Part I, The Ancient World 2600 B.C.-A.D. 500
The Ancient Middle East: Tumultuous cradle of empires
Egypt on the rise: Lords of the Nile
Mediterranean conquests: Greece, Carthage, and Rome
Classical Asia: India and China
Part II, The Middle Ages 500-1500
Byzantium and the Arab world: Empires of faith
Medieval Asia: The Khmer, Mongols, and Ming
Medieval Europe and Africa: Christian and Muslim dynasties
Native American empires: The Toltec, Aztec, and Inca
Part III, Modern Empires 1500s-1900s
Western Europe and the Americas: Colonization and rebellion
Mediterranean and Africa: Ottoman Empire and Asante
Greatness in the East: The Mughals, Qing, and Romanovs
Epilogue: The collapse of modern empires.