Easter Island Flashcards
Definition of civilization? Components? (5)
Civilization- living in cities
Monumental architecture- made by slaves; Easter Island gigantic stone statues
Government with levels of authority- chiefs, bureaucrats, priests, peasants; warrior class eventually took over
Specialized labor- (statue carvers, rope makers, canoe makers)
Record keeping- only sign of record keeping is the statues
Agriculture- deforestation that led to erosion, starvation, and cannibalism
Specific evidence regarding changes to diet and health that came with the “agricultural revolution”?
Rats chewed on nuts and could no longer germinate. People cleared the land to plant gardens, felled trees to transport and erect statues, and native birds died out who pollinated the trees’ flowers and dispersed their fruit. Land birds, sea birds, and shellfish were overexploited until there were none left. There were no trees to make canoes to harpoon porpoises. Deforestation allowed soil to be eroded by wind/rain, dried by the sun, and its nutrients leeched from it. Intensified their production of domestic chicken and eventually turned to cannibalism. It was difficult for them to even fuel their fires anymore. As it became more difficult to find food, they made statuettes with sunken cheeks and visible ribs suggesting they were starving.
Empires/Imperial world and components? (6)
Empire- an extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority
Rulers and their status- Chiefs
Redistribution- when there is a drought, all the food that is stored by the ruler is redistributed
Type of production/industry- carved and transported statues
Political economy
Specialization of labor- not having to do with food (statue carvers)
Stratification- royalty, elites, warriors, artisans, peasants
The emergence of empires, and reasons why empires are fragile?
Force- military keeps peasants in check
Dependence- peasants don’t have the money, would be leaving friends/family behind. it’s not easy to leave your culture. depend on the king for food if a drought and protection when attacked; do not have a mode of transportation to leave
Ideology- people believe in the system; good system but bad luck; cheap way of keeping people in the system (propaganda)
Fragile- economy can’t grow causing an uprising/revolution; can be invaded by another empire; exhaust resources (drought) everyone will die
