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Chapter 1 Section 2 Human Development

Tyler Hillstead Casey Callahan  Ian Eickholdt  Jan Plzak

====The first page is about the Neolithic Revolution and the way it developed new econimic and social systems. With Egypt being the focus point of the topic.The next page is about the development of pastoralism and its impact in the environment. With Sahel Africa as being the case study in this page.The third page is about climatic changes created the emergence of agricultural societies and having the Fertile Cresant being the case study of the topic.====
 * __Intro__**


 * __The new Economic systems and Social Systems of the Neolithic Revolution __**

During the Paleolithic Era, humans obtained nutrients through hunting animals and gathering whatever vegetation they could. Life for early man stayed this way up until about 8,000 BCE, when crop cultivation was innovated, this is also the start of the Neolithic Revolution. All around the world, pockets of humans began gathering together and farming.

Because of these new readily available food sources, humans now had a surplus of food. Tribes began settling together, forming permanent settlements as villages or towns in these towns a chiefdom was usually established.

A chiefdom is a society lead by a single ruler or chief. These Chiefs would protect his people and settle disputes. The first chief was usually selected by a vote, but then a blood line would be established where the chief's son or close relative would assume the position as new ruler. This is the start of the first hierarchy.

When villages continued to grow, they became cities. In the cities, chiefs became kings. Thus forming the first monarchies. Kings demanded standing armies to both protect their own territory, and gain more. To maintain these standing armies, taxes were placed on civilians.

In order to keep track of these taxes, the first form of writing was developed; usually in a early society, only the upper class (priests, scribes, royalty, and sometimes wealthy merchants), could read and write. This cause a division in the social structure between those who were educated, and those who were not.

__**Case Study: Egyptians**__
Egyptians began settling along the Nile, using the fertile land to grow crops. As the population began to rise many separate cities began to develop. These states were frequently in feuds with eachother, but were all united under Menes. Menes became the first king of Egypt. To strengthen their economy, the egyptians began trading(barter system) with their neighbors; the Mesopotamians. They borrowed the wheel and the chariot which fueled the egyptian war machine later on.

**__The Development of Pastoralism and its Impact on the Environment__**

Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry found between 9000 B.C.E and the Common Era in which people depend more heavily on animals for their livelihood. These people where know as herders, pastoralists, or nomads.

Pastoralist peoples resided in central Asia, Mesopotamia, and parts of Africa. What all these different societies had in common was mobility. This mobility was necessary to follow the changing patters of vegetation to pasture their animals.

This dependence on livestock was around because in these certain regions farming was very difficult or impossible. This domestication of animals varied across regions between sheep, cattle, goats, horses, camels, and reindeer.

The domestication of certain animals, such as horses in central Asia lead to new developments such as horseback riding. This development allowed certain civilizations to create powerful military forces on horseback, commonly called calvary.

The development of pastorialism also allowed people to live in less fertile environments; however these herders were attracted by the wealth and sophistication of agrarian peoples and often traded technology, ideas, and products.

__**Case Study: Sahel Africa**__
In the Sahel Africa such mismanagement by the Sahel pastoralists was blamed for desertification and depletion of resources in the Paleolithic era to present day. By overgrazing lands the land would be left unsuitable for future use, and this could disrupt the migration patterns of the domesticated herds as well as wild populations.



The Agricultural Revolution took place anywhere from 12,000 to 4,000 years ago. It occurred almost simultaneously across the globe, which points to a wide spread change causing this shift in living. Also around this time paleo records from multiple regions indicate that a large climate change occurred.

Due to the end of the Ice Ages, a long humid period took place, which was ideal for growing crops, especially of the cereal variety. The primary places of occurrence of these cereal crops wer: the Fertile Crescent, sub-Saharan Africa, China, New Guinea, Mesoamerica, the Andes, and eastern North America.

The changing climate drove many large mammals that Paleolithic people had previously hunted into extinction. As a result, they had to turn to more readily available and stable food supplies. This process eventually led to the creation of agricultural villages that were either permanent or semi-permanent. With all of a society’s dietary requirements being grown in one area, the need to be mobile and follow herds virtually disappeared.

As a side note, these villages also almost always appeared in areas with plenty of fresh water or resource rich areas. This is highlighted by the fact that the highest concentrations of civilizations were present in tropical climates, such as Mesoamerica and the Fertile Crescent.

**__Case Study: Fertile Cresent__**
I believe that the emergence of agricultural societies and the ending of the last major Ice Age was no coincidence. That relatively sudden change in climate (global warming) caused //Homo Sapiens//to have to restructure how they went about gathering food. As a result, they were forced to learn how to domesticate crops and band together in small villages. This theory is best shown by the early peoples of the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent became a hotbed of agricultural villages because of a transition that began around 11,000 B.C.E. and ended about 9,500 B.C.E. this transition was caused by a series of hot and cold conditions that killed off most species of wild plants and some animals. This caused the peoples of the Fertile Crescent to turn to domestication of cereal crops. Also, after several generations of doing this, people began to forget the ways of their ancestors so they could not revert to hunting and gathering even if they wanted to. This put people on a track that has directly led to how we live today.



CITATIONS:


 * Gupta, Anil K. "Origin of Agriculture and Domestication of Plants and Animals Linked to Early Holocene Climate Amelioration." //Current Science// 87.1 (2004): 54-59. 10 July 2004. Web. 6 Oct. 2011.


 * Strayer, Robert W. //Ways of the World: A Brief Global History//. Boston: Bedford/StMartin's, 2009. Print.


 * Wikipedia. "Pastoralism." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, 24 July 2011. Web. 06 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastoralism>.


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">World Civilizations: The Global Experience. 4th ed. Pearson Education. Http://wps.ablongman.com. Pearson Education, Inc. Web. 5 Oct. 2011. <http://wps.ablongman.com/long_stearns_wc_4/0,8725,1123074-,00.html>.


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Ancient Egyptian Economy." River School: Home Page. Web. 06 Oct. 2011. [].


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Egyptian Pharaoh Menes." The Making of America. Web. 06 Oct. 2011. [].


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sahel Travel Guide - Saharan Africa Map - IGuide. Digital image. IGuide - Interactive Travel Guide. Web. 06 Oct. 2011. [|http://iguide.travel/Sahel#/Gallery].


 * Historical Maps - Fertile Crescent - Google Images. Google/Image.com Web 06 Oct 2001 [|http://www.google.com/imgres?q=fertile+crescent&hl=en&biw=]


 * "Pastoralism." //Mesa Community College//. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. <http://www.mesacc.edu/dept/d10/asb/lifeways/hg_ag/pastor.html>.

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