Lecturer 20: The last 13,000 years
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Questions and Answers

What does the text suggest about the idea of ingesting living enzymes?

  • It is only beneficial if the living enzymes are extracted from specific sources.
  • It is beneficial for health and digestion despite stomach acid destroying the enzymes.
  • It is a recent discovery that has not been fully understood yet.
  • It is fake and not beneficial due to stomach acid destroying the enzymes. (correct)

    • According to the text, what is Jared Diamond's book 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' primarily focused on?

  • The evolution and spread of human beings over the surface of the earth.
  • The impact of bird experts on human history.
  • The unequal distribution of technologies and wealth across different parts of the world.
  • The profound question of why the world became extremely unequal after a period of equality. (correct)

    • What does the text imply about human beings thousands of years ago?

  • They were equally dirty, smelly, and lived as cavemen. (correct)
  • They were all cavemen living in grass huts.
  • They were all the same in terms of wealth and population.
  • They were all technologically advanced and lived in big cities.

    • What does the text indicate about the living enzymes found in products claiming to be beneficial for health and digestion?

    <p>They are fake and do not provide the claimed benefits.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the text suggest about the living enzymes in the body?

    <p>They are present in the body but not beneficial when ingested.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the text imply about the unequal distribution of wealth and technologies across different parts of the world?

    <p>It is a result of certain parts of the world easily conquering other parts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When did agriculture begin in the Fertile Crescent?

    <p>Between 7000-10,000 B.C.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When did food production begin spreading outward from the Fertile Crescent?

    <p>Between 3500-9000 B.C.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following regions independently started the domestication of various crops?

    <p>West Africa</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a key factor in the domestication of species in a particular area?

    <p>Availability of native species</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What led to the spread of domesticates more easily along the same longitude?

    <p>Similar day length and climate conditions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which animal was the first to be domesticated?

    <p>Dog</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who made a significant argument about human evolution, initially controversial but likely correct?

    <p>Richard Wrangham</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which book are 'A Brief History of Humankind' and 'Sapiens' derived from?

    <p>Eurasian Colonization</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When did human evolution begin?

    <p>200,000 years ago</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What led to stable food sources and larger food supplies?

    <p>Domesticating plants and animals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the clash between farming and hunter-gatherer societies result in?

    <p>Significant changes in human societies and the way of life</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the impact of farming on human societies bring about?

    <p>Challenges and drawbacks</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the earliest form of writing from the Sumerians?

    <p>Making dents/poke marks in wet clay using a wedge-stylus</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Where did the Phoenician alphabet, ancestor of the English alphabet, emerge?

    <p>In the Mediterranean between 1200-150 BCE</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What process was involved in the origins of Chinese writing?

    <p>Annotation of cracks on bones or turtle plastrons</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What played a significant role in the expansion of advanced technology according to the text?

    <p>Diffusion of metallurgy and new technologies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What impacted the development of languages according to the text?

    <p>Proto-Indo-European expansion from 6000 years ago</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Where did the Proto-Indo-Europeans spread to, leaving traces in the vocabulary of daughter languages?

    <p>India and Europe</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the process of artificial selection involve in the context of domesticating animals?

    <p>Selecting wolves that were more submissive and killing off those that became too dangerous</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a significant outcome of domestication for human societies?

    <p>The emergence of specialist roles and ruling elites</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a major impact of domestication on human diet and health?

    <p>Farmers had a narrower diet and were less healthy than hunter-gatherers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What technological development was made possible by the domestication of certain animals like goats and cows?

    <p>The production of dairy products such as milk and cheese</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a significant impact of domestication on population growth and settlement patterns?

    <p>It allowed for the existence of larger populations in one place and the formation of the first towns</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a key consequence of the emergence of specialist roles after the rise of agriculture and food production?

    <p>The development of other technologies that were not possible in hunter-gatherer societies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did artificial selection change some wolves into?

    <p>Dogs through selective breeding</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the surplus of food from domestication lead to?

    <p>Emergence of wealth, rulers, governments, and complex societies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the domestication of certain animals lead to in human diets?

    <p>Increase in the consumption of dairy products</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the impact of domesticated animals like chickens on human societies?

    <p>Rise of specialist roles and standing armies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did domesticated animals provide for tasks like plowing during the industrial revolution?

    <p>Provided energy for tasks like plowing</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Darwin first describe the parallel between?

    <p>Domestication and artificial selection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Darwin first describe the parallel between?

    <p>Domestication and evolution by natural selection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the primary initial use of domesticated animals?

    <p>Food</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the rise of domestication allow for the development of?

    <p>Writing and other technologies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the ability to smelt metals, such as copper and bronze, emerge from?

    <p>Domestication</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the rise of domestication allow for the spread of somewhat later?

    <p>Writing</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the rise of domestication allow for the development of that led to the construction of pyramids and ziggurats?

    <p>Writing and other technologies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    The Origins and Evolution of Writing Systems

    • Writing systems in Asia look similar to Chinese due to either a common origin or similar invention by people on this half of the world.
    • In the Middle East, there were various writing systems, including Egyptian systems and the alphabet system that spread widely.
    • The earliest surviving form of writing from the Sumerians, about 7000 years ago, involved making dents/poke marks in wet clay using a wedge-stylus.
    • The evolution of cuneiform script from 3000 BCE to its extinction in the early 1st millennium is depicted through various stages.
    • The Phoenician alphabet, ancestor of the English alphabet, emerged between 1200-150 BCE in the Mediterranean.
    • Writing independently emerged in Sumer, China, Egypt, and Mesoamerica, as proven by rapid diffusion and Diamond's diagram.
    • Chinese writing began as a record of religious interpretation, involving a divination process conducted by a priest to consult the Gods.
    • The origins of Chinese writing can be traced back to the annotation of cracks on bones or turtle plastrons, leading to the development of pictographs.
    • The diffusion of metallurgy and new technologies, such as boat and navigation skills, played a significant role in the expansion of advanced technology.
    • Proto-Indo-European expansion from 6000 years ago is traced through linguistic and archaeological evidence, impacting the development of languages.
    • The Proto-Indo-Europeans, first discovered by Sir William Jones, spread to India and Europe, leaving traces in the vocabulary of daughter languages.
    • The European languages today are descended from Proto-Indo-European, with evidence of their herding lifestyle through shared words like 'sheep'.

    The Significance of Domesticated Animals in Human History

    • Dogs have to overcome their social instincts to live with humans, while other animals, like herd animals, follow the dominant animal in their herd, including humans.
    • Domestication involves animals accepting humans as the dominant animal and assuming humans as the boss.
    • Darwin first described the parallel between domestication and evolution by natural selection in the natural world.
    • Tame animals can live with humans without hurting them, while domesticated animals have been changed or altered by humans.
    • Domesticated animals provide energy and were initially used for food and later for tasks such as plowing.
    • Farmers had a narrower diet and were less healthy compared to hunter-gatherers who had a wider variety of substances in their diet.
    • Domesticated animals provided sources of material, meat, bone, leather, and other body parts that could be used for various purposes.
    • Domestication allowed for the specialization of labor and the rise of standing armies for the first time.
    • The ability to smelt metals, such as copper and bronze, emerged from domestication, leading to the creation of wealth and the emergence of rulers, governments, and complex societies.
    • The rise of domestication allowed for the development of writing and other technologies, leading to the construction of pyramids and ziggurats.
    • Writing evolved somewhat later than other domestication-related innovations and spread widely to regions around the world.
    • Domestication only happened in certain parts of the world, allowing for big populations to exist in one place and the rise of specialist roles and ruling elites.

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    Lecture 20: The Last 13,000 Years of Human History PDF

    Description

    Explore the origins and evolution of writing systems, from the Sumerians' clay marks to the emergence of the Phoenician alphabet. Understand the significance of domesticated animals in human history, including their impact on agriculture, technology, and societal development.

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