Part I. Global Histories: 1. Introduction: the world from 1200 BCE to 900 CE Craig Benjamin; 2. Global economic history Sitta von Reden; 3. The gendering of power in the family and the state Ping Yao and Scott Wells; 4. Slavery Peter Hunt; 5. The axial age in world history Björn Wittrock; 6. Developments in science and technology c.800 BCE to c.800 CE Helmuth Schneider; 7. Discourses on gender and sexuality Ping Yao and Scott Wells; 8. Art Robert Bagley; 9. Pastoral nomads Tim May; Part II. Trans-Regional and Regional Perspectives: 10. Western and Central Eurasia Touraj Daryaee; 11. Regional study: Bactria - the crossroads of ancient Eurasia Jeffrey Lerner; 12. The Mediterranean Craig Benjamin and Merry Wiesner-Hanks; 13. Regional study: Athens in the fifth century BCE William Morison; 14. Late antiquity in Europe c.300-900 CE Charles F. Pazdernik; 15. East Asia Charles Holcombe; 16. Regional study: Confucianism and the state Xinzhong Yao; 17. Regional study: exchanges within the silk roads world system Xinru Liu; 18. South Asia Shonaleeka Kaul; 19. Regional study: Pataliputra Shonaleeka Kaul; 20. The Americas Janet Brashler and Erica Begun; 21. Regional study: Chaco culture and the US Southwest Stephen H. Lekson; 22. Australasia and the Pacific Ian McNiven; 23. Africa: states, empires and connections Stanley Burstein; 24. Regional study: trans-Saharan trade Ralph Austen.