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GEO1009F > birth of the modern world > Flashcards

birth of the modern world Flashcards

1
Q

where was evidence of the beginnings of symbolism and modern thinking found in Africa?

A

Blombos Cave 100 - 70kya

south africa

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2
Q

what are some item categories that show an explosion of technology and symbolism in Europe?

A
  • groove and splinter technique
  • needles
  • harpoons
  • art
  • ## personal adornment
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3
Q

evidence for belief in the super natural

A

hand print from chauvet cave

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4
Q

what was the environment like just prior to food production?

A
  • mesolithic period before agriculture
  • 15 000 - 5000 years ago depending on region
  • climate change - becoming warmer interglacial
  • holocene
  • changes in forager societies
  • neolithic revolution
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5
Q

what dies the term mesolithic encompass?

A
  • 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.).
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6
Q

explain the neolithic revolution and what happened during it

A
  • greater independence of groups
  • permanent settlement
  • agricultire
  • complex social organisation
  • agricultural revolution
  • domestication of plants and animals
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7
Q

earliest evidence of the neolithic revolution?

A

Ancient Near East (today the middle east) c 10kya

post dated the last glacial max 20kya

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8
Q

when was the last glacial maximum?

A

20 000 years ago

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9
Q

some examples of glacial period mega fauna

A
  • giant sloth
  • mammoth
  • cave bear
  • cave lion
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10
Q

what can be deduced from ice core data with regards to the interchanging glacial periods?

A

from about 20 000 years ago temperatures started to increase quickly

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11
Q

what happened with glaciers and sea levels during the pleistocene/holocene transition?

A
  • north american glacier retreat
  • european glacier retreat
  • sea levels raise
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12
Q

when did the pleistocene/holocene transition occur?

A

about 10 000 years ago

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13
Q

what happened to the bearing straits as time passed?

A

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

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14
Q

how did the landscape change during the holocene period?

A

increase in tree and shrub growth, reduction in grasslands

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15
Q

how did climate change during the holocene?

A

see lecture videos

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16
Q

what caused megafaunal die off (at the end of the last ice age 15ka - 10ka)

A
  • 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
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17
Q

describe the environment of the end pleistocene/early holocene period

A

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)
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18
Q

describe the environment of North and Central America during the holocene period

A
  • rising temps brought - thorn, scrub and cactus forests to mountain valleys - including ancestors of domesticated plants
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19
Q

what is the meaning of forage

A

to collect or look around for food

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20
Q

describe some changes in forager societies

A
  • 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
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21
Q

what were some changes to create a more diversified lifestyle

A
  • eating a wide range of plant foods

- change in diet, technology, society and other cultural patterns

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22
Q

what were more changes in forager societies?

A
  • more sedentary

- specialised technology

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23
Q

examples of some specialized technologies from changing and modifying societies

A
  • intensive exploitation of locally abundant and predictable food resources
  • tools for the processing of plant foods
  • storage pits to secure food for lean months
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24
Q

problems that cause changes in forager societies

A
  • restricted territories and less mobility
  • increasing populations
  • environmental variations that are unpredictable
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25
Q

what did some forager societies located in areas with rich food resources

A

achieved greater complexity

first signs of social ranking

26
Q

name one other change in forager societies with regards to social life

A

start of social ranking and complexity

- kin leaders who monopolised trade and food resources

27
Q

what are three things required for social complexity and explain how they aid social ranking

A
  • 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
28
Q

lecture 15

A

birth of the modern world - the neolithic revolution and the origins of food production

29
Q

describe the environment during the pleistocene/holocene transition

A
  • 20 000 - 10 000 years ago
  • shift from glacial to interglacial
  • became warmer
  • massive reductions in ice sheets
  • increase in sea levels
30
Q

what significant impacts did sea level increase have on geography?

A
  • Bering land bridge cut off
  • north sea flooded
  • Britain separated from the continent
  • austrailia cut off from new guinea
31
Q

describe the changes in vegetation, fauna, temp and rainfall during the transition

A
  • 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
32
Q

consequences of changes in complexity among forager populations

A
  • people began to be less mobile
  • competition for scarce resources
  • exploit greater resources
  • changes in technology
33
Q

describe some changes to technology

A
  • 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
34
Q

what is the mesolithic period typified by?

A
  • change in subsistence base from intensive big-game hunting to broad spectrum collecting
  • fish, shellfish, smaller animals, plants
  • some cultivation is apparent
35
Q

what are cultigens?

A

plants that are cultivated but this doesnt equal domestication

36
Q

what are some of the areas of the origin of food production

A
  • eastern US
  • Mesoamerica
  • andes and amazonia
  • sahel
  • west africa
  • ethiopia
  • fertile cresesnt
  • china
  • new guinea
37
Q

what area was a major centre for domestication of animals and cereals?

A
  • Ancient near east (today the middle east)
  • farming at 10 000 years ago
  • fertile river flood plains
38
Q

describe the first domesticates?

A
  • 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
39
Q

emmer and spelt vs common wheat

A
  • 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
40
Q

what was a very prominent grain found in central america? also describe the landscape of central america

A
  • woodlands and shrubland - not great for cereals

- worked very well for maize

41
Q

what was the early form of corn called?

A

teosinte

42
Q

describe the changes from teosinte to modern corn

A

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)

43
Q

what are two domesticates of the New World?

A

Sweet potatoes and potatoes

44
Q

When were plants domesticated in Africa?

A

-late domestication of plants 4000 - 3000 BP

45
Q

what are some examples of african domesticates?

A
  • sorghum
  • pearl millet
  • african rice
  • ground nuts
  • yams
  • oil palms
  • okra
  • kola nut
  • tef
  • finger millet
  • coffee
  • enset
46
Q

examples of animal domesticates of africa

A
  • cattle?
  • guinea fowl
  • donkey
47
Q

what were the most common plant domesticates of the far east? and why were they so common in the area?

A
  • Temperate and deciduous forests
  • good for plants that required a lot of water
  • millet and rice
48
Q

rice domesticates are as old as..

A

c.8ka

49
Q

what are the biggest consequences of food production?

A
  • lifestyle change
  • control over environment
  • technological change
  • health changes
  • softer food diet
50
Q

explain the change in lifestyle brought about by food production

A

houses went from temporary settlements to permanent settlements

51
Q

describe some technological changes brought about by food production

A
  • storage = protection from rodents and insects
  • tools for field clearing
  • harvesting tools e.g. hoe
52
Q

describe the consequence of a softer food diet

A
  • easier to produce softer foods for weaning
  • earlier weaning
  • shorter birth interval
53
Q

describe the health changes as a result of food production

A

evidence of famine

increase in health issues

54
Q

name and explain the health issues that arise from the increase in maize consumption

A

maize -Phytate
phytate - enzyme found in grains
inhibits iron absorption
Cribra orbitalia

55
Q

what is Cribra orbitalia

A

pathological condition that affects bones of the cranial vault, and is characterized by localized areas of spongy or porous bone tissue.

56
Q

softer foods diet impact on health

A
  • tooth crowding
  • maxillary shrinkage
  • combined with tool use and cooking to modify food toughness
57
Q

what are some health changes that arose from food production?

A
  • consumption of starch and sugars = carries tooth decay
  • diseases of domestication
  • living close proximity = sickness can spread easier and quickier
  • sedentism
58
Q

what are some diseases of domestication?

A
  • anthrax
  • bird flu
  • Tsetsi fly
  • hookworm (parasite)
59
Q

what affect did sedentism have on health?

A

reduction in bone strength

60
Q

consequences of food preservatives?

A
  • health problems - obesity
61
Q

health consequences of GMO?

A

chemicals
decrease in nutritional value of food
obesity

62
Q

effect of food production on the environ

A

increased greenhouse gas emissions

decrease in carbon sink areas

GEO1009F (16 decks)

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