GUNS, GERMS, AND GUNS, GERMS, AND STEELSTEEL

Human Prehistory to Rise of Human Prehistory to Rise of Agriculture/Early Civilizations/Nomadic Agriculture/Early Civilizations/Nomadic Societies Societies

Where do you start?Where do you start?

13-14 Billion Years?13-14 Billion Years?

4.6 Billion Years?

That’s 4,600,000,000!

The time before history

How do we know how old it is?

ArcheologArcheologyy

The Paleolithic Age

About 3-5 million years ago in Africa, a branch of those primates became

the first to stand upright.

AustralopithecusAustralopithecus

What did Lucy probably look like?

Great Rift Valley

Babies need care for a long time Opposable thumbs give dexterity Omnivores Learned to work together to tackle

larger game Species able to adapt to environment

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200k yrs ago

Human Origins: Homo sapiens in Africa

By 200,000 years ago, people whose skeletons were like those of Homo sapiens were already living in Africa.

Between that time and about 100,000 years ago, people who were both anatomically and genetically “like us” emerged in eastern and southern Africa.

This is a reconstructed Homo sapiens skull, found in Israel. It has been dated to about 90,000 years ago.

100k yrs ago

S.W. Asia

200k yrs ago

Human Origins: Homo sapiens in Africa

To

day

10k

year

s ag

o

Possible coastal routes of human migration

Possible landward routes of human migration

Migrations in Oceania

Human Origins200,000-250,000

years ago

Southwest Asia100,000 years ago

Europe40,000 years ago

Siberia40,000 years ago

Australiaas many as 60,000

years ago

North America12,000-30,000

years ago

Oceania1600 B.C.E.-500 C.E.

Chile12,000-13 ,000

years ago

Hunter-Gatherer Family Hunter-Gatherer Family ValuesValues

The most tangible of all visible mysteries - fire. 

~Leigh Hunt

Warmth Light Cooking food Scared away larger animals Gathering place for community

~300,000 years old~300,000 years old

1880S VERSION 1987 VERSION

Hall of Bulls Cave in Lascaux, France

Woman’s Head22,000 BCE

France, Cro-Magnon origin

IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN…IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN…

Homo sapiens had language so they could exchange complex ideas

with each other. and they could store and add to the ideas

of previous generations. Because they swapped ideas, they kept

finding new ways of doing things. new ways of living.

Language SharedIdeas

New Ideas

Learning

Storing up and building on new skills and new knowledge is what set our species on the path of continuing cultural changes that led to the world we now live in.

Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Mexico, Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Mexico, 200 BCE200 BCE

Great Zimbabwe, Southern Africa, 1300-Great Zimbabwe, Southern Africa, 1300-1500 CE1500 CE

Towers, Kuwait City, TodayTowers, Kuwait City, Today

By the end of the ice ages, humans have spread

worldwide…

Developed & Developing World

Which leads us to the big question…

Why has the world divided into “Haves”

and the “Have Nots?”

North America, Europe, Western Asia

South America, Africa, southern Asia

A developed country is a country that has reached a certain standard of living characterized by a high income level of its inhabitants, advanced industry and agriculture, and a high level of sanitation.

A developing country is a country that has not provided its inhabitants with a high standard of living.

Developed Countries

A developed country is a country that has reached…

…a high income level of it’s inhabitants…

…advanced industry

…agriculture

…and sanitation.

Developing Countries

……is a country is a country marked by…marked by…

……unskilled labor…unskilled labor…

……income income disparity…disparity…

……and a generally low and a generally low standard of living.standard of living.

The world is divided up into 10 cultural regions.

Episode One

Why do some countries have an abundance of wealth and riches

while others have remained poor for most of their history?

History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples’ environments, not because of biological differences among the people themselves.

““Why you white man have so much Why you white man have so much cargo and we New Guineans have cargo and we New Guineans have

so little?”so little?”

Inherent racial Inherent racial characteristics?characteristics?

superiorsuperiorsuperiorsuperior

superiorsuperior

superiorsuperiorsuperiorsuperior

superiorsuperior

inferior

inferior

inferior

inferiorinferior

inferior

inferior

inferior

inferior

inferior

inferior

inferior

This is the story of the Neolithic

Revolution.

13,000 years ago the last ice age ended.

Arid means “dry.”

Nomadic hunter-gather lifestyles

““This jungle around us, you might This jungle around us, you might think it’s a cornucopia, but it isn’t.”think it’s a cornucopia, but it isn’t.”

The average weather over a period of many years.

Climates tend to be hot/wet along the equator (tropical climate)

Cooler and drier further away Inland areas typically have wider

extremes in temperature and precipitation (continental climates)

Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest.

-Douglas Jerrold

cultivaticultivationon

domesticatidomesticationon

DogDogGoatsGoatsSheepSheepPigsPigsCowsCowsHorsesHorsesDonkeysDonkeysWater buffaloWater buffaloCamelsCamelsLlamasLlamas

DogDogGoatsGoats

SheepSheep PigsPigs

CowsCowsHorsesHorsesDonkeysDonkeys

CamelsCamels

LlamasLlamas

Water buffalo

Water buffalo

Permanent Permanent settlementssettlements

More food = more population. More population → more food

84

Prior to farming, Prior to farming, population size in any population size in any one area was limitedone area was limitedby the availability of by the availability of wild game, grain, wild game, grain, berries, seeds, and berries, seeds, and nuts.nuts.Farming and the Farming and the large, relatively large, relatively dependable crops it dependable crops it provides allowed provides allowed for…for…

POPULATION POPULATION INTENSIFICATIONINTENSIFICATION

That means That means population population

increases in increases in certain areas. certain areas. Population in Population in those areas those areas

became both became both larger and larger and

denser.denser.

85

At the same time, At the same time, farmers in some farmers in some places were, in places were, in

spite of population spite of population growth,growth,

able to produceable to produce SURPLUS food.SURPLUS food.

What does What does SURPLUS SURPLUS

FOOD FOOD PRODUCTIONPRODUCTIONmean for a mean for a

society?society?

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87

Domestication of Plants and AnimalsDomestication of Plants and Animals

FarmingFarming

Surplus FoodSurplus Food SpecializationSpecializationPopulationPopulation

IntensificationIntensification

Complex Society,Complex Society,also known asalso known asCIVILIZATIONCIVILIZATION

88

Elements of civilization include:Elements of civilization include:

Mohenjo Daro

Hammurabi’sLaw Code

It’s thelaw

Pharaohs

1)1) CitiesCities

2) Central governments 2) Central governments And Law codesAnd Law codes

89

1)1) CitiesCities

2) Central governments 2) Central governments and law codesand law codes

Elements of Civilization include:Elements of Civilization include:

Can you identifyCan you identify the societythe societyrepresentedrepresented

by each of these two by each of these two writing samples?writing samples?

3) Writing and 3) Writing and record keepingrecord keeping

4) Highly organized 4) Highly organized religionsreligions

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3) Writing and 3) Writing and record record keepingkeeping

4) Highly 4) Highly organized organized religionreligion

5) Specialized Jobs5) Specialized Jobs

Full-time monk

Assyrian slavesIn Egypt

6) Social Classes6) Social Classes

1)1) CitiesCities

2) Central 2) Central Governments and Governments and law codeslaw codes

Elements of Civilization include:Elements of Civilization include:

91

7) Complex 7) Complex TechnologiesTechnologies

Chariot5) Specialized 5) Specialized jobsjobs

6) Social 6) Social classesclasses

Bronze Sword

3) Writing and 3) Writing and record record keepingkeeping

4) Highly 4) Highly organized organized religionreligion

1)1) CitiesCities

2) Central 2) Central governments and governments and law codeslaw codes

Elements of Civilization include:Elements of Civilization include: