(Map is approximate and for illustration purpose only.)

Map highlights: Independent Greek poleis like Athens and Sparta flourish – Greek settlement, trade, and Ionian intellectual life expand across the Mediterranean – In the Western Mediterranean the Etruscan influence grows  – Phoenician western settlements expand – Lydia prospers around Sardis and pioneers early coinage – Ionian Greek cities become major centers of commerce and ideas – The Neo-Babylonian Empire replaces Assyria and expands into Syria and the Levant – Saite Egypt is an independent regional power centered at Sais and Memphis – Kush remains powerful in Nubia – Janapadas and emerging Mahajanapadas develop across northern India – Later Vedic society, iron technology, towns, and new intellectual traditions expand – Eastern Zhou China is divided among increasingly powerful regional states – The Spring and Autumn era reshapes political and intellectual life – Mediterranean, Red Sea, Persian Golf, and Indian Ocean exchange networks grow – Goods, like the Carnelian bead, technologies, and ideas move increasingly between regions

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