1. How did humans become civilized?
What were we like?
How did we change?

2. Food, What would we do without it?
Food is the most important need for humans.
How we get food now is different than how humans got food for hundreds of thousands of years.

3. Before farming Foraging AKA Hunter-Gatherers
Food sources: plants and animals
Plants are gathered in season and stored when possible
Meat is hunted and dried for food and other uses, clothing, rope, etc.
Move around to take advantage of seasonal offerings i.e. nomadic

4. Hunter-Gatherers’ societies
Advantages
Disadvantages
Fit into nature (little environmental impact)
Relatively little labor expended to get food
Variety in diet
Deep knowledge of uses for plants and animals in the region they live.
Dependent upon wild animals and plants
Nature can only support small groups and cultures
Must travel around to find food, so no permanent building structures
No animals to help with labor

5. What changed?
Hunter Gatherer type societies had survived for thousands of years.
After the last ice age ended in 10,000 B.C.E., humans began selecting dependable plants for food

6. What tastes makes a good food plant?
The first crops that met with humans’ approval were cereals and pulses.
Tastes good (not bitter)
Large (larger fruit or seeds)
Easy to pick
Grow fast or with lots of fruit/seeds. (High Yields)
Grow Annually

7. Domestication!
The process of humans selecting plants for more useful characteristics is called
Domestication
It was also used with animals.

8. First domesticated plants
Geographical Area
Crops domesticated
Middle East
aka Fertile Crescent
China
India
Mesoamerica
Andes/Amazonia
Wheat, barley, peas, lentils, chickpea, flax, muskmelon
Millet, rice?, soybean, adzuki bean, mung bean, hemp
Rice, hyacinth bean, cotton, cucumber
Corn, common bean, yucca, jicama, squashes
Potato, quinoa, lima bean, peanut,

9. What makes a useful animal?
Good characteristics
Bad characteristics
Humans have used animals for…
Meat
Milk
Fertilizer
Transportation
Military Assault
Plowing fields
Wool
and unknowingly Germs
Big
Easy to control
Herbivore or omnivore
Multiple uses
Short childhoods
But not too big
Bad temper
Carnivore

10. Species Dates (B.C.E.) Place
Approximate dates and locations for Domestication of Large Mammal Species
Species
Dog
Sheep
Goat
Pig
Cow
Horse
Donkey
Water buffalo
Llama/alpaca
Bactrian camel
Arabian camel
Dates (B.C.E.)
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
3,500
2,500
Place
Middle East, China, North America
Middle East
China, Middle East
India, Middle East
Ukraine
Egypt
China?
Andes (South America)
Central Asia (the stans)
Arabia
From Guns, Germs, and Steel pg. 167

11. Definition of Civilizations
Civilizations have:
An urban focus – major cities
Political and military systems
Social structure based on economic systems-upper and lower classes
Development of labor specialization
Distinct religious structure
Development of Writing
New and significant artistic and intellectual activity
Advanced Cities
System of Writing
Advanced Technology
Civilization Has…
Complex Institutions
Skilled Workers