Goals: Be able to answer Why did Pizarro win the battle of Cajamarca? How can we explain the origins of agriculture? Why did Mediterranean climates facilitate crop domestication? Why did Eurasia have more domesticated large animals and diseases? How did continental orientation lead to Eurasian dominance? Why was Europe more imperialistic than China? How do you explain the distribution of wealth and power in the world today? The Incan Empire 4. Why do you think Eurasian have more wealth and power than Native American or African? Incan architecture Transportation 1
Atahualpa Customs 1532: Pizarro and Atahualpa at Cajamarca 80,000 Incans vs. 168 Spaniards (37 horses) 2
Ultimate East-West axis 5. What advantages did Pizarro have that let him easily route the Incans? Why did the Europeans rather than Africans or Native Americans have guns, germs, and steel? Weapons Ships Writing Disease Why and how did agriculture arise? Ultimate East-West axis 10,000 BC 2000 BC 3500 BC Weapons Ships Writing Disease Independent origins of agriculture Explaining why people became farmers is complicated Adam & Eve Jacob & Esau Agriculturalists... Worked harder Were more malnourished Why did agriculture originate? Cain & Abel 3
Explaining why people became farmers is complicated Prey scarcity? Origins of Agriculture: Casual sowing and obsidian trade Obsidian trade Explaining why people became farmers is complicated Prey scarcity? Origins of Agriculture: Casual sowing and obsidian trade Seed bins for storage Sedentary lifestyle Higher population? Stuck in + feedback: Population Agr. Ultimate East-West axis Mediterranean Climate Why did the Eurasians farm first? Weapons Ships Writing Disease Hot, dry summers Warm, wet winters 4
Fertile Crescent The Mediterranean Region: Cereals and Beans Climate Annual Large seeds 32 of 56 large-seeded grass in the world grow here The Mediterranean Region: Cereals and Beans Climate Annual Large seeds : 10,000-7,800 BCE Larger seeds, non-shattering rachis : 10,000-7,800 BC Why did a Mediterranean climate lead to better available for domestication? 5
Rice: SE Asia Corn: Mesoamerica, 3500 BCE Aztec Chinampas Sunflowers, N. America, 2000 BCE Quinoa, Andes,??? Independent origins of agriculture 6
Animal : 8200-2500 BC 13 of 14 large domesticated animals in the world are from Eurasia. S America = 1 Africa = 0 The major 5 domesticated large animals Sheep: SW Asia 8000 BCE Goat: SW Asia 8000 BCE Pig: SW Asia, China 8000 BCE Cow: SW Asia, India, N Africa? 6000 BCE Horse: Ukraine 4000 BCE What qualities make an animal a good candidate for domestication? Characteristics of (most) domesticable animals: Large size Mild temperament Generalist diet, herbivorous Fast growth rate Characteristics of (most) domesticable animals: Social hierarchical structure, herding 7
Unhappy marriages: Finicky diet Slow growth rate Won t breed in captivity Nasty disposition Tendency to panic Territorial Solitary Candidates Domesticated Eurasia 72 13 Sub- Saharan Africa 51 Why so few in Africa, Americas? 0 Americas 24 1 Australia 1 0 Humans have been in Sub-Saharan Africa a VERY long time. What might be some adaptations of African animals that animals in Eurasia might not have? Consider: Natural selection, coevolution, and human origins Overkill Or climate change 8
Ultimate East-West axis Close living with domesticated animals = disease Why did the Eurasians have more disease resistance? Weapons Ships Writing Disease Cow pox and milkmaids Coevolution of humans and disease = resistance Native Americans were not resistant Small pox etc killed 90% of the Native American population Why was Atahualpa the Inca? Ultimate Why did the Eurasians have more technology? East-West axis Weapons Ships Writing Disease 9
Axes of continents and biogeography Eurasia Americas Africa In which directions do you think trade, crops, inventions would most likely spread? Innovations cannot cross climatic and ecological barriers easily = large, dense, sedentary Sedentary class stratification Standing army Priest class to justify war Nonmotile Technological advances Europe s feuding nation-states fueled competition and Why Europe and not China? 10
Ultimate East-West axis Why did the Europeans rather than Africans or Native Americans have guns, germs, and steel? Weapons Ships Writing Disease 11