lec 5 Flashcards
what were some +/- of being a nomad? why may we have given up the nomadic lifestyle?
+ extensive knowledge of the land
- couldn’t every accrue that much material goods at one time
we may have given up the nomadic lifestyle because it was risky and settling gave us stability
what was the earliest agricultural settlement? what made it successful?
fertile crescent to the east of the mediterranean, spreading throughout present day iran + iraq
successful bc water was plentiful (persian gulf, tigris river, euphrates river, nile river)
what were ancient civilizations characterized by?
- hierarchical stratification
- symbolic communication (writing system)
- specialization of labour
- separation from the natural environ
im starting a civilization and im looking to domesticate a plant. what criteria should i have?
- annual
- self pollinating
- can be easily stored/dried down
- adaptable to disturbances
- easily propagated
what was the evolution of domesticating plants like in terms of planting them
- threw seeds about and hoped for the best
- used tools to dig lil holes
- animal plowing
how have we incited artificial selection
- size
- taste
- less # of seeds
- sweeter fruit
- less prickly vegetables
- cereals w large panicles
- non-seed-shattering plants
theoretically natural selection should take out these less fit plants. why are they still around?
we grow them + protect them to make sure they survive. this means they are reliant on us
what were the first plants to be domesticated for agriculture?
peas, lentils, wheat, barley
rice in asia, potatoes in south america
what was the first civilization we know? where was it located?
sumer, between the tigris and euphrates river
what was the name of the civilization in present day pakistan/western india?
the indus valley aka harappan civilization aka saraswati civ
what were the eight origins of domesticated crops, according to nikolai vavilov?
- china
2a. indo-malay
2b. indo-burma - central asia
- fertile crescent
- mediterranean
- ethiopia
- south mexico + central america
8a. peru, ecuador, bolivia
8b. brazil-paraguay
8c. chile
where was corn domesticated? what was its ancestor?
southern mexico, derived from a wild grass
weeds may sometimes be selected along with crops. why is this an issue?
- weed seeds get mixed in w crop seeds
- difficult to remove entire weed
- weeds produce many seeds at once + disperse them quickly
- weeds can stay dormant as seeds for a long time
what was the columbian exchange?
big movement of crops to more suitable environments (alongside colonization + slavery :/)
where were the following crops domesticated?
- corn
- wheat
- barley
- soybeans
- peanuts
- potatoes
corn: mesoamerica
wheat: fertile crescent
barley: fertile crescent
soybeans: china
peanuts: central/south america
potatoes: south america
