The work argues for the existence of a decentralized technological and financial membrane that bound East Asia, West Asia, and Europe between 1250 and 1350 CE into an economic superstructure. The book posits that these areas existed under a single world system, and explores the reasons for its eventual collapse, arguing against the teleology of Europe’s rise to world dominance in the early modern period. The work engages fields such as economics, history of science, and global studies.