Background of Human Settlement Lecture PDF

Background of Human Settlement Dr. Md. Faruk Shah Adjunct Faculty Member Department of History and Philosophy North South University  Lecture Outline The Universe and Human Being: Basic Information History of Primate and Hominids Homo Sapiens...

Background of Human Settlement Dr. Md. Faruk Shah Adjunct Faculty Member Department of History and Philosophy North South University  Lecture Outline The Universe and Human Being: Basic Information History of Primate and Hominids Homo Sapiens and the Out of Africa Theory Tools and Technologies of the Prehistoric Age Neolithic Revolution and the Birth of Civilization Major societies based on food collection & production strategies The hunting and gathering society to modern society.  The Universe and Human Being: Basic Information Formation: Big Bang Theory: An explosion has created the universe. Creation Theory: God has crated the universe. The earth is 4-5 billion years old and Homo Sapiens appeared on the earth around 200,000 years ago. but The first civilization emerged some 5000 years ago Before the birth of civilization, the long period of time is known as prehistory.  Human Evolution Charles Darwin: On the Origin of Species Natural Selection: Organisms that are best adapted to an environment survive and reproduce more than others Primates Primate Groups Prosimians include Lemurs, Tarsiers Anthropoids Include Monkeys, Apes and Humans Homo Sapiens  Out of Africa Theory 'Out of Africa‘ theory is that Homo sapiens developed first in Africa and then spread around the world between 100 and 200,000 years ago, superseding all other hominid species. The implication of this argument is that all modern people are ultimately of African descent. Supported by molecular data Lets go back…. The earth is 4-5 billion years old and Homo Sapiens appeared on the earth around 200,000 years ago. but The first civilization emerged some 5000 years ago Before the birth of civilization, the long period of time is known as prehistory. Historians classify the whole period of human society as: 1. Prehistory: no written document 2. History: possesses written document Based on the available materials, Ancient Period can be classified as follows: 3. Stone Age a) Old stone age b) New stone age 2. Bronze Age  Common Culture of Stone Age People Hunter-gatherers Dependency on nature Nomadic lifestyle Sheltered under rock or in caves Lived in bands and tribes Strong group solidarity Old Stone Age (Paleolithic Age) Humans had spread around globe Humans were hunter-gatherers Man made simple tools of stone and bone  Features of Old Stone Age (Paleolithic Age) Food: hunting and gathering Housing: under rock or in caves Dress: animal’s leather Instrument: flake/core tools Invention of fire Social organization Religious beliefs New Stone Age (Neolithic Age) Development of agriculture Domestication of animals Improvement of technology Features of New Stone Age (Neolithic Age) Increased agricultural production Animal rearing House construction Sharp tools Invention of Wheel Origin of village Origin of state Self-sufficient economy Exchange system Effects of Neolithic Age Surplus of food production Increased populations Rise of diverse occupations Gender relations change Humans manipulate environment  Neolithic Revolution: from villages to cities The development of agriculture dramatically changed the life style of people which is known as Neolithic Revolution. Some people began to live as nomadic pastoralists while others formed settlements. Advances in farming and changing economies resulted in the first cities to emerge. Agriculture provided a larger and more reliable food source. People began to work with metals (tin, copper and bronze). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8WytITpQ_s  Beginning of Civilization: urban revolution Simple farming settlements grew into huge cities which is known as urban revolution: the hall mark of civilization. The first civilizations began in cities. Cities were larger, populated, and more complex in terms of political, economic, and social structure than Neolithic villages. As city dwellers depended on the inhabitants of adjacent villages for their food, farming techniques were developed to produce food surpluses. Increased production provided food for urban inhabitants such as merchants, craftsmen, bureaucrats and priests. The invention of writing enabled the first civilizations to preserve, organize, and expand knowledge and to pass it on to future generations.  Four Main Regions Where Civilization Began Huang River valley- China Nile River Valley- Egypt Tigris and Euphrates River Valley- Middle East  Indus River Valley-India  Contacts Among Early Civilizations People of early civilizations had some contact with one another. Trade, warfare, and migration helped spread ideas and products from one city to another and from one civilization to another. BUT People absorbed or adapted only those ideas that seemed to useful for their way of life. (Beers, 1986) Major societies based on food collection & production strategies Food foraging Industrializat Horticulture ion Pastoralism Agriculture  Foraging (hunter-gatherers) Society  “Until 10,000 years ago, people everywhere were foragers, also known as hunter gatherers” (Kottak, 2000: 308).  The foraging way of life continued in certain environments.  All foragers depend on nature to make their living.  Key food items include vegetation, fruits collection, hunting animals, and fishing  Examples of such society are Kung San of South Africa, Great Basin Indians, etc.  All modern foragers live under states who are influenced by internal and external forces.  The number of foragers are decreasing due to the influence of modern world systems. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/video/hunter-gatherers/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1XJU7TW-6k  Correlates of Foraging Society The prime social unit is the family  Basic social unit is known as band Membership of band may change over time Average size of local groups is less than 100 people Population density is very low Practice band exogamy Division of labor based on sex (men usually hunt & fish while women gather & collect) Social distinctions based on age (old people receive great respect) Food sharing Degree of mobility depends upon food availability Settlement pattern is nomadic or semi nomadic Nature of the society is egalitarian  Strong kin relations  Food Production Horticultu Agricultur Pastoralis re e m Horticulture and agriculture rely on plant production while pastoralism depends on herding and harvesting animals.  Horticultural Society A horticultural society produces its food through cultivation of the soil with hand tools (Wallace & Wallace, P. 87) Horticulturists use simple tools to grow crops. Domestication of plants initiated. Hence the intensive use of land, labor and machinery is absent. Horticulturalists mainly use ‘slash-and-burn’ and shifting cultivation techniques. Emergence of political institutions  Agricultural Society An agricultural society focuses its mode of production primarily on agriculture and the cultivation of large fields (Rao, 2007) Agriculture requires more labor than horticulture, as well as employs irrigation Food producers reside together near the land. Enrichment of culture Origin of distinct social class Class difference is higher.  Pastoral Societies “Pastoralists are those members of a society in which animal husbandry is regarded as the ideal way of making a living, and in which movement of all or part of the society is considered a normal and natural way of life” (Haviland, 2010: 174). Pastoralists frequently trade with farmers for grains and vegetables.  Industrial Society Large scale production Such society relies on corporate agriculture Production basically involves factories and machinery Industrialism has led to a multitude of technological inventions Workers are alienated from the means of production Industrialism requires labor force and produces complex system of markets Industrial modes of production: money buys labor power Larger societies with huge populations Large scale division of labour Loosing importance of family and kinship Spread of heterogeneous culture Thank You and Questions???