Ibn Battuta lived in the fourteenth century and is remembered for his extensive travels around Africa, Asia, and the Muslim world. He wrote extensively about life in Africa, East Asia, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.

Marco Polo is famous for the voyage he made from Italy to China in the thirteenth century. Much of the popular European understanding of East Asia in the Early Modern period was derived from the writings of Marco Polo.

The survival and preeminence of Greek culture is something we might take for granted. But, its ubiquity and perseverance is owed to several important historical events and empires. The conquests of Alexander the Great established Hellenistic empires all over Eurasia; the Roman assimilation of Greek culture, language, religion, and philosophy ensured the marriage of ancient Greek culture with the elite culture of most of Europe; and the preservation efforts of the Byzantine Empire ensured that the ancient Greek works of philosophy, drama, tragedy, political theory, mathematics, and law were still available to European scholars during the Renaissance.

The Grand Canal was built during the reign of the Sui Dynasty in the early seventh century. The Grand Canal was initially built to facilitate the movement of grain and troops. However, over time, the importance of the canal evolved as it aided population migration and encouraged the growth of trade and industry in eastern China.

The Black Death actually reached Italy first in the 1340s and then spread to the rest of Europe. In Italy, up to 50% of the population in cities were killed. The reason why the Black Death reached Italy first was in part because of its strong trade network with the East, which helped maintain contact with scholars. Furthermore, as the former center of the Roman Empire, Italy had more ancient buildings and other Roman monuments, which later inspired the Renaissance architectural style.

Angkor Wat was built by the Khmer rulers of southeast Asia and was initially a place of Hindu worship, before being converted to a Buddhist temple. It was heavily inspired by Indian architectural designs. Borobudur was a massive temple built by the Srivijayan Empire of Indonesia and was also heavily influenced by Indian architectural style. These are both examples of the spread of Indian culture in southeast Asia during the classical and medieval periods.

The epic poem that tells of the adventures of El Cid is the most famous example of a troubadour poem in Spanish culture. El Cid is a national hero in Spanish literature and culture.

Hildegard von Bingen was a German nun who lived in the twelfth century. She is famous for her contributions to the natural sciences and for her exemplary musical compositions.

The University of Sankore was built in Timbuktu in the thirteenth century, during the reign of Mansa Musa in Mali. The University of Sankore was a mosque, a library, and a madrasa. It is an example of the prominent mud-and-stick mosques of West Africa.

Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta are both famous for travelling extensively around the known world and writing about their travels for a wider audience. Marco Polo was famous in the European world, whereas Ibn Battuta was famous in the Islamic world.