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Period: 250 to 900
Maya Empire.
Location: Mesoamerica, Yucatan peninsula, (modern day Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico) Fact: The Maya followed a polytheistic religion, and had many gods. Most of them had a connection to natural things such as food, the moon or the sun. -
Period: 320 to 550
Gupta Empire
Location: Northern, central, and parts of southern India Fact: Most people in the Gupta Empire practiced Hinduism. Some people consider Hinduism to be a polytheistic religion, while others consider it to be a monotheistic religion. This is because some people think there are multiple gods with their own personalities and stories, while others believe all gods are a form of the same god. -
Period: 330 to 1453
Byzantine Empire
Location: Southeastern Europe, parts of North Africa and Western Asia. Fact: In the Byzantine Empire, Government and religion were very closely connected, and the people even viewed their Emperor as the living God in addition to him being the leader of the government. -
Period: 618 to
Imperial China (Tang-Ming Dynasty)
Location: Modern day China, the Korean Peninsula, and Afghanistan Fact: Imperial China practiced a mix of religions one of them being Daoism. Daoism emphasizes living in harmony and allowing things to take their natural course without interference. -
Period: 632 to 1258
Muslim Empire (Rashidun- Abassid Caliphate)
Location: The Arabian Peninsula and part of North Africa. Fact: People within this Empire would participate in the Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. -
Period: 794 to
Japan
Location: Modern day Tokyo and Kyoto Japan. Fact: Japan originally followed Shintoism, but with the influence of Chinese culture in Japan, Buddhism started to appear. Buddhism and Shintoism began to blend and thrive together in Japan. -
Period: 830 to 1235
Ghana Empire
Location: Western Africa
Fact: Muslim traders spread Islam into West Africa. Although not all people converted, some people began practicing parts of Islam, and even celebrated some of the Muslims religious festivals. -
Period: 962 to
Holy Roman Empire
Location: Central and Western Europe
Fact: During the Holy Roman Empire, people would partake in pilgrimages that would often visit holy sites such as Jerusalem and Rome. -
Period: 1235 to
Mali Empire
Location: West Africa, spanning across the Sahel region and parts of the Sahara desert. Fact: Mansa Musa, a Mali ruler practiced Islam devoutly, and even made a Hajj. While on his Hajj, he paid for everything in gold which is one of the reasons Mali became noted in Europe. -
Period: 1325 to 1521
Aztec Empire
Location: Central and Southern Mexico Fact: The Aztecs believed that the gods controlled many aspects of their lives, including weather. If they were going through natural disasters such as droughts, they would offer sacrifices for the gods. Sometimes this would include human sacrifice. -
Period: 1438 to 1533
Inca Empire
Location: Western coast of South America, in the Andes region. Fact: The Incas believed in many different gods who they believed to control many aspects of nature. The sun god Inti, was their most important god. -
Period: 1464 to
Songhai
Location: West Africa, Modern day Niger, Nigeria, and Mali. On the Niger river. Fact: The Songhai rulers were not all strict Muslims. Some Muslims rebelled and chose a ruler who would enforce Muslim law and convert people.