Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

v. 1. The dawn of civilization : earliest times to 700 B.C. / editors, A.H. Dani, V.M. Masson -- v. 2. The development of sedentary and nomadic civilizations : 700 B.C. to A.D. 250 / editor, J. Harmatta ; co-editors, B.N. Puri, G.F. Etemadi -- v. 3. The crossroads of civilizations : A.D. 250 to 750 / editor, B.A. Litvinsky ; co-editors, Zhang Guang-da, R. Shabani Samghabadi -- 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 / editors, M.S. Asimov, C.E. Bosworth -- v. 5. Development in contrast : from the sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century / editors, Charyar Adle and Irfan Habib ; co-editor, Karl M. Baipakov -- v. 6. Towards contemporary civilization : from the mid-nineteenth century to the present time / co-editors, Madhavan K. Palat and Anara Tabyshalieva.