This map (below) contains the locations of places, persons, and events discussed during the semester. Can you match the icons on the map with the correct description provided in the list that follows? Give it a shot.
World History II Map Review
1. From Tenochtitlan, located in this area, did the Mexica (Aztec) rule over their empire. 2. This is the city from where the Emperor Justinian (Corpus Juris Civilis) and Alexius I (1st Crusade) ruled the Byzantine Empire. 3. This area encompasses much of the Mughal Empire. 4. The Grand Canal, the oldest man-made structure still used for it’s original purpose, is located here. 5. The location of Portugal and Spain since they became ‘nations’ during the Renaissance. 6. This became an Ottoman ‘lake’ after the decline of Venice in the 15th – 16th C. 7. The defeat of the Spanish Armada (1518) at the hands of Queen Elizabeth I’s English Navy occurred here. England was primed to challenge the Spanish Empire in the open seas. 8. Cahokia, the greatest ‘Mound Builder’s’ (Mississippian) city was here. 9. The great cities of Jenne, Timbuktu, and Gao reflected the wealth and political strength of the ‘trade’ empires that developed here. 10. It was to this island that the Mongols attempted to invade, but were repulsed, twice, by a force that came to be known as ‘Kamikaze’.
A03_HGS-An Age of Exchange and Encounter 500 to 1500 CE (Ch.12 – Ch.15)
Purpose
Along with class lessons and activities, these assignments for Ch.12 – Ch.15 will help us address these essential questions…
How did the development of kingdoms and empires in East Asia help spread religions, culture, trade, and technological innovations?
What political and economic systems emerged in the Middle Ages and how was the Church a unifying force?
What religious, economic, and political events led to the development of Western Europe?
How did early African societies develop from hunting-gathering groups into empires?
Themes
Religious & Ethical Systems
Empire Building
Cultural Interaction
Power & Authority
Economics
Interaction with the Environment
Given
Use the World History: Patterns of Interaction (POI) textbook to complete the assignment below. Refer to the course calendar to acquire due dates and other instructions.
Task
We will be using aCornell NotesTemplate to gather notes from assigned readings. If you would like a quick introduction to the method, please read ‘Student Note-Taking’ under the ‘Admin’ tab in the upper-left menu bar.
The notes you compile (as Cornell Notes) from your reading will augment your class notes and the Auxiliary Notes provided by Mr.V. You are being provided with a list of ‘Key’ vocabulary from each section of the chapter to help you focus and compile notes efficiently. Your notes should focus on the historical significance of the vocabulary term.
These notes are your “Homework” assignments. They must be uploaded as a PDF file to the ‘Assignments’ folder in our shared Dropbox folder. The files are due in Dropbox before the class period on the due date indicated in the course calendar.
The vocabulary listed below are divided into their respective sections. Your notes should be compiled for each section and submitted as separate assignments.
Example: Your first reading assignment will cover A03c Section01. We label the file that your assignment is in as A03cS01(Assignment Unit03, c = chapter 12, Section01). Therefore, for this first chapter, you have five separate sections to submit into your Dropbox ‘Assignments’ folder in Cornell Notes format.
Label each submitted file in the format 2-digit Pd#_LastNameFirstName-A03cSection# (Example: 09_SmithJohn-A03cS01). In this example 9th period student, John Smith, submitted his Cornell Notes for A03cS01. Remember, when labeling files, an ‘O’ is NOT a Zero ‘0’. ‘O’ is a letter and Zero ‘0’ is a number.
When submitting this assignment as a digital file, be sure to follow these steps: -If you hand-wrote the assignment, scan the paper and convert to a digital file (PDF). -If you are typing, convert the file into a PDF file using the same program you typed with.
Pr01b_Why is Egypt the Gift of the Nile? (Text Narration)
To view the presentation that is associated with this text narration, click here.
Cover Slide #1: Pyramids of Giza before a setting Sun. Slide #2: Satellite image of where we are focusing our attention in this presentation- Egypt. Slide #3: Satellite image of the Red Sea basin. Highest population densities exist along the banks of the Nile River. The river’s mouth (where it spills into a larger body of water- Mediterranean Sea) is in the North. The river’s source (where the waters begin to accumulate and flow- Ethiopia) is in the South. All rivers flow from their source to their mouth. Take a moment to notice the Nile’s Delta (a triangular shaped area near a river’s mouth). Slide #4: In this satellite image of modern Egypt at night, it becomes quite clear that now, as before, Egypt is The Gift of the Nile. Most of the population is concentrated on the river’s banks and in the delta. Slide #5: In this image, the delta is ‘greenish’. While the color of the image could have been altered by the camera, it should still convey to you that this area has always been and continues to be the most fertile portion of Lower Egypt. Slide #6: Close-up of the Nile delta. If you look closely, you’ll see the thin lines that are tributaries from the main Nile water flow. Population densities in this area have always been very high. Today, the area suffers from overpopulation and ‘exhaustion’ of the soil. Slide #7: A map showing most of the Nile’s length. The Northern portion of the Nile within modern day Egypt, was referred to as ‘Lower Egypt’. The portion of the Nile in the Southern section of modern day Egypt was referred to as ‘Upper Egypt’. These two areas were once independent and sometimes antagonistic kingdoms. The term ‘Lower’ and ‘Upper’ are based on the flow of the Nile river. ‘Lower’ refers to the portion near the river’s mouth. ‘Upper’ refers to the portion near the river’s source.
The two kingdoms were united by force. The unifier was a powerful king of Upper Egypt named Narmer (‘Menes’ is another name associated with this king). Slide #8: A chronology of Ancient Egypt. Slide #9: The Narmer Palette. A stone with carvings etched in it. The large human figure is believed to be Narmer. As monarch of both kingdoms, after his conquest, he is shown wearing the crown of Upper Egypt on one side of the palette and the crown of Lower Egypt on the other side. Slide #10: Images of the crowns and accoutrements of Ancient Egypt. Do you see how the crowns of Upper & Lower Egypt had merged to create the crown of the unified kingdom of Egypt? It’s this unified kingdom that we are most familiar with. This is the kingdom of the pharaohs (divine kings) of Ancient Egypt. Slide #11: Ramses II being crowned as Pharaoh of Upper & Lower Egypt. Slide #12: The Rosetta Stone. A piece of a larger stone stelae. It contained a royal announcement that was written in three languages: Demotic, Greek, and Hieroglyphics. This piece was found by a soldier of Napoleon’s army and it aided in the decipherement of Hieroglyphics. Slides #13 through 22: Comparison chart of Egyptian pyramids. Pyramids were tombs for the Pharaoh. It was an important part of the Egyptian religion. It is from this tomb that the pharaoh would rule as Osiris in the afterlife. The tomb was often constructed in a “step-like” fashion, then the sides were smoothed-over with white limestone blocks. The sections of the pyramid that look like steps are called ‘Mastaba’. That word means ‘Bench’ or ‘Step’ in Arabic. A completed pyramid dating to the ‘Old Kingdom’, like those in Giza, would appear smooth on all sides.
Looting (robbery) of the tombs was always a problem plaguing the tomb builders. Hidden passages and rooms within the tomb was an attempt to thwart the looters.
Slides #23: The left image is a stone sarcophagus. A sarcophagus is a container that often holds smaller sarcophagi and coffins. The wealthier the individual, the more elaborate the sarcophagus.
The right image is of Ramses II (Ramses the Great). One of the greatest of all Egyptian pharaohs and the same pharaoh of the Moses stories. Ramses II ruled for several decades and was a prodigious builder. Many of the ruins we envision in our minds of ancient Egypt were probably built by him. Slides #24: An artist’s drawing of how Ramses II may have looked like. Slides #25: This female image sporting a feather in her headdress is known as “Maat”. She was an Egyptian deity responsible for weighing the heart of a (deceased) person against the weight of a feather. If the heart proved lighter than the feather, then that person had lived a righteous life. The Ka (soul) would be permitted to continue it’s “earthly life” in the realm of the afterlife. If the heart weighed more than the feather, then the person’s heart bore the weight of misdeeds committed during earthly life. The heart would be cast into the mouth of a beast and the Ka would be eternally in torment. Slides #26: This is your outline map of Egypt after it’s fully annotated.
While we were away in Rome and Constantinople, the African continent was still practicing it’s ancient role as a nurturer of unique cultures and civilizations. The continent’s natural resources will create the conditions for civilizations to develop. While its geographic diversity will shape many societies particularly as they intermingle and culturally diffuse.
I. Purpose: To explore the diversity and development of Africa’s societies within it’s distinct geographic zones.
II. Given:
A. Three societies will be investigated:
-Nok
-Bantu
-Kingdom of Aksum (Axum)
B. Five (5) ‘Areas of Study’ will guide our investigation within each society. For each of our societies, your group must select three (3) of the items below to further investigate. It doesn’t matter which items you select for each of the three societies listed above, as long as one of those items is Context.
-Context: Time, Place, Circumstance.
-Migration
-Commerce
-Religion
-Innovation/ Accomplishment
All class groups should organize themselves accordingly and employ Mindmeister to complete the task.
B. The due date is Sunday, 15 Jan., but refer to the course calendar to be certain that changes have not been made.
III. Task:
Your group is tasked to create a Mindmap rich in content that will reveal to any viewer how African peoples and the societies they developed were a continuation of the continents ancient role as incubator for unique/ diverse cultures and advanced civilizations.
Label the Central Idea: Pd#_African Peoples and Civilizations 1500 BCE to 700 CE-Grp# (Ex.: 08_ African Peoples and Civilizations 1500 BCE to 700 CE-03. Which means Period 8, assigned the African Peoples and Civilizations 1500 BCE to 700 CE, and Group #3. In addition, ensure that the same title appears in the map’s profile. That profile can be accessed via an icon (letter ‘I’ within a circle) appearing in the upper-left corner of your Mindmap screen.
Citations, links, assign tasks, etc. in accord with previous projects. Images/ graphics should be used judiciously. Avoid inclusion if the image does not contribute relevant and substantive content. Examples of poor image choices would include historical figures. Examples of good image choices would include maps, charts, tools, etc. with an explanation of it’s historic value.
IV. Evaluation
These instructions provide you with guidance, but your experience should shape your final product. Previous standards remain in force.
Sources & Resources: I encourage you to seek out additional sources for a deeper contextual understanding of the topic. Here are some to start you off.
World History: Patterns of Interaction. (published by Holt-McDougall, 2012)
AN03a2_ An Age of Exchange and Encounter: No ‘Dark Age’ in the Islamic World.
Timeline: 8th C. – 13th C. FS: There is no ‘Dark Age’ in the Islamic World.
Main Idea
Byzantium (though in Asia Minor, they continued to refer to themselves as Roman) was a shining beacon of civilized life. But to its south, in the Middle Eastern deserts of the Arabian peninsula, there was a stir within tribal customs of the Bedouin. In less than 200 years, it became clear that what was developing in the desert was more than a faith. It was the start of a civilization that would challenge its bigger ‘brother’ to the north and the great Tang dynasty to the east. Europe would fear it and become partially conquered by it. This Islamic empire would become a ‘bridge’ between eastern and western cultures as well as the Classic and Medieval world. Once Islam crossed into the continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe the civilization bloomed with the splendor of the classical civilizations of the past.
I. The Spread of Islam
Islam spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa from 632-750 CE. This was a contributing factor to the present dominance of Islam and Arab culture in this area.
A. Very Fast. Three directions & three continents
B. Military Conquests
C. Tolerant Rule (1)
D. Increasing Conflict with Byzantine Empire
II. The Caliphate
The Islamic civilization existed for a period of 600 years. In that time, the center of religious/ secular leadership went from Mecca (the home of The Prophet) to Damascus and then to Baghdad. As time passed, the governmental form of this rising civilization evolved from a religious and tribal base to the secular and institutional base of empires. Central to it, however, remained the question as to who would be the successor to The Prophet.
A. Orthodox Caliphate (632 – 661)
1. Caliph: “Successor” to the Prophet Muhammad. This carried political significance. It did not bestow the title of ‘prophet’ on any individual who became Caliph.
2. The faith extends beyond the boundary of the Arabian peninsula.
3. The mixing of politics with religion leads to intrigue and assassinations.
B. Umayyad Caliphate (Damascus, 7th – 8th C.)
1. Assassination of Husayn
2. Extend Islam to Europe (Iberian Peninsula)
C. Abbasid Caliphate (Baghdad, 8th – 13th C.)
1. Dominated East – West Caravan Trade
2. Preservation and Support for ‘learning’. (The Golden Age)
III. The Golden Age
A. Arts
Islamic artists became famous in their own right by comprising some of the world’s most expressive poetry. But to Muslims, the greatest literary work then and now is the Qur-an.
1. Preservation of ‘Classical’ culture via recording of texts and visual arts.
2. Poetry: The Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam
3. Literature: Prose/ Poetry
a. The Qur-an
b. 1001 Arabian Nights
B. Sciences
1. Mathematics
al-Khwarizmi (9th C.) => Algebra
Arabic Numerals and Concept of ‘zero’
2. Chemistry: Alchemy
3. Medicine
a. ‘Viral’ nature of disease and development of Vaccines
b. Anesthesia
c. Compilation of medical texts:
* al-Rhazes (850 – 923)
* Ibn-Sina (aka ‘Avicenna’) in Europe (980 – 1037)
4. Astronomy
a. Religious Significance
b. Sea Charts and maps with Latitude Lines
c. Astrolabe
5. Architecture: Domes, Arches, & Towers (as in Mosque design)
6. Cultural/ Material Diffusion
a. Spices and other luxury items from Far East, South, & S-E Asia (Pepper, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg).
b. Direct competition with Chinese and Byzantine commerce.
c. Silk and Paper from Far East.
d. Lateen Sail
Footnotes
1. The trans-Saharan caravan trade, in addition to these, spread Islam into the rest of the Arabian Peninsula, Africa, Asia, and Europe. These activities encouraged cultural diffusion. Since tolerance was a religious requirement, the conquest and rule over non-Muslims was less problematic.
Resources
-World History: Perspectives on the Past
-Slide Presentation
A02_HGS- New Directions in Government and Society 2000 BCE – 700 CE (Ch.05 – Ch.09)
Purpose:
Along with class lessons and activities, these assignments for Ch.05 – Ch.09 will help us understand the similarities and differences between Classical civilizations and identify modern remnants their legacies.
The Essential Question is…
To what extent were Greek, Roman, Indian, and Chinese Classical Civilizations exhibiting similar/ dissimilar origins, conditions, achievements, and legacies?
Themes:
-Cultural Interaction
-Power and Authority
-Empire Building
-Religious and Ethical Systems
-Interaction with Environment
Given
-Use the *World History: Patterns of Interaction* (POI) textbook to complete the assignment below.
-Refer to the course calendar to acquire due dates and other instructions.
Task
Refer to the instructions for A01, they apply here as well.
A02a (Ch.05) Cultures of the Mountains and the Seas
Terms, Names, Phrases
Section 01 Mycenaean Dorian Homer Epic Myth
Section 02 Polis Acropolis Aristocracy Oligarchy Tyrant Democracy Phalanx Persian Wars Democracy
Section 03 Tragedy Comedy Peloponnesian War Philosopher Plato Aristotle Direct Democracy
Section 04 Philip II Macedonia Alexander the Great Darius III
Section 05 Hellenistic Alexandria Euclid Archimedes Colossus of Rhodes
A01d_Ch04: Beginnings of Civilization- First Age of Empires 1570 – 200 BCE
Purpose
Along with class lessons and activities, this assignment will help us address this essential question: How did the first large empires in Africa and Asia develop between 1570 B.C.E. and 200 B.C.E.?
The topics discussed in this unit will wind and weave through the following historical themes:
CULTURAL INTERACTION
For a long period, Egypt ruled Kush and the two cultures interacted. When the Kush Empire conquered Egypt, therefore, the Kushites adopted many Egyptian cultural values and ideas.
RELIGION AND ETHICAL SYSTEMS
After the warring states period, Chinese philosophers developed different ethical systems to restore China’s social order.
Given
-Use the World History: Patterns of Interaction (POI) textbook to complete the assignment below.
-Refer to the course calendar to acquire due dates and other instructions.
Task
Refer to the instructions for A01, they apply here as well.
Task Section 01: The Egyptian and Nubian Empires Read pages 89 – 94. On page 94…
– Hyksos – Hatshepsut – Thutmose III – Nubia – Ramses II – Kush – Meroë
Section 02: The Assyrian Empire Read pages 95 – 98. On page 98…
AN01bc_Ch.02,03: Americas Beginnings To 1783- Transplanted Rivalries
FQ: How did ‘Old World’ rivalries transplant themselves in the ‘New World’ after 1492?
I. Colonization of ‘New World’ by Europeans. (15th – 17th C.)
A. Spain/ Portugal: Spanish Viceroyalties/ Brazil (1494-Treaty of Tordesillas)
B. English: Jamestown VA., Puritan New England.
C. Dutch: New York Coast, Northern coastal area of South America.
D. France: Mississippi mouth, future Canadian territory.
The manner and methods of colonization reflected and aggravated religious & commercial rivalries existing in Europe at the time.
II. Religious Rivalry
A. Protestant Reformation (Worms, 1521- Martin Luther Excommunicated by Pope Leo X).
B. Catholic Reformation (1540, Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuit Order)
C. La Reconquista: 1492, one of two successful (major) Crusades since the 11th C.
D. Nature-based faiths of Africa and Native America.
III. Commercial Rivalry (15th – 17th C.)
A. Mercantilism
B. Joint Stock Company (East India Company)
C. Labor Supply: Shortage results from poor treatment and disease (small pox).
– Encomienda System
– Repartimiento
– Slavery (Spain & Portugal=> Dutch=> English=> Smugglers)
– Indentured Servitude
IV. Political Rivalry
A. France vs. Britain=> Conflict over the thrones of England & France leads to an American expression of the European conflict=> French & Indian War (1754)
B. Dutch Gain Independence from Spain=> Dutch Revolt, mid-16th to mid-17th C.
V. Environmental Impact: The Columbian Exchange
Wide variety of fauna and flora are exchanged between ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Worlds.
VI. Colonial Development
A. Colonies mature into societies reflecting European social norms, geography, Renaissance ideals (Enlightenment).
B. Northern Colonies: Manufacturing and Sea Trade
C. Southern Colonies: Plantation Cash Crops, Food crops
D. Western Lands (Interior): French and Native American Allies dominate.
Resources:
Chapter 1-3: The Americans. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.
AN01a3b_Ch01: Civilization and the Development of Writing- The Historic Period.
Timeline: ~10000 BP – 2200 BP (Neolithic Age to Iron Age) FS: How does writing reflect the needs and diversity of Humanity?
Main Idea
The Neolithic Age witnessed a transformation of Human communal living. Small, wandering bands began to take advantage of the knowledge and climate that encouraged a sedentary life over a nomadic one. As more and more decided to cast their fortunes into a common cause for survival, their agricultural output made village life possible. As the fledgling village communities grew, the resulting complexity of living together presented challenges. Among these was the need to record information for posterity as well for the use of others that were somewhere else.
I. Vocabulary (Refer to Crossword Puzzle)
II. Attributes of a Civilized Society
These sectors are generally identified as:
A. Presence of a Government (Institutions, Bureaucracies, etc.)
A system has to be devised to efficiently organize the community to successfully meet challenges to the common good.
Categories would include, among others, … (1)
1. Monarchy
2. Oligarchy
3. Autocracy
4. Republic
Table 1: Communal Projects
B. Urbanization
The growth of the community (soon to be a ‘society’) is expected to accelerate as learners to meet and overcome challenges. The growth will come from increasing births and migration. Once the community exceeds the norms of a village, it enters into the category of Town/ City.
1. Presence of Cities/ Towns
2. Increasing Population Density (Rising # of people per unit of land)
C. Presence of Communication System
What constitutes a ‘communication system’ can be quite diverse. It would be safe to say that any civilization would offer examples that reflect the diversity.
Examples would include…
1. Road Network (Travel, Transport)
2. Oral Data Transmission (Oral Tradition)
3. Literary Data Recording (Literary Tradition)
4. River Network (Travel, Transport)
D. Commercial Activity
Commercial activity is one of those actions that Humans must have participated in from the very beginning. In it’s simplest form, commercial activity permits Humans to acquire the things they need, from others, that they could not acquire on their own.
1. Presence of Markets
2. Gathering Resources
3. Create/ develop a Medium Of Exchange
4. Build and Maintain Ports (transport, distribution)
E. Social Striation (hierarchies based on specialization)
In Plato’s Republic, the philosopher describes the various developmental stages a community of people pass through before a polis is reached. One of those stages is when a community of people forms to meet common challenges.
1. Evidence of Social Striation
2. Specialization of community roles.
3. Diversification of jobs
4. Hierarchies: Classes, Castes, Groups, etc.
III. Writing and Civilized Society
Increasing complexity makes the success of any developing community problematical. ‘Writing’ expanded the depth and breadth of the planning that’s necessary for civilization-building.
Every segment of a fully developed civilization has writing as a essential data collection and transmission tool. We would find it strange indeed if we participate in our daily activities and NOT encounter written language.
IV. Developmental Trends in Writing
Table 2:Suggestion for the evolution of phonetic letters. Another variation is explained in the BBC video “The story of how we got our alphabets.” (2)
Written language attempts to parallel oral language. This could be phonetically based where the written form attempts to reproduce the ‘sound’ of the spoken language. On the other hand, it could be ideographically based where the written form attempts to reproduce the ‘thought, idea or sentiment’ of the spoken language.
A. Case Study: Chinese as an Ideographic Language
Chinese Ideogram: Tree/ Wood
Chinese Ideogram: Forest
Given the difficulty of accurately isolating an ‘idea’ or ‘thought’ in a character, the interpretation and pronunciation of the character can vary somewhat.
B. Case Study: Ancient Egyptian as a Phonetic Language
Anc. Egyptian Phonetic Alphabet
Table 3:This is a clearer example of the ancient Egyptian phonetic alphabet. (3)
A less-attractive example is offered by NOVA’s Pyramid website. (cited below)
V. Myths
Among the earliest orally transmitted data are Myths. Since myths were already ancient by the times civilizations developed, they carried great cultural importance. That importance earmarked myths as prime candidates for recording when writing became feasible. In written form, myths acquired immortality and represent some of the oldest and most sacred of religious texts.
The last table, Table 4, provides a peak into the media and writing tools that written languages require to meet the challenges of developing civilizations.
-Talking Leaves and Lightning Paper. Lexicon Valley podcastEpisode #22. Development of the Cherokee written language. http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/lexicon_valley/2012/12/lexicon_valley_on_sequoyah_a_native_american_who_invented_an_alphabet_for.html
AN01a_Ch01: Beginning of Civilization- The Peopling of the World (Human Origins)
Timeline: Prehistory – ~2500 BCE FQ: How did we become Human (Homo Sapien)?
Main Idea
Archaeological and anthropological investigations throughout the 20th C. have contributed to the creation of a prehistoric scenario in which modern man is the product of a multi-millennial evolutionary process. The fossil record has surrendered physical evidence of major stages in the development of modern man.
However, there are other fields that provide a story of Man’s origins that does not exclusively rely on the evidence gathered by archaeologists, anthropologists, and others. For thousands of years, myths have been passed from generation to generation that explain ‘How’ and ‘Why’ humans exist as well as the divine that drives ‘creation’.
I. Vocabulary (refer to Crossword Puzzle Pu01a)
Leakey Family
Famous family of archaeologists and anthropologists (20th C.- East Africa). Credited with fossil discoveries adding to our knowledge Man’s evolutionary development. (1)
II. Theory of Human Evolution
Humans, like other creatures in nature, evolved from simpler into more complex organisms over geologic time. Those creatures best suited (adapted) to the environment were favored via Natural Selection.
III. Physical Evidence (From the Fossil Record at Excavation sites)
A. Evolutionary Bond between Modern Man & Modern Apes.
1. Use of Technology
2. Social + Physical Similarities
3. Genetic Composition.
B. Major Evolutionary Stages (2)
1. Australopithecus afarensis (3.6 mil. BP, ‘Lucy’)
2. Homo Habilis (2.5 mil. BP, Skillful Man)
3. Homo Erectus (1.6 mill. BP, Erect Man) (3)
4. Homo Neanderthalensis ( ~400k BP to ~40k BP, Neanderthal Man) (4)
5. Homo Sapien (~200k BP, Thinking Man) (5)
C. Significant Anatomical Changes in Evolutionary Stages
Table_Evolutionary Change
D. What happened to these Pre-Humans? (These remain theories only)
1. Lost out to a better adapted competitor
a. Environmental Pressures: The Ice Age (Glacial Period) ~50,000 BP – ~18,000 BP. (6)
The advancing ice sheets (glaciers) alter the Earth’s landscape and reflect the cooling of the planet’s atmosphere. Animal life is abundant but plant life in the higher latitudes is vastly diminished. Surely, hominids that have inhabited the higher latitudes, since Homo Erectus ventured out of the African continent, would be expending great energy to survive in these conditions. This and previous periods of glaciation may have contributed to the demise of earlier hominids via natural selection.
b. Technology: The development of tools like the Atlatl may have given Homo Sapien an advantage over Homo Neanderthalensis in the ‘game’ of survival.
2. Hybridization: Interbreeding among Homo Sapiens and Homo Neanderthalensis.
IV. Creation Myths
A. Pagan
1. Mesopotamian (Epic of Gilgamesh, Sumer)
2. Ancient Egypt (Atum the Creator)
3. Greek and Roman (Zeus imposes order on chaos./ Cura’s creation of Man from clay.) (7)
B. Judaeo-Christian-Islamic
1. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
2. Noah’s floods
Resources
– Pu01a
– Article: ‘Siberian Fossils were Neanderthal’s Eastern Cousins’
– PBS: NOVA
– Vestigial Structures. A TED Ed lesson at http://ed.ted.com/featured/ypjumUC3
– Exploration, a podcast hosted by Dr. Michio Kaku and accessed on Stitcher Smart Radio. Interview of Dr.s Ettelman and Calvin on the topic of the Human Brain, accessed Oct. 2011. Interview of Dr. Spencer Wells on the origins of the human species, accessed 22 April 2012.
– Archaeological Institute of America (website)
– Additional reading on subject of Pre-humans
– Article: All Non-Africans Part Neanderthal, Genetics Confirm.
– Assorted myths from Hebrew, Hindu, and Native American cultures.
– Slide Presentation (Pr01a) from course website.
Footnotes
(1) http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/mythology.html (http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/mythology.html) Oct. 2011
(2) Parenthetical dates appearing here indicates approximate time of appearance in the fossil record.
(3) Tamed fire and first to leave the African continent.
(4) Lived during the Ice Age. Archaeological sites show evidence of ritual burials. Often called ‘Neanderthal’ referring to the Neander valley where the first fossils were found. Though some textbooks may still refers to the hominid as “Homo Sapien” , the science community has dropped the ‘Sapien’ suffix and substituted “Neanderthalensis”. This is in light of evidence indicating it didn’t contribute to human evolution. African fossils are lacking and mtDNA analysis suggest no genetic lineage to modern humans.
(5) Modern Man, often called Cro-Magnon in reference to the nearby town where the first fossils were first found, may have come in contact & competed with Homo Neanderthalensis. More recent (than that in your textbook) research grants the Homo Sapien designation to modern man. The Homo Sapien-Sapien designation is no longer accepted.
(6) http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/nerc130k.html (http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/nerc130k.html)
(7) Every myth, Greek or otherwise, that has ever been told or written, varies in the telling. The basic themes are repeated in many of them, but details, even story lines will differ considerably, from village to village, eon to eon. When one understands that the myths have been told for many centuries before being written down, which first occurred about 800 BCE, one can relish the differences in the tellings and enjoy the Greek’s brilliant and artful imagination throughout the ages. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/ greekcreationmyths.html
US Citizenship 