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?
System of Writing
Complex Institutions
Skilled Workers
Advanced Technology
Advanced Cities
Civilization Has…
Civilizations have:1. An urban focus – major cities2. Political and military systems3. Social structure based on
economic systems-upper and lower classes
4. Development of labor specialization
5. Distinct religious structure6. Development of Writing7. New and significant artistic
and intellectual activity
What is a Civilization?Two definitions
Food, What would we do without it?
Before farmingForaging 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’ societiesAdvantages
• 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.
Disadvantages
• 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)• Easy to pick• Grow fast or with lots
of fruit/seeds. (High Yields)
• Grow Annually
• The first crops that met with humans’ approval were cereals and pulses.
Domestication!• The process of humans selecting plants for
more useful characteristics is calledDomestication
• It was also used with animals.
First domesticated plants
Geographical Area
• Middle Eastaka 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?Good characteristics
• Big• Easy to control• Herbivore or
omnivore• Multiple uses• Short
childhoods
Bad characteristics
• But not too big• Bad temper• Carnivore
Humans have used animals for…•Meat•Milk•Fertilizer•Transportation•Military Assault•Plowing fields
•and unknowingly Germs
Approximate dates and locations for Domestication of Large Mammal Species
Species
Dog
SheepGoatPigCowHorseDonkeyWater buffaloLlama/alpacaBactrian camelArabian camel
Dates (B.C.E.)
10,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 3,500 2,500 2,500
Place
Middle East, China, North AmericaMiddle EastMiddle EastChina, Middle EastIndia, Middle EastUkraineEgyptChina?Andes (South America)Central Asia (the stans)Arabia
From Guns, Germs, and Steel pg. 167
The Fertile Crescent