Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

195

EUROPEAN DOMINATION

In the mid-1400s, the Portuguese set

out to explore the coast of Africa in

a new, fast ship—the caravel. They

set up trading stations, and were

followed by other European

explorers and traders, who

moved outward from

Europe to all parts of the

globe. Europeans soon came

to dominate world trade,

setting up colonies in the Americas, Asia,

and Africa, and building vast empires.

PREHISTORIC EUROPE

The first Europeans were

primitive hunters who moved

around in search of food and

shelter. By about 5000 bce,

Europeans were growing crops

and domesticating animals.

They settled in villages, and in

northern Europe they built

large burial mounds for

their dead.

MEDIEVAL TRADE

Trade prospered in medieval

Europe. In the 13th century, a group

of towns around the Baltic and North

Sea formed the Hanseatic League,

trading from ports such as Lübeck

and Bruges, and monopolizing trade

until the 1600s. Cloth, spices, and

gold were sold at great trade fairs.

GREECE AND ROME
In about 900 bce,
the Greeks set up
powerful city-states,
such as Athens. Their
merchants traded
around the coast of the
Mediterranean Sea,
founding colonies from
Spain to the Black Sea.
Rome was founded in 753 bce,
and by 117 ce the Roman Empire
controlled most of Europe, northern
Africa, and the Middle East.

EUROPE IS THE SECOND-SMALLEST continent, but it has played an

important part in world history. The Ancient Greek and Roman empires

stretched into North Africa and the Middle East, and their art, thinking, and

science are still influential today. More than a thousand years later, Portuguese

and Spanish explorers sailed to new continents, and even around the world. This

marked the start of a period of European dominance of world affairs that lasted

400 years. Throughout its long history, however, Europe’s countries have rarely

been at peace, and in the 20th century, quarrels

between European nations led to two

world wars. Since 1945, with the rise of

the United States as a world

superpower, Europe’s global

political influence is less, but it

remains culturally important.

Rose window,

Chartres

Cathedral

HISTORY OF

EUROPE

Roman aquaduct at

Nîmes, southern

France

CHRISTIANITY

In the 300s, Christianity

became the official religion

of the Roman Empire.

Gradually, over the next 700

years, it spread throughout

Europe. The leaders of the

Christian Church, such as

the Pope in Rome, were

very powerful. It unified the

continent, and dominated

all aspects of daily life,

including education.

Portuguese

caravel