birth of the modern world Flashcards
where was evidence of the beginnings of symbolism and modern thinking found in Africa?
Blombos Cave 100 - 70kya
south africa
what are some item categories that show an explosion of technology and symbolism in Europe?
- groove and splinter technique
- needles
- harpoons
- art
- ## personal adornment
evidence for belief in the super natural
hand print from chauvet cave
what was the environment like just prior to food production?
- mesolithic period before agriculture
- 15 000 - 5000 years ago depending on region
- climate change - becoming warmer interglacial
- holocene
- changes in forager societies
- neolithic revolution
what dies the term mesolithic encompass?
- cultures that are late developments of hunter-gatherer trafditions
- never developed agriculture
- The term “Mesolithic” is almost always used when describing archaeological sites in Eurasia (Great Britain, Germany, Scandinavia, Ukraine, and Russia etc.).
explain the neolithic revolution and what happened during it
- greater independence of groups
- permanent settlement
- agricultire
- complex social organisation
- agricultural revolution
- domestication of plants and animals
earliest evidence of the neolithic revolution?
Ancient Near East (today the middle east) c 10kya
post dated the last glacial max 20kya
when was the last glacial maximum?
20 000 years ago
some examples of glacial period mega fauna
- giant sloth
- mammoth
- cave bear
- cave lion
what can be deduced from ice core data with regards to the interchanging glacial periods?
from about 20 000 years ago temperatures started to increase quickly
what happened with glaciers and sea levels during the pleistocene/holocene transition?
- north american glacier retreat
- european glacier retreat
- sea levels raise
when did the pleistocene/holocene transition occur?
about 10 000 years ago
what happened to the bearing straits as time passed?
the contrinets split and started moving further and further away from each other - an ocean can be found in between the two continents - asia and north america
how did the landscape change during the holocene period?
increase in tree and shrub growth, reduction in grasslands
how did climate change during the holocene?
see lecture videos
what caused megafaunal die off (at the end of the last ice age 15ka - 10ka)
- significant increase in temperature - not good for cold adapted species
- increase in trees and reduction in grasslands - not good for grass eating magafaunal and carnivores that eat these other megafaunal creatures
- appearance of megafaunal hunting humans
describe the environment of the end pleistocene/early holocene period
Southwestern Asia =
- warmer conditions - immigration of new plant species into highland areas such as the Zagros mountains in Iran
- lots of wild cereal grasses emerge (wild wheat and barley which become staples for forager groups)
describe the environment of North and Central America during the holocene period
- rising temps brought - thorn, scrub and cactus forests to mountain valleys - including ancestors of domesticated plants
what is the meaning of forage
to collect or look around for food
describe some changes in forager societies
- between 15 -10kya - decrease in world capacity for foraging lifestyle
- major increase in population
- increase in intensity of the quest for food
- change to a more diversified lifestyle
what were some changes to create a more diversified lifestyle
- eating a wide range of plant foods
- change in diet, technology, society and other cultural patterns
what were more changes in forager societies?
- more sedentary
- specialised technology
examples of some specialized technologies from changing and modifying societies
- intensive exploitation of locally abundant and predictable food resources
- tools for the processing of plant foods
- storage pits to secure food for lean months
problems that cause changes in forager societies
- restricted territories and less mobility
- increasing populations
- environmental variations that are unpredictable
what did some forager societies located in areas with rich food resources
achieved greater complexity
first signs of social ranking
name one other change in forager societies with regards to social life
start of social ranking and complexity
- kin leaders who monopolised trade and food resources
what are three things required for social complexity and explain how they aid social ranking
- populations must be geographically restricted (e.g. mountain ranges)
- resources must be abundant and predictable (fish, shellfish, nuts and seeds- these items are not easily exhausted)
- Imbalance between number of people and food supply - causes a forced need to intensify food gathering - need to control the intensification and ultimately causes the development of social structure- someone needs to take charge to ensure that food is provided
lecture 15
birth of the modern world - the neolithic revolution and the origins of food production
describe the environment during the pleistocene/holocene transition
- 20 000 - 10 000 years ago
- shift from glacial to interglacial
- became warmer
- massive reductions in ice sheets
- increase in sea levels
what significant impacts did sea level increase have on geography?
- Bering land bridge cut off
- north sea flooded
- Britain separated from the continent
- austrailia cut off from new guinea
describe the changes in vegetation, fauna, temp and rainfall during the transition
- rainfall increased
- northern latitudes - lifted from tundra grasslands to forests
- pleistocene mega fauna such as mammoth, bison, camellids, others became extinct
- all responsible for major changes in complexity among forager populations
consequences of changes in complexity among forager populations
- people began to be less mobile
- competition for scarce resources
- exploit greater resources
- changes in technology
describe some changes to technology
- downsizing of projectile points.
- specialized hunting weapons.
- bow and arrow.
- versatile toolkits.
- Nets for fishing
- storage technology, such as basket and clay-line pits for nut and wild plant seeds
what is the mesolithic period typified by?
- change in subsistence base from intensive big-game hunting to broad spectrum collecting
- fish, shellfish, smaller animals, plants
- some cultivation is apparent
what are cultigens?
plants that are cultivated but this doesnt equal domestication
what are some of the areas of the origin of food production
- eastern US
- Mesoamerica
- andes and amazonia
- sahel
- west africa
- ethiopia
- fertile cresesnt
- china
- new guinea
what area was a major centre for domestication of animals and cereals?
- Ancient near east (today the middle east)
- farming at 10 000 years ago
- fertile river flood plains
describe the first domesticates?
- wild versions are already - edible and have high yields
- easily stored
- genetically similar to domesticated versions
- evolved for periods of drought
- they wont sprout in storage
emmer and spelt vs common wheat
- emmer - c. 10ka = a alot smaller, less food on one stalk
- spelt - c.7ka = longer and more food on one stalk compared to emmer
- modern wheat - a lot more food on one stalk, thicker stalk than spelt
- fast morphological change from wild to domesticated versions
what was a very prominent grain found in central america? also describe the landscape of central america
- woodlands and shrubland - not great for cereals
- worked very well for maize
what was the early form of corn called?
teosinte
describe the changes from teosinte to modern corn
teosinte = very small, significantly less corn on the stalk, narrow
early versions of corn also had a larger variety of colours - borwn, black, mixed colour corn (yellow and black)
what are two domesticates of the New World?
Sweet potatoes and potatoes
When were plants domesticated in Africa?
-late domestication of plants 4000 - 3000 BP
what are some examples of african domesticates?
- sorghum
- pearl millet
- african rice
- ground nuts
- yams
- oil palms
- okra
- kola nut
- tef
- finger millet
- coffee
- enset
examples of animal domesticates of africa
- cattle?
- guinea fowl
- donkey
what were the most common plant domesticates of the far east? and why were they so common in the area?
- Temperate and deciduous forests
- good for plants that required a lot of water
- millet and rice
rice domesticates are as old as..
c.8ka
what are the biggest consequences of food production?
- lifestyle change
- control over environment
- technological change
- health changes
- softer food diet
explain the change in lifestyle brought about by food production
houses went from temporary settlements to permanent settlements
describe some technological changes brought about by food production
- storage = protection from rodents and insects
- tools for field clearing
- harvesting tools e.g. hoe
describe the consequence of a softer food diet
- easier to produce softer foods for weaning
- earlier weaning
- shorter birth interval
describe the health changes as a result of food production
evidence of famine
increase in health issues
name and explain the health issues that arise from the increase in maize consumption
maize -Phytate
phytate - enzyme found in grains
inhibits iron absorption
Cribra orbitalia
what is Cribra orbitalia
pathological condition that affects bones of the cranial vault, and is characterized by localized areas of spongy or porous bone tissue.
softer foods diet impact on health
- tooth crowding
- maxillary shrinkage
- combined with tool use and cooking to modify food toughness
what are some health changes that arose from food production?
- consumption of starch and sugars = carries tooth decay
- diseases of domestication
- living close proximity = sickness can spread easier and quickier
- sedentism
what are some diseases of domestication?
- anthrax
- bird flu
- Tsetsi fly
- hookworm (parasite)
what affect did sedentism have on health?
reduction in bone strength
consequences of food preservatives?
- health problems - obesity
health consequences of GMO?
chemicals
decrease in nutritional value of food
obesity
effect of food production on the environ
increased greenhouse gas emissions
decrease in carbon sink areas
