A History of Human Civilization Jeff Feasel 17

A History of Human Civilization Jeff Feasel 17 Feb 2006

What we’ll learn • Brief overview of human history. • What does the archeological record show? • Discuss which factors contributed to human civilization.

When Did Human History Happen? [See Timeline] • 200, 000 BC: Split from all other Homonid species • 100, 000 BC: Anatomically Modern Humans • as shown by fossil bones • 50, 000 BC: Cro-Magnons (“Mentally Modern”) • as shown by archaeology • 8, 000 BC: First signs of settled life • 4, 000 BC: Written record begins

Ice Core Sample

Early Migration of Humans

Early Migration of Humans [See Migration Map] • Long before the last Ice Age, people were already spread out through most of Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. • Lived as hunter gatherers. • No evidence of farming/herding before Holocene.

Arriving in The New World • “Clovis” people – Broke from Mongoloid population living in Siberia. – Already adapted to arctic conditions • Entered North/South America via land-bridge on Bering Strait. • Exact timing is known because of “airlock” effect. • Tremendous boom! Spread from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in less than 1000 years. – Mass extinction of large land mammals

The Pace of Civilization • 10, 000 BC: End of last Ice Age • Humans had reached every habitable area. • Everyone has roughly the same lifestyle: huntergatherer. • 1400 -1600 AD: European Expansion • Guns vs. Spears • Why did civilization proceed so much faster in some parts of the world than in others? • And what does this tell us about civilization?

Who Had What, and Why? • • Mesopotamia Egypt Indus River China Mesoamerica Andes hunter-gatherers: – – Southern Africa Australia / New Guinea Northern / Western Europe North Asia [See tables: Earliest Domestication of Animals/Plants]

Natural Resource: Animals [Table of Domesticated Animals] • Uses? ? – food, clothing, hunting, transportation, traction • [Necessary for domestication: ] – – – Pack behavior – dominance heirarchy Able to live in dense groups Willing to breed in captivity Usually herbivorous Usually relatively large (>50 lbs) (often the same animals you’d hunt) • [No new animals domesticated until after the Industrial Revolution. ] • Compare New World to Old World. • Why such an imbalance of useful domesticatable animals available? – Luck-of-the-Draw or Mass Extinction – Why weren’t Old World animals hunted to extinction?

Earliest Domestication of Animals Dog >15, 000 BC Near-East? China? Sheep 8, 000 BC Near-East Goat 8, 000 BC Near-East Pig 8, 000 BC China, Near-East Silkworm 7, 500 BC China Cow 6, 000 BC Near-East, India Cat 6, 000 BC Egypt Horse 4, 000 BC Ukraine Donkey 4, 000 BC Egypt Water buffalo 4, 000 BC China Turkey 3, 500 BC Mesoamerica Llama/Alpaca 3, 500 BC Andes Guinea Pig 3, 500 BC Andes Camel 2, 500 BC Central Asia, Arabia Chicken 1, 000 BC Pacific Asia

Natural Resource: Plants [Table of Domesticated Plants] • Grains and legumes form most of the human diet. • (70% of calories come from cereal) • [Necessary for domestication: ] – Fast-maturing – Large-enough seeds or fruits – Storable • Not quite as imbalanced as animals, but still. . . • Compare New World to Old World • Why did some areas take to farming more than others? – Climatic advantage. • Incoming solar energy gradient. – What are the “sweet-spots”? • Band near, but not on, Equator. • Which are suitable for GRASSES to grow?

Earliest Domestication of Plants Area Cereals/Grasses Legumes Tubers Near-East Wheat, Barley Pea, Lentil, Chickpea — West Africa Sorghum, Millet, Rice Cowpea, Groundnut India [Wheat, Barley, Rice, Sorghum, Millet] Hyacinth bean, Black gram, Green — gram Ethiopia Teff, Millet, [Wheat, Barley] [Pea, Lentil] China Millet, Rice Soybean, Adzuki bean, Mung bean — Mesoamerica Corn Common bean, Tepary bean, Scarlet runner bean Andes Quinoa, [Corn] Common bean, Lima bean, Peanut Potato, Sweet Potato Mississippi Valley Maygrass, Barley, Knotweed, Goosefoot — [Bracketed crops were borrowed from other cultures] Yam — Jicama Artichoke

The Effects of Geography • Climate • Migration of people. • Diffusion (or stimulus diffusion) of domesticated plants/animals and technology.

So, what happened to the Native Americans when the Europeans came?

Putting it all together • What is Civilization? • What factors allow it to happen?

Factors – Climate – Geographical location – Available domesticatable species – – – Food production (animals, plants) Surplus Sedentary Lifestyle Specialization Increased Population Density Germs & Immunity Infrastructure – Exchange of ideas • within culture • across culture

Recommended Reading • Cook, Michael. (2005) A Brief History of the Human Race. W. W. Norton and Company, New York. • Diamond, Jared. (1997) Guns, Germs, and Steel. W. W. Norton and Company, New York. • Diamond, Jared. (1992) The Third Chimpanzee. Harper. Collins Publishers, New York.