V. 1. The dawn of civilization: earliest times to 700 B.C. --v. 2. The development of sedentary and nomadic civilizations: 700 B.C. to A.D. 250 --v. 3. The crossroads of civilizations: A.D. 250 to 750 --v. 4. The age of achievement: A.D. 750 to the end of the fifteenth century. pt. 1. The historical, social and economic setting. pt. 2. The achievements --v. 5. Development in contrast: from the sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century --v. 6. Towards contemporary period: from the mid-nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century.