1. How was geography important to prehistoric man? Is it still important today? If so, how? Features of geography: Resources (plants, animals, water, etc.) Climate Physical obstacles and natural barriers Rivers and other aids to transportation

2. Climate change leads to the Neolithic Revolution… Herd animals move north; less available Less water locked up in ice; More rain Warmer weather, longer growing seasons More emphasis on “gathering” gradually leads to the domestication of plants Domestication = purposeful planting + genetic alteration through (un)natural selection

3. But how does Corn spread its seeds? From Dandelion to Puffball to spread its seeds…

4. Mr. Kagan has to open the ear, cut the kernals, plow the ground, fertilize the soil, then plant.

5. Dandelion Corn Which is a better plant for success in the wild? Which is a better plant for an agriculturalist? Why?

6. Key changes of the Neolithic Revolution Domestication of plants –Wheat, Rice, Barley, Maize, Potatoes –Planting and Mutation Domestication (taming) of Livestock –Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Cows, Horses –Creation of Herds At first, the Plants (Women) - Animals (Men) division of labor remains

7. … but Neolithic doesn’t happen everywhere… Only possible where the geographic conditions are favorable Grains don’t grow in Sub-Saharan Africa and tse-tse fly kills off livestock Too short a growing season in North Asia

8. … and Neolithic doesn’t happen at the same time everywhere Northern Europe is cold and the soil is too thick for plowing. Lack of domesticatable animals and fewer good crops slows Neolithic in Americas

9. Corn and its predecessor crop Teosinte

10. … and Neolithic doesn’t happen at the same time everywhere Northern Europe is cold and the soil is too thick for plowing. Lack of domesticatable animals and fewer good crops slows Neolithic in Americas Eurasia goes East-West; while Africa and the Americas go North-South - why does this matter?

11. Primary zone for early settlements

12. How did geography affect settlement distribution? Look for: Climate suitable for wheat, rice and other productive grains Advances in one region can spread if there is a similar climate or growing season Cold season (winter) reduces bugs that transmit disease and kill livestock

13. “Consequences” Questions for Groups: 1.We’ve decided we liked gatherer-hunter life better. What obstacles exist to going back? 2.We never switched to settlement in the first place. Why is our traditional way of life still imperiled? 3.There’s not enough good crop land here for all these people. What happens now?