\n5 Things to Know about World History Before 600 C.E.:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- From the simplest barter system to long journeys along trade routes, the exchange of goods and ideas shaped this period and led to further change throughout the world. Important trade routes like the Silk Road, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea shaped development.<\/li>\n
- Once people began to settle and gradually organize into early civilizations, the discovery of agriculture began to change their lives at a more rapid pace.<\/li>\n
- As humans organized themselves in families, gender roles emerged. With the development of agriculture, the division of labor further deepened these divisions. These gender roles were reinforced by religious systems and governmental systems.<\/li>\n
- During this period, major world religions developed and spread, shaping the civilizations they encountered. Religions and belief systems, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism (Asia), and Christianity and Judaism (Europe, Asia), influenced large numbers of people throughout the period.<\/li>\n
- Civilizations emerged that had organized governments, complex religions, social structures, job specialization, public works, systems of writing, and arts and architecture. These civilizations grew into larger and more complicated governmental organizations, such as empires (e.g., Rome, Han, and Gupta).
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