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World Civilization Tutorial & Quiz:

Questions over Chapters 1 & 2

John Riggins

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How to use this tutorial

Beginnings

Early humans lived exclusively by hunting and gathering. A crucial requirement for this kind of lifestyle is a great deal of space. Each group needed approximately 2.5 miles of space per person. As a result human population remained relatively small because small children and the elderly would slow the group down. It is believed that to keep the group small, women practiced a form of birth control and the elderly were left in the wild when they could no longer keep up. Estimates range from 10 to 30 people per group. Agriculture as a way of life began at different times in different places from about 10,000 years ago onward. Interestingly enough it developed independently in at least three different regions. Agriculture radically changed the way humans behave allowing for numbers to increase dramatically and social complexity to grow. A negative side effect of agriculture was that women’s role in the group diminished as men took over the heavy lifting of planting and harvesting. Agriculture and animal domestication started around the same time but it is important to remember that the first domesticated animal, the dog was incorporated much earlier. The dog served as a superb hunting partner. This was made possible because certain traits in particular wolves allowed them to be more docile and thus more trainable. Herding animals are also more docile when their leaders are taken out. The need to control animals like goats and sheep was another niche that the dog filled well.

Agriculture as a way of Life

Surprisingly, the average hunter and gatherer did not have to work very hard for food. Most estimates show that on average the workdays were short leaving a good bit of time for rest and ritual. On average hunter and gatherer groups were more healthy than those that practice agriculture. The average height for a hunter and gather was about 6 feet where the farmer was 5.5 feet. Another surprising aspect is that warfare was very rare. Very few skeletal remains show signs of combat with other humans. Most due show signs of broken bones due to hunting accidents but many also show signs of healing. A probable explanation for this lack of evidence is that groups rarely ran into one another. Humans are always reacting to the environment and the switch to agriculture is not different. Around 10,000 years ago in the Black Sea region hunting became less productive. A combination of factors probably contributed to this, such as climate change and the successful hunting rate of early man. Early women can be credited with the discovery. By deliberately planting seed near camp (probably accidentally at first in garbage dumps) she could easily find edible plants. Agriculture changed everything. It altered family forms and encouraged higher birth rates. It reduced migration and permanent settlements arose fairly quickly. By creating surplus food it allowed segments of the population to engage in other occupations than food productions. This leads to unprecedented levels of social inequality. Cities arouse directly as a result of food surplus. The first two cities were Jericho and Catal Huyuk.

First Centers for Civilization

Larger urban centers grew as a result of better food production and storage techniques. Cities grew as places to exchange goods and ideas. The first four centers of civilization developed along river valleys because of their keen opportunities for irrigation. In Sumer near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the first civilization grew. Right after Sumer along the Nile river civilization sprang up that focused on wheat and barley. Later, along the Indus river another civilization developed that focused on wheat, barley, and eventually rice. The same thing happened in China along the Huanghe river. In Mesoamerica and near modern day Peru, civilization developed that focused on the cultivation of maize, beans, and potatoes. As social complexity grew, humans needed a way to communicate over vast distances. Merchants also need a way to remember who owed what. In Sumer this problem was solved by making crude drawings of products as a way to remember. As time passed the crude drawings became more complicated. Eventually a system of writing was developed that could express abstract thought.

Hunting and Gathering 2.5 million to 1000 B.C.E

What are the five early sites for early civilization?

A.) Sumer, Nile, Indus, China, Australia

B.) Sumer, Nile, Indus, Europe, Australia

C.) Sumer, Nile, Indus, China, Olmec

D.) Sumer, Nile, Indus, China, Russia

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That is correct! Four of the first civilizations were centered on or near river valleys. Around the same time in Mesoamerica a society based on the cultivation of corn and potatoes developed.

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Agriculture

What is believed to be the major trigger for humans to switch to an agricultural lifestyle?

A.) They started to like the taste of bread

B.) They got sick of moving around so much

C.) Due to a combination of factors like climate change and overhunting, big game was not available

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That was the correct answer! From the evidence available, it seems that a combination of factors forced early humans to switch to agriculture. The process was not wholesale and many groups continued to hunt and gather or mixed the two lifestyle together forming what is known as semi-permanent settlements. Over many years more groups switched solely to sedimentary farming. Pastoralism represents a third way with nomadic pastoralist presenting a constant danger to sedimentary farming groups.

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Animal Domestication

Another aspect of the Neolithic revolution was animal domestication. Which animal was probably domesticated before the widespread use of agriculture?

A.) Auroch (wild bovine)

B.) Sheep

C.) Pig

D.)Dog

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That is correct! Wolves were domesticated first in Asia around 12,000 B.C.E because they made excellent hunting partners. Dogs have incredible sense of smell and hearing so they also gave early man a security system back at camp. In lean times the dog could always be an emergence source of protein. Herding animals like goats and sheep could easily be controlled once the lead animal was taken out. So dogs were also useful as herding animals to keep flocks inline.

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Growth of social complexity

With humans living closer and closer together what were some of the major implications discussed in the text?

A.) More incidents of warfare because resources become increasingly scarce

B.) Disease becomes more prominent as animals live in close proximity

C.) A social hierarchy develops along with job specialization

D.) Religious ideas start to take hold

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That is correct! Job specialization and social hierarchy developed directly because of the close proximity that sedentary farmers lived to each other. While warfare did occur is was not as numerous as first thought. Disease was a result of living with animals not other humans. It is speculated that early man had some conception of an afterlife from the cave paintings that are numerous in the Europe and the Middle East, so humans living in close proximity did not advance the idea of religion.

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First Cities

In the text, what two early towns are discussed?

A.) Budapest and Baghdad

B.) Rome and Constantinople

C.) Catal Huyuk and Jericho

D.) Damascus and Jerusalem

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That is correct! Catal Huyak is located in modern Turkey and was founded around 7,000 years ago. It contained a large and diverse population. Catal Huyak was the most advanced Neolithic age center and at its height contained as many as 6,000 people. Jericho was located near the Jordan river. Centered near an oasis that had been continually occupied since earliest human history. Jericho presented a tempting target to other nomadic groups and was soon fortified with 12 feet high walls. The citizens of Jericho lived in simple one room mud and brick houses.

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Writing

According to the text, where did the writing first develop?

A.) Mesopotamia

B.) India

C.) China

D.)Mesoamerica

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That is correct! Writing developed first in Mesopotamia. Called cuneiform, it enabled merchants to keep track of debuts using crude drawing to represent actual commodities. Over time these crude drawings developed into a form of writing that could represent abstract thoughts. Writing enabled a class of literates to dominate those who could not read. It also made organization possible on a larger scale which directly resulted in the building of large public projects like damns and dykes as well as large tombs like the great pyramids in Egypt.

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How did you do?

1/6… Retake the quiz and see if you do better.

2/6… Read the textbook and tutorial a little more carefully next time.

3/6… Take your time and think about the questions more.

4/6… Not bad, but you can do better.

5/6… Good, maybe pay a little more attention next time.

6/6… Wonderful, but don’t stop working and remember this was only practice.