How Early Farmers Changed History

Jordan (Middle East)

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Human Habitat

An important choice for any organism is selecting a good habitat to live in. This increases the chance of survival.

Imagine the world that our early human ancestors lived in - with no electricity, no cars, and only nature as resources to help with survival

What are some pros/cons of living near mountains?

What are some pros/cons of living near water?

What are some pros/cons of living near big animals?

What are some pros/cons of living near other humans?

Have you ever thought about what makes something beautiful?

Researchers have found that humans have strong aesthetic (visual) preferences for landscapes that make good habitat.

In terms of survival, what makes this landscape beautiful?

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When young children from different nations are asked to select which landscape they prefer, there is a strong preference for savannas with trees.

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The East African savanna is the ancestral environment in which much of human evolution is argued to have taken place.

Favorite features were water, trees as well as other plants, humans, and animals (in particular both wild and domestic large animals).

What's the advantage of ...

• water
• trees
• humans
• animals

What's the "beauty" connection between evolution and survival?

Blue, followed by green, was the favorite color.

Human Evolution

How did
STANDING UPRIGHT
impact human survival?

How did the
ABILITY TO USE TOOLS
impact human survival?

How did
USING FIRE
impact human survival?

How did
MIGRATING OUT OF AFRICA
impact human survival?

How did
DEVELOPING LANGUAGE
impact human survival?

How did
BIGGER BRAINS impact human survival?

We've got Agriculture

What were some advantages and disadvantages of
a stable food supply ?

What were some advantages and disadvantages of permanent structures?

what were some advantages and disadvantages of community development?

What were some advantages and disadvantages of job specialization and trade?

Any other negative outcomes of Agriculture that come to mind?

What about positive outcomes of Agriculture we haven't mentioned?

FROM AGRICULTURE TO CIVILIZATION

SCENARIO: The year is 3500 B.C.

You come from a family of farmers living in a small village in what is Modern Day Iraq

To the north are hilly, rainy mountains

To the south is flat land, which could be good for farming, though it's hot and dry in summer, and the rivers flood every winter

WHERE DO YOU GO?
North or South

WHERE DO YOU GO?
North or South

You choose to go South to the plains

Plains

• not a lot of trees for building shelter
• not a lot of stone for making tools
• no geographical barriers to keep enemies out
• farming is difficult, because the water supply is inconsistent

Plains

• not a lot of trees for building shelter
• not a lot of stone for making tools
• no geographical barriers to keep enemies out
• farming is difficult, because the water supply is inconsistent

So, you try the hills to the north

Hills

• the weather is more mild!
• there is plenty of wood and stone for homes and tools
• farming is easier
• food supply is plentiful
• you populations grows

UH-OH. your population has grown so much that there's not enough land to grow enough food to feed everyone!

WHAT DO YOU DO?
Stay in the hills and starve or
Go to the plains for more farmland?

You decide to try farming in the plains, even though the water supply is inconsistent

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL, tho. How do you control the water supply?

YOU ARE HUMAN!
YOU ARE CLEVER!
YOU INVENT NEW TECHNOLOGY!

YOU ARE HUMAN!
YOU ARE CLEVER!
YOU INVENT NEW TECHNOLOGY!

IRRIGATION

Great, right? Now everyone has water!

WRONG

PROBLEM: Irrigation lines are made from mud and earth, and keep getting clogged

PROBLEM: Irrigation lines are made from mud and earth, and keep getting clogged

Who's job is it to clean them?

SOLUTION: work together with other villages to keep them clean

PROBLEM: Your neighbor upstream is taking too much water, and you're not getting enough!

SOLUTION: Create systems for water regulation

PROBLEM: Now the whole village upstream wants to take too much water!

PROBLEM: They are now your enemy!

SOLUTION: Sumerians began to build strong walls around cities (and moats too) to protect themselves and prevent enemy attack

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TAKE AWAYS:

• This all started because people needed a stable food supply
• Access to water remains a key issue
• Geography still impacts choices that people make about where to live

AND

• If people want to survive in larger numbers, it really helps to have allies (neighbors, towns) and be organized (here comes government!)

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