INTRODUCTION TO

BEFORE EUROPEAN HEGEMONY

HegemonyEuropean Hegemony (1450 - )

Kaifeng (China, 11-12th century)

Before European Hegemony

(Pre-modern World)

Map of Al-Idrisi (1099-1166)

A Map by a Muslim Geographer (13th Century)

Ortellus of Antwerp (1570)

The Map of Piri Reis, Ottoman Admiral (16th Century)

Three major zones in Premodern World

EuropeMiddle EastEast Asia

Between 1250 and 1350 these three zones were linked to each other, creating a dense network of trade

The main characteristics of the pre-modern world

The center was not in EuropeAsia prosperous but not hegemonicMiddle east plays an intermediary role

Travels of Marco Polo (1271-1295)Travels of Ibn Battuta (1325-1349)