Transcript How did humans become civilized?
How did humans become “civilized”?
This class is called “World Civilizations” What were we like before “Civilization” came around?
How did we change to become civilized?
What is a Civilization?
Two definitions
Civilizations have: 1. An urban focus – major cities 2. Political and military systems 3. Social structure based on economic systems-upper and lower classes 4. Development of labor specialization 5. Distinct religious structure 6. Development of Writing 7. New and significant artistic and intellectual activity System of Writing Advanced Cities Civilization Has… Complex Institutions Skilled Workers Advanced Technology
Food, What would we do without it?
Before farming Foraging
AKA
Hunter-Gatherers
• • • • Food sources?
Plants are gathered in season and stored when possible Meat is hunted and dried for food and other uses, clothing, rope, etc.
Move around to take advantage of seasonal offerings i.e. nomadic
Hunter-Gatherers’ societies
Advantages Disadvantages
• • • • Fit into nature (little environmental impact) Relatively little labor expended to get food Variety in diet Deep knowledge of uses for plants and animals in the region they live.
• • • • Dependent upon wild animals and plants Nature can only support small groups and cultures Must travel around to find food, so no permanent building structures No animals to help with labor
What changed?
• • Hunter Gatherer type societies had survived for thousands of years.
After the last ice age ended in 10,000 B.C.E.
, humans began selecting dependable plants for food
• • • • •
What tastes makes a good food plant?
Tastes good (not bitter) • Large (larger fruit or seeds) The first crops that met with humans’ approval were cereals and pulses.
Easy to pick Grow fast or with lots of fruit/seeds. (High Yields) Grow Annually
Domestication!
• • The process of humans selecting plants for more useful characteristics is called
Domestication
It was also used with animals.
First domesticated plants
• •
Geographical Area
Middle East aka Fertile Crescent China • India • Mesoamerica • Andes/Amazonia • • • • •
Crops domesticated
Wheat, barley, peas, lentils, chickpea, flax, muskmelon Millet, rice?, soybean, adzuki bean, mung bean, hemp Rice?, hyacinth bean, cotton, cucumber Corn, common bean, yucca, jicama, squashes Potato, quinoa, lima bean, peanut
Lentil Stew ala Clay Ball
- by: Ruth Tringham
Prep time: 3-4 hours (includes gathering wild herbs, processing bones for grease, gathering wood/dung for fire) You'll need: •lentils, soaked in water •wild herbs •goat grease •wood/dung for fire •water-tight basket 1.Fill basket with water. Soak for 1 hour. (Basket will absorb water and expand the fibers, making it water-tight. This also prevents scorching.) 2.Heat clay balls in a dung or wood fire. (For complete instructions, see Clay Ball Heating section.) 3.Put soaked lentils in the cooking basket with water, goat grease, and wild herbs. 4.Put hot clay balls in the cooking basket, stirring constantly. As balls cool, replace them with hot ones.
What makes a useful animal?
Humans have used animals for… • Meat • Milk • Fertilizer • Transportation • Military Assault • Plowing fields • • • • •
Good characteristics
Big Easy to control Herbivore or omnivore Multiple uses • • • Short childhoods
Bad characteristics
But not too big Bad temper Carnivore • and unknowingly Germs
Approximate dates and locations for Domestication of Large Mammal Species
Species Dates (B.C.E.) Place
Dog 10,000 Sheep Goat Pig Cow Horse Donkey Water buffalo Llama/alpaca Bactrian camel Arabian camel From Guns, Germs, and Steel pg. 167 8,000 8,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 3,500 2,500 2,500 Middle East, China, North America Middle East Middle East China, Middle East India, Middle East Ukraine Egypt China?
Andes (South America) Central Asia (the stans) Arabia