THE HUMAN TAKEOVER
These events helped the human population reach 8 billion
Emperor Gaozu was Roman Empire. the first emperor of the Han dynasty
CHINA’S EXPANSION
The Han dynasty saw the Chinese go further south, down the Yangtze River. The success of this empire meant that towards the end of this growth, China had a population of around 60 million.
This was a quarter of the total world population at the time – around 2 million greater than the Roman Empire
The magnetic compass increased trade routes
COMPASS NAVIGATION
By the 1300s, compasses were in widespread use, helping sailors travel overseas with higher accuracy. In turn, this meant shorter and more predictable voyages. Europeans used this device to explore, colonise and trade in other continents.