182 B.C.E.–1 C.E.
gious traditions whose influences resonate more than two thousand years later. Confucianism, Buddhism, Gupta empire, India, 320–550 C.E.
Greek science, rational philosophy, and Christianity have all changed dramatically since the time of their
founders, none of whom would recognize their modern-day descendants. Nevertheless, their cultural and
religious traditions have profoundly shaped the course of world history. Qin dynasty, China, 221–207 B.C.E.
Rulers of the classical empires built the roads and sponsored exploration of the sea lanes, but mer-
chants and missionaries were equal partners in the construction of the classical era of world history.
Han dynasty, China,
 Preface xxiii

Revised Map Program Brighter colors and more contrast in the revised maps
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promote clarity, highlight topographical information, and enhance digital display.

Mauryan empire
Aral
Sea Gupta empire
 Global maps display geographical information using a
Ca
Black Sea

s p iS e a
Trade routes

an “view-from-space” perspective, depicting larger regions

TR IA
BAC Taxila
PE HINDU KUSH
Mediterranean Sea RS GAN DHARA
IA
I nd
us PUNJAB HI
MA
in broader and clearer context.
Pe

sia Ga L AY
r

nG n AS
g
ulf Sarnath

es
Banaras Pataliputra
G U J A R AT MAGA D HA
Bodh Gaya Nala
Re

nda
d S

A
G
N
ea

D ECCA N
LI B U R MA
PL ATEA U
KA
20°N
Bay
Ara bia n Sea of
Bengal  Clear representation of topographical features
INDIAN OCEAN
CEYLON
10°N strengthens students’ understanding of the
M A P 9 .1
The Mauryan and Gupta
50°E
Strait of Melaka
110°E
geographical contexts of world history.
empires, 321 B.C.E.–550 C.E. 60°E
Equator
0°
The Mauryan and Gupta 70°E
80°E
dynasties both originated in 90°E

the kingdom of Magadha.

Why was this region so
important in ancient India?
What advantages did it offer
for purposes of trade and
communication with other
regions?
overseeing trade and agri-
ri- by sea, between the Ganges plain and southern India. Th
es,
culture, collecting taxes, Ashoka’s first major undertaking as emperor was to conqu
ct-
maintaining order, conduct- Kalinga and bring it under Mauryan control, which he did
nd
ing foreign relations, and a bloody campaign in 260 b.c.e. By Ashoka’s estimat
estima
so
waging war. Kautalya also 100,000 Kalingans died in the fighting, 150,000 were driv AT L A N T I C O C E A N
SI
ER

advised Chandragupta to from their homes, and untold numbers of othersG perished
ulf of
RA

Mexico
M

Aztec empire
AD
RE

Toltec empire
 Distinct colors make for
M

See inset at left

O
U

Maya empire
N

A
T

IN Chichén Itzá
S
Teotihuacan
Cholula
YUCATAN
clear and precise
PENINSULA
Tula

Teotihuacan Caribbean Sea

geographical
Tlatelolco
Lake
Texcoco PA C I F I C O C E A N representations.
ISTHMUS OF
Tenochtitlan PANAMA

 Regional maps include

M A P 2 0 .1 globe locator icons to help
 Insets provide additional The Toltec and Aztec empires, 950–1520 C.E.
The Aztec empire stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. 0 500 mi
students understand world
detail for especially
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control these 0 1000 km

diverse territories and peoples?

regions in the larger context.
important areas.

 Captions include highlighted salient points of the maps,

followed by critical-thinking questions that prompt
students to link the book’s narrative to geographic
information presented in the book.

Integrated Illustrations Program Images that personalize the

past by depicting everyday individuals at work and play are well
integrated with the larger narrative, enhancing and supporting the
themes of traditions and encounters.

 Critical-thinking questions enable students to analyze

illustrations in the historical and cultural context
discussed in the text.

A watercolor painting from sixteenth-century Iran depicts a caravan of

pilgrims traveling to Mecca while making the hajj. In what ways did the
hajj facilitate social and business relationships?
xxiv Preface

Highlights of the Sixth Edition

Reverberations This new feature appears once in every part and uses information from multiple chap-
ters to discuss an overarching topic, such as technological change, the Columbian exchange, or industrial-
ization, to help students think about cause and effect over the long term. The Reverberations feature
appears in the first chapter of every part, and then reappears as a smaller boxed feature in the subsequent
chapters, reminding students to consider how the “reverberations” relate to the specific material they are
now reading.
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Pronunciation guides have been expanded and moved to the bottom of the page for easy reference.
The image program and suggested readings have been updated in every chapter.

Chapter 1 Revised to reflect recent research on interbreeding between Homo sapiens and Neandertals.
Updated text to reflect current scholarship on nomadic peoples.

Chapter 2 Revised discussion on the centrality of religion to Sumerian culture.

Chapter 4 Updated scholarship on Harappan and Dravidian peoples.

Chapter 5 Revised discussion of the role of nomads in spreading technologies from western Eurasia to
China. Updated coverage of the place of the Xia in Chinese history.

Chapter 8 Revised material on Han Wudi.

Chapter 9 Updated material on Kushan Empire to reflect current scholarship. Revised discussion of
geography of Gandhara.

Chapters 13 and 14 Switched the order of the chapters to align better with chronological organization.

Chapter 15 Updated material on Mahmud of Ghazni.

Chapter 16 Impact of the Vikings amplified. Discussion of feudalism refined.

Chapter 17 Discussion of the Fall of Constantinople amplified.

Chapter 18 Revised discussion of African peoples’ response to imported religions.

Chapter 19 Clarified timeline of First and Third Crusades.

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 L’APRÈS-MIDI DU FAUNE

Imprudente, tu vas sous l’épaisseur des branches,

Dans le parc merveilleux par l’automne doré,
Sans savoir qu’à l’odeur que laisse ta chair blanche,
Moi, le monstre velu te suis dans les fourrés.

A plat ventre, enfonçant mon sexe dans les herbes,

J’ai scruté bien souvent sous le tissu léger
Tes deux jambes en fleurs, vigoureuses, superbes,
Et ta grâce de vierge ignorant le danger.

Et ta nubilité précieuse et vivante,

Cette pudeur sentant le duvet et la peau,
Se confondait pour moi aux odeurs enivrantes
Des vieux buis, des genévriers et des sureaux.

Or, l’automne en chaleur décompose les feuilles,

Du feu sort en vapeurs de l’humus craquelé,
Les marronniers brûlants en gouttes d’or s’effeuillent,
Et je danse en pensant à ton corps violé.

Je pourrais tout à coup te tirer par la tresse

Et te faire tomber d’un geste, sur le dos.
J’étoufferais tes cris de ma forte caresse,
T’immobiliserais du poids de mon fardeau.

Non, je veux te forcer comme on force une bête,

Te faire revenir à l’animalité
Par la peur, te montrant subitement ma tête
Affreuse, et mon corps nu de désir dévasté.

A la course! Pour fuir tu lèveras ta robe,

Mon souffle d’animal te chauffera les reins.
Les arbousiers avec l’œil rouge de leur globe
En passant de leur suc t’humecteront les seins.
Tu heurteras les troncs, glisseras sur les gommes,
La ronce à chaque pas te déshabillera,
Plus fortes que les fleurs, des odeurs mâles d’hommes,
En effluves épais entoureront tes pas.

Tu fuiras jusqu’aux lieux où le parc est sauvage,

Où la racine à vif perce le sol en rut,
Où le pourrissement des bois et des feuillages
Fait un lit séminal aux grands arbres membrus.

Je te culbuterai parmi les fondrières,

Je te déchirerai, je te ravagerai,
Je te ferai sentir tout l’amour de la terre
Dans un élan que rien ne pourra modérer.

Et dans le rythme immense où tu seras plongée,

Tu percevras, tes mains fouillant le terreau noir,
Le baiser des fourmis, l’amour des scarabées,
Des étreintes de mandibule et de suçoir.

Et tu sauras combien est beau le crépuscule,

En sentant sous ton dos broyé par mon poitrail,
Les insectes amants, les couples minuscules
Et tout le grouillement de la terre en travail.

Et, boueuse et sanglante, au sein de la nature,

Tu renieras l’orgueil de ta virginité
Dans ce lit de la vie et de la pourriture
Dont j’aurai fait jaillir l’éternelle beauté.
 PLAISIRS DU SULTAN

Le sultan énervé, las des femmes trop grasses

Du harem, des soldats dormant sous leur cuirasse,
Des eunuques trop laids et des chiens assoupis,
S’est fait porter avec ses bonbons, ses tapis,
Son narguilé d’argent et ses flacons de rose,
Dans la cour du palais que le soleil arrose.
Quatre nègres géants dont le torse est bombé
Font luire autour de lui leurs sabres recourbés.
Il s’ennuie, il a froid, il est triste de vivre...
Il fait venir la vierge aux beaux cheveux de cuivre,
Pareils à du feu chaud tressé sur un front pur.
Les nègres saisissant ce corps pétri d’azur
Lui fendent les poignets et pendant qu’elle crie
Versent le sang sur un plateau d’orfèvrerie.
Le sultan trempe alors ses mains languissamment
Dans le sang tiède et voit au fond des yeux charmants
De la vierge, la mort venir des veines vides...
Les sabres recourbés ont quatre éclairs splendides,
Le soleil brûle et le sultan clignant des yeux
Sur le corps étendu jette un grand velours bleu...
 L’ESPRIT DE LA MER

Le veilleur dans la tour fit retentir sa corne,

Glaçant d’effroi sur les quais bleus les débardeurs.
Et la plage s’emplit de requins, de licornes
De mer, de poissons morts montant des profondeurs.

Sur les remparts bâtis de galets verts, l’évêque

Parut avec l’étole et la mitre qui luit
Suivi par les calfats, les marchands de pastèques
Qui, tordus par la peur, tendaient les mains vers lui.

Alors, dans l’horizon, le vaisseau gigantesque

S’avança sur les flots qui devenaient cendrés.
Il avait trois ponts noirs de forme barbaresque,
Il était sans fanal, sans voile et sans agrès.

Et sa coque luisait de nacres, de polypes,

De coraux sous-marins, de madrépores d’or.
Les pétoncles et les mollusques qui s’agrippent
S’étaient cristallisés dans le bois des sabords.

Il était cuirassé de la pierre des gouffres,

Il venait de plus loin que les courants des fonds,
Il portait comme un sceau sur sa poupe et ses roufles
Des signes incrustés par d’antiques typhons.

Et sur les ponts, parmi les mâtures fléchies,

Un équipage avec des corps huileux et blancs,
Des marins, respirant au moyen de branchies,
Manœuvraient. Ils avaient des nageoires aux flancs.

Ils portaient des turbans et des burnous d’arabes,

Ils regardaient au loin par d’aveugles yeux ronds.
Quelques-uns avaient des mandibules de crabes,
Et des sabres battaient sur leurs pieds d’esturgeons.
Et tout couvert de talismans kabbalistiques,
Un être avec un bec se tenait à l’avant.
Ses doigts palmés levaient un pentacle magique
Et sa robe en tissu perlé flottait au vent.

Il se fit un reflux d’eaux ternes et malsaines

Et ceux qui se trouvaient sur la plage ont cru voir
Les trois albatros morts sur le mât de misaine,
Avant que le vaisseau s’enfonçât dans le soir...

Depuis la ville semble atteinte de jaunisse...

L’homme languit, frappé par l’esprit de la mer,
Et fou, sur les quais bleus où les bateaux pourrissent,
L’évêque danse avec sa mitre de travers...
 FEMME A LA PANTHÈRE

Il fait très chaud... Je marche à travers un jardin

Plein d’aloès. Au loin, résonne un tambourin,
Un chant de caravane ou de tribus en marche.
Je vois un pavillon de bois peint... quelques marches...
J’y cours, je les gravis, et j’hésite, levant
La portière d’argent rayé qui tremble au vent.
Je pénètre... Et sous le tamis des moustiquaires
Celle que la chaleur et le rêve exaspèrent
Dont les reins font un arc tendu par le désir,
Se pâme... Elle me voit et sourit de plaisir...
Elle écarte la gaze, offrant ses seins qui battent
Et son front couronné d’un turban écarlate.
Je tends les bras... Alors dans les coussins épais,
Longue et féline, une panthère qui dormait
S’étire, fait crisser ses ongles, me regarde.
La femme dont la main sur la bête s’attarde
S’offre encore et je vois dans un rais de soleil
Que la femme et le fauve ont des yeux verts pareils...
 LA BOUCHÈRE NUE

Le village est cassé, atteint de lèpre, hagard.

Les toits sont par endroits troués par le désastre.
La place boursouflée et le clocher camard
Ont l’air de grimacer au silence des astres.

On dirait que le désespoir et le remords

Sont les hôtes geignants de ces portes de briques.
Mais comme un pou géant enfanté sur les morts
L’orgie au ventre épais bave dans les boutiques.

Des hommes un par un glissent le long des murs.

Là-bas dans une odeur de bête et d’écurie,
Sous le rougeâtre feu du bec de gaz obscur,
Comme une gueule en sang bâille la boucherie.

Ils entrent et parmi les bœufs morts de l’étal

S’accroupissent, luxurieux et pleins de joie.
Les visages ont quelque chose d’animal.
Au loin la lune monte... un chien errant aboie...

Et l’énorme bouchère aux grands seins descendant

Paraît et le public éclate quand elle entre.
Elle rit de plaisir et fait claquer ses dents,
Nue et flasque, elle danse une danse du ventre.

La viande et la sueur sentent également.

Un vieux en ricanant tient la lampe à pétrole
Et la hausse et la baisse à chaque mouvement,
Comme un prêtre bouffon d’une grotesque idole.

C’est pour les spectateurs un plus rare régal

Qu’un festin qu’on ferait dans le décor d’un bouge.
Et la danse ressemble un cérémonial
Du vieux culte de l’homme à la chair de la gouge...
Puis l’on part. L’air est lourd de fièvre et de tabac,
La bouchère tord ses cheveux brillants de graisse...
La lampe fume et meurt... Un peu de sang fait: flac!
C’est la tête de veau pleurant dans l’ombre épaisse...
 LA FILLE DU SULTAN

La fille du sultan dans sa robe à sequins,

Toute menue au fond de l’étroit palanquin,
Rêve de supprimer l’horrible forme mâle.
Parfois ses longs doigts peints qu’encerclent les opales
Frôlent la favorite assise à ses côtés.
Ses yeux verts sont perdus sous de grands cils bleutés...
Malheur aux jeunes gens qui viennent sur leur porte
Ou sortent des bazars lorsqu’avec son escorte.
Ses eunuques et son grand tigre apprivoisé,
Serrant ses petits seins sous son châle croisé,
Elle rêve aux beautés des lignes féminines.
Malheur aux jeunes gens qui sortent des piscines
Et marchent au soleil couverts de gouttes d’eau.
Ils sont à coup de fouet attachés dos à dos,
On les mène au palais, on en fait des eunuques.
Quand ils sont épilés, revêtus de perruques
Et de robes, sanglants et des chaînes aux pieds,
Demi-hommes déchus en femmes habillés,
La fille du sultan à son balcon regarde
Heureuse et frissonnante, et fait signe à ses gardes
De les frapper plus fort de la lance ou du fouet
Afin qu’ils la supplient de leur voix en fausset.
 LES CASTRATS

II

Les castrats, dans la cour, parqués comme des bêtes,

Se rappellent les soirs de puissance et de fête
Où parmi les sorbets, les pastèques, les vins,
Sur les tapis creusés par le désir divin
Ils possédaient le corps des filles barbaresques.
Maintenant revêtus d’affublements grotesques,
Ils sentent chaque jour leur visage jaunir,
Leurs muscles se sécher et leur force finir.
La fille du sultan à l’heure où le soir tombe
Paraît sur la terrasse ainsi qu’une colombe
Au plumage de soie et ruisselante d’or.
Elle enlève un à un les voiles de son corps,
Jette ses bracelets, ses colliers et ses peignes
Et svelte, sur l’azur et le soleil qui saigne,
Elle danse, vers les captifs tendant ses seins.
Et les castrats prennent leur tête dans leurs mains,
Ils maudissent leur chair ridicule et blessée,
Car l’âme est désireuse et la chair est glacée...
 LE BAIN ROUGE

III

La fille du sultan aime sa favorite,

L’esclave aux cheveux courts, la pâle Moscovite.
Et comme elle est jalouse elle la fait garder,
Dans la salle aux jets d’eaux par les hommes fardés
Et cruels à qui seuls les adolescents plaisent.
Elle rit trop souvent avec les sœurs Maltaises,
Celle aux roses, celle qui porte un attirail
De talismans et celle à l’anneau de corail...
La fille du sultan dévêt la Moscovite,
Et puis, à se baigner près d’elle elle l’invite,
Ouvrant ses bras menus au milieu du bassin.
Alors elle l’enlace et sur leurs yeux, leurs seins
A toutes deux, le jet d’eau verse un ruisseau rouge,
Une petite pluie en fleurs qui frôle et bouge.
Des trois sœurs aux yeux noirs que l’on vient d’égorger
Il ne reste plus rien que ce jet d’eau léger.
Et dans les marbres bleus il danse, tourne et saigne
Sur les corps frémissants des femmes qui s’étreignent...
Dans le grand escalier l’homme au sabre descend...
Trois corps dans un grand sac... Quelques taches de sang...
Et parmi les coussins où traîne une odeur fade,
Les roses, le corail, les talismans de jade...
 LA CHAMBRE DE BARBE BLEUE

La chambre en velours noir aux portes cramoisies...

Les sept corps suspendus à des crochets de fer
Gardent les spasmes morts des vieilles frénésies
Dont les plaisirs divins ont dévasté leur chair.

Dans les flaques de sang qui des gorges déferlent

Est une tache d’or étroite, c’est la clef.
Un petit doigt crispé garde encore une perle,
Un cou brisé de diamants est constellé...

J’effeuille un grand bouquet de jasmins et de roses...

Le vent du corridor fait trembler mon flambeau.
Le souvenir sort des paupières demi-closes...
Comme les yeux des morts sont terribles et beaux!

Voilà celles que j’adorais, mes sept compagnes,

Que j’ai faites périr de mes mains tour à tour.
Et pourtant mon amour chantait dans la montagne
Ainsi qu’une fanfare au sommet d’une tour.

Voilà la Florentine avec sa toison brune

Qui me faisait crier lorsque je la serrais,
Et mon amour était plus ardent que la lune
Qui consume, l’été, les lacs et les forêts.

Voilà le torse étroit de la danseuse Grecque

Et j’embrassais son corps avec plus de ferveur
Qu’un dévot à genoux baise un anneau d’évêque,
Un jour de Pâques plein de cloches et de fleurs.

Voilà les cheveux courts de la Visitandine

Qui gardait un parfum de sacrilège aux seins
Et voilà Belcolor avec ses jambes fines
Et Gaétane aux yeux couleur de ciel marin.
Voilà celle qui, nue, en d’épaisses fourrures
Se jetait brusquement sur le lit de brocart.
Ses dents de louve étaient avides de morsures,
Ses reins battaient comme un bélier sur un rempart.

Voilà la plus petite et son visage d’aube,

La pudique, dont je n’ai pas baisé les doigts.
C’est lorsque mon poignard ouvrit en deux sa robe
Que j’ai su quel trésor était perdu pour moi.

Comme je vous aimais, ô mes épouses mortes!

Vous pouviez demander mes champs et mes châteaux,
Mais vous avez voulu le secret de la porte
Cramoisie, et la mort est venue aussitôt...

Vous ne saviez donc pas, ô femmes bien-aimées,

Qu’il n’est pas de palais qui ne cache en sa tour
La chambre en velours noir, terrible et parfumée
Où dort le souvenir du sang et de l’amour.

Plus jamais! Vos bijoux jettent des éclairs fauves...

Derrière la fenêtre on entend les corbeaux...
Les ongles sont bistrés, la chair est bleue et mauve...
J’effeuille le bouquet et j’éteins le flambeau...
 LA MAISON DES ADOLESCENTS

L’adolescent franchit le mur du beau jardin

Car il ne savait pas qu’après les tamarins,
Les seringas géants, les camphriers blanchâtres,
Se dressait la maison secrète aux murs de plâtre
Où vivaient les enfants aux corps luxurieux,
La mulâtresse aux mains savantes, aux longs yeux,
La svelte au tambourin et la toute petite
A tête rase, aux seins couleur de chrysolithe.
Il frappa doucement sur la porte en or peint.
Un rire clair, de l’ombre fraîche, des coussins,
Des fruits dans des plateaux, des vins dans des carafes...
Sur un voile en lin bleu luit l’émail d’une agrafe.
Une bouche agace sa nuque en le mordant,
Un autre prend sa bouche et caresse ses dents.
La musique du tambourin, les lourdes roses...
La robe de lin bleu, la robe de lin rose
Tombent. Ses doigts crispés sur le frêle front ras
L’adolescent se pâme et fléchit dans les bras
Bronzés, puis dort et la nuit vient et la nuit passe...
Et d’autres nuits encor viennent. Les plantes grasses
Éclatent au soleil et les grands camphriers
Murmurent, les lézards courent sur les graviers...
Toujours l’adolescent étreint, renaît, se pâme
Dans le plaisir de chair, sur la chaleur des femmes.
Et lorsque se dressant au milieu des coussins
Il entend par-delà les murs, sur le chemin
Sa mère qui, de loin, l’appelle et se lamente,
Il serre avec ardeur les trois adolescentes
Il répand à leurs pieds une âme sans regrets.
Il est dans la maison dont on ne sort jamais.
 L’INCUBE ET LA VIERGE

Elle ôte en s’étirant sa robe et, virginale,

Près du miroir, défait la gerbe des cheveux.
La coupe de cristal sonne de son opale...
Le sein n’est pas formé, le cou n’est pas nerveux.

Toute la pureté de la chair et de l’âme

Emplit comme un parfum ce décor rose et bleu.
L’air est léger et doux, le feu jette des flammes...
Elle sent son corps chaud sous son peignoir soyeux

L’intime solitude et le tiède silence

De leur sécurité lui grisent le cerveau.
Elle a le sentiment pourtant d’une présence.
Elle ferme la porte et croise les rideaux.

Et comme elle pénètre entre les draps où l’ambre

Monte subtilement des oreillers brodés,
Il semble qu’un soupir tressaille dans la chambre...
Elle écoute, le front sur le bras accoudé.

Ce n’est rien. Elle éteint la lumière. Une haleine

Étrange, de la nuque aux talons la parcourt,
Et voilà que soudain pour elle l’ombre est pleine
De souvenirs pervers et d’images d’amour.

Elle veut les chasser, mais toutes les racines

Des duvets de sa peau frémissent en brûlant.
Les draps bougent. Près d’elle une longue main fine
A pris son torse et la caresse en la frôlant.

Elle allume. Elle a peur. Mais non, le lit est vide.

Elle ferme les yeux pour dormir, mais alors
Elle sent sur sa bouche une autre bouche avide,
Qui la savoure ainsi qu’un fruit à pulpe d’or.
Et c’est un corps humain qui près d’elle se glisse,
Dont la forme et l’odeur lui font bondir le sang.
Elle se laisse aller à ce nouveau délice
De croire être blottie entre des bras absents...

Mais ce n’est pas un songe, ô Seigneur! Une forme

Est bien là qui la tient fortement par le cou,
Une puissance d’homme, une carrure énorme
Qui la meurtrit avec les os de ses genoux.

Elle ne pourrait plus s’échapper et du reste

Ne le veut plus. Le lit est splendide et fatal.
Elle flambe à présent des flammes de l’inceste
Contre le compagnon fantastique et brutal.

La tendre jeune fille au beau visage pâle

N’est plus qu’un être de plaisir entre des bras,
Une bête agrippée au lit, une cavale
Qu’un chevaucheur sans nom fait courir sur les draps.

«O bien-aimé nocturne et terrible, demeure!

Par ton large baiser mon visage est mangé.
Enivrons-nous encor du délire des heures
Au creux de ce torrent qu’est le lit ravagé...»

Mais l’aurore apparaît aux carreaux. Elle éclaire

Le linge déchiré, l’empreinte, la sueur,
La trace des doigts durs, le bistre des paupières
Et la chambre déserte... Il fait froid. Le feu meurt...

«Quel est l’être, ô Seigneur, sans âme et sans figure,

Qui dans mon lit de vierge a, cette nuit, couché?
Pourquoi suis-je à présent si souillée et si pure?
Je connais le plaisir infini du péché...»
 LE PAGE AUX GANTS MAUVES

On a crucifié le page au maillot noir

Qui chanta les couplets défendus, au boudoir,
Le beau page insolent aux cheveux bleus et fauves.
On a planté les clous à travers ses gants mauves,
Et remis sur son front la toque au plumet long.
Il entend ricaner son ami, le félon
Qui l’a dénoncé, puis c’est l’abbé qui l’exhorte.
Le maître satisfait passe avec son escorte,
Oublieux qu’une fois le souper finissant
Il conduisit, l’ayant grisé, l’adolescent
Vers sa chambre secrète en velours de Byzance.
Des femmes, à la nuit, viennent mettre en silence
Des fleurs devant sa croix, car elles ont aimé
Le jeune homme et dormi dans ses bras parfumés.
Lui, des lèvres tout bas demande quelque chose.
Mais nulle ne comprend. Elles posent des roses
Et s’en vont... Celle dont il refusa l’amour
La petite comtesse espiègle aux cheveux courts,
Vint la dernière avec l’aiguière et le peigne.
Et c’est elle qui nettoya le front qui saigne,
Mit la toque plus droite, arrangea le pourpoint
Et quand il fut coiffé, maquillé avec soin
Et que le sang des gants fut couvert par les bagues,
Elle perça son cœur d’une petite dague.
 LA TRISTESSE DU NAIN CHINOIS

Pour faire un boniment près des manèges ivres,

Dans le faste de pains d’épice et d’oripeaux
Des quatorze juillet vibrant du chant des cuivres,
Un soir, il débarqua chez les Occidentaux.

Les trafiquants comptaient sur son épaule torse,

Sur sa face huileuse avec des yeux bénins,
Sur sa natte tressée et cette grande force
De comique que cache une forme de nain.

Non, l’Europe est trop laide et son ciel est malade!

A votre appel, ce soir, il demeurera sourd,
O lutteur dont le muscle éclate à la parade,
O Gugusse assassin, dompteur de phoque et d’ours.

Car dans le bruit que fait la foire et sa folie,

Il entend retomber les rames des sampans,
Sous les palétuviers il compte les coolies,
Dans les sentiers de joncs où dorment les serpents.

Il voit les abris bas pour les âmes en peine,

Le village en bambous auprès du champ de riz.
Le petit temple bleu qui domine la plaine
Et l’ombre tamisée où le Bouddha sourit.

«Je ne danserai pas dans le bruit des cymbales,

Devant ce peuple abject grotesquement vêtu,
Pour la race innommable avec des faces pâles,
Des yeux striés de sang et des mentons velus.

«Vous êtes plus affreux que les dragons de bronze

Que Confucius place au seuil de son enfer,
Que les esprits du mal que conjurent les bonzes,
Avec des bâtonnets en aréquier vert.
«Vous êtes plus mauvais que les Tatars antiques
Qui vinrent ravager l’empire du Milieu
Car ils se contentaient pour trophée, à leur pique,
D’une tête dont ils avaient ôté les yeux.

«Mais vous, dès que vos fils sont sortis de leur mère,
Ils apprennent la mort et ses arts raffinés.
Vous les faites pourrir dans le charnier des guerres,
Vivants, vous les sciez et vous les dépecez.

«Je préfère, voyant vos mufles, vos babines,

Où sont inscrits vos sanguinaires appétits
Les peuplades sans front de l’île Sakhaline,
Les déterreurs de morts du désert de Gobi.

«Votre soleil a l’air d’une lune et me navre.

Vous marchez en mangeant vos enfants dans vos bras
Et c’est ce qui vous fait cette odeur de cadavre
Qui sort de vos habits comme un nuage gras...»

—Le fouet tourbillonna sur le nain impassible.

Les mirlitons criaient et claquaient les drapeaux.
Dans sa face immobile ainsi qu’en une cible
La patronne planta son épingle à chapeau.

Et le lutteur vint lui donner la bastonnade,

Et la foire chanta son plaisir, ses amours...
Toujours le nain voyait parmi le bleu des jades
Un Bouddha souriant au fond du demi-jour...
LE PARC MASQUÉ