Crash course #1: Agricultural Revolution
1. How do we have evidence of Hunter-Gatherers (H-G) and their lifeways? (New word that means “ways of life”, do not use “lifestyle”)
We have archeological and paleobiology evidence.
2. What do most early civilizations have in common?
They all settled near water because of the abundance of marine life.
3. What advantages did H-G have over early agriculturalists?
Hunter Gatherers had more time to do stuff like art and storytelling whereas agriculturalist had to work most of the time.
4. Where did agriculture emerge? Which food crops are associated with which areas?
People started growing rice in southeast Asia, Maize in Mexico, potatoes in the Andes, wheat in the Fertile Crescent, and yams in West Africa.
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of agriculture?
Advantage: Controllable food supply. Better chance of not starving. Specialized labor, cities and a surplus of food were all happening as a result of agriculture.
Disadvantage:
6. What impact does agriculture have on the environment?
Agriculture caused Irrigation, control flooding, and erosion.
7. What other lifeway emerged besides being a H-G or a farmer (agriculturalist)?
Besides being a hunter gatherer or farmer you could be a pastoralist.
8. What were the advantages and disadvantages to Pastoralism (being a herder)?
Advantage: If one land where they were staying at was destroyed by a flood or natural disaster than they could easily move to another piece of land.
Disadvantage: unstable food supply.
9. What advantages do you think that Eurasia had with its zoological set of animals compared to the Americas?
They already possessed domesticated animals to the region.
10. Evaluate John Green’s thesis that “the greatest evolutionary advantage an animal species can have is being useful to humans.” Agree/disagree, why?
I agree because an animal that is useful to humans will never go extinct because humans will keep breeding them as much as they need to.
11. If H-G had a “better and healthier” lifeway, why did people become agriculturalists?
There may have been more pressure for food due to a rising population.
12. What point do you think John Green is making about the use of the word “savage”? How might this also apply to concepts of being “civilized” or “uncivilized”?
I think that John Greene is trying to say that people say that other, past, civilizations/people may be savage because the people viewing them are more technologically advanced.
13. What do historians say are the drawbacks to complex civilizations and agriculture?
Patriarchy, inequality, war, and famine.
14. What other impacts do complex civilizations have on the environment?
It has caused humans to build dams, destroy forests, and more.
15. What does John Green say about “revolutions”?
John greene says that revolutions are not as much events as they are processes.
Crash Course #2: Indus River Valley Civilization
1. How is the concept of “civilization” a useful construct? When is it not a useful construct?
The concept of civilization is useful when you are comparing different cities but it is less useful when you compare it to a non-civilization-social-order.
2. How does John Green define what constitutes a civilization? How does this compare to other definitions of civilization you have learned?
John says that to be a civilization you must have a surplus of food, job specialization, a centralized government, and a religion. All other civilizations I have learned about have these four pieces of criteria.
3. Where did the earliest civilizations emerge? Why there?
The earliest civilizations emerged by rivers because there was a plentiful amount of water and when the river flood the water would deposit nutrient rich silt.
4. Why was the Indus Valley a prime location? How did the environment impact the people who lived there?
The Indus River valley was a prime location because the rivers flooded very reliably and predictably.
5. How do we know, what we know, about the IVC?
We know that the IVC had amazing cities, they had dense-multistory homes, and they traded, we know all of this through archaeology.
6. How did they use technology to interact with the environment to improve their quality of life?
They used gravity to make advanced sewage systems and they had a great bath/Epic bath of Mohenjo Daro/The bath to end all baths/The pool that ruled/The moist mystery of Mohenjo Daro/The wet wonder.
7. What evidence exists of long-distance trade and with whom?
The IVC put seals on stuff that they traded to show identification they also had bronze from mesopotamia.
8. What appears to be unique about the IVC, based on your knowledge of other civilizations?
They had no military which is unlike any civilization I’ve ever heard of.
9. What theories do historians have about the fate of the IVC? As historians, what evidence might one look for to support or disprove these three theories?
Historians believe that the IVC might have declines as a result of an earthquake, battle, or the IVC destroying there own environment. I think archaeologist should look for evidence of an earthquake (ei. Collapsed structures, cracked buildings, or faults) second they should look for evidence of battle in other civilizations, like stories written about a great battle or something, lastly they should look for examples of farmland and compare it to other civilizations.
Crash Course #3: Mesopotamia
1. John Green begins by discussing one of the most obvious consequences of agriculture…what is it and what are the most immediate consequences for those societies?
The invention of agriculture sparked the creation of cities and civilizations. Farmers would help support the society by supplying people with grain to help construct civilizations. It also allowed the idea of trade, since you could
2. Gilgamesh…Rural vs. Urban: explain what John Green is talking about?
John Greene is talking about the Epic of Gilgamesh, city vs. country.
3. Historically speaking, why do you think cities tend to win? But did cities always win? Explain.
Cities didn’t always win but I think that they won for the same reason that the tortoise beat the hare.
4. Why do you think early cities devoted resources to building monumental architecture, like ziggurats?
They needed a way to “communicate” with the gods.
5. How might the environment of Mesopotamian influence or shape people’s perceptions of their gods?
There was constant and unpredictable flooding which would leave many to believe that the gods were always mad
6. What is the significance of the emergence of palaces? How did kings gain power over priests? How did they keep it?
The emergence of palaces started the battle for powers between the gods and people. Kings gained and kept their power over the priest by scoodlypooping with the high priestess.
7. CUNEIFORM: What three points does John Green make about the advent of writing?
a) Only the higher classes were taught to read or write.
b) Cuneiform was one of the first forms of actual written history.
c) Writing led to the creation of jobs.
8. How did the environment of Mesopotamia shape the economy of the society?
Because there wasn’t alot of things they create, like metals, they were forced to trade.
9. What factors led to the downfall of the Mesopotamian city-states and to what effect? (A causes and effects question)
The causes were shift in rivers and drought, the effects were city states being created and dieing off.
10. What was Hammurabi’s most significant contribution?
Hammurabi most significant contribution is his law code.
11. Compare new city-states with the old city-states of Mesopotamia. Identify 3 specific similarities and 3 specific differences. State a reason for at least one similarity and one difference.
They were both had temple, writing and they both had terrifying stories, but socialism was replaced with the belief that anyone could make as much as they want as long as they give a portion to the government, tribal chiefs became kings, and the first monarchies became known.
12. Who provided the basis for the development of territorial kingdoms? How? Why does this “base” prove to be unsteady?
Hammurabi created his law code as the foundation of territorial kingdoms but most people didn’t like the code so the cities became unsteady.
13. What legacy did the Assyrians leave?
The Assyrian “invented” the empire.
14. What are the challenges of empire and what is the usual result?
If you believe that if you lose a battle, the world will end, then when you loose a battle, you will make your world end.
15. How did Assyrian kings attempt to legitimize their rule?
They had festivals where they spoke “awesome” stories about the king and the gods and they created “awesome” monuments for the gods.
Crash Course #4: Ancient Egypt
1. What point is John Green making about the different “lenses” we use when we study history?
That history can be studied through the eyes of several different group involved in event.
2. How did the Nile River shape the worldview of the Egyptians? How did this compare to the Mesopotamian worldview?
The Nile was regular and easy to navigate, with good soil planting. Unlike the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers which were irregular and impossible to navigate.
3. How was Egyptian Civilization different from most other River Valley Civilizations? Why do you think this was?
Because these villages stay only by the river, it make trade with other people down the river much easier.
4. What does the construction of the pyramids represent? (not “what was the purpose of the pyramids?”)
The pyramids represented the belief that life after death existed, and that the afterlife was just a continuation of the current life. It may have also represented their wealth in resources, which allowed the construction of greater buildings.
5. What was the motivation for building the pyramids? (not “what was the purpose of the pyramids?”)
People believed that the gods (Pharaohs) would still be maintain power even after death, which made them want to please the gods even after they were dead.
6. What changes took place in the transition from the Old Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom?
They created hieroglyphics and cryptic writing, and was extremely rich until a big drought came and pharaohs started started fighting over who should have the power.
7. What protected Egypt from outside peoples? How were the Egyptians eventually conquered by Semitic peoples of the Middle East?
The geography of the land protected the Egyptians from outside power, so they had no reason to be advanced in military purposes. This led to the Semitic people easily taking over their city.
8. What changes took place in the transition from the Middle Kingdom to the New Kingdom?
The Egyptians got to the height of their power, and banished the Semitic people from their land. Also, after the Hyksos conquered the Egyptians, they didn’t really take over, more like adapt to their technology and lifestyle. Then, they were kicked out.