Locating world history in the environment and time
Geography and humanity, environment as catalyst for human events, major population changes/migrations, periodization, continuities and breaks from pre-Neolithic era, Neolithic Revolution and gender
Time Period8000 B.C.E to 600 C.E
The longest unit of the five commonly known as the Foundations Period.
Time PeriodPeriods are framed by major events.
8000 B.C.E = Neolithic Revolution600 C.E. = Fall of the Classical Empires
• Western Roman Empire, Han Dynasty, Gupta Dynasty, Sassanid Empire
600 C.E. = Rise of New Empires• Carolingian Empire, Sui and Tang Dynasties, Indian
Regional Kingdoms, Islamic Empire600 C.E. = New Religions (great expansion)
• Christianity/Orthodox, Islam, Buddhism600 C.E. = Increased trade and integration between societies
PlacesThe national exam will require you to
know what nations, states, or empires are encompassed in what regions for both the multiple choice questions and the three essays. While it is impossible to list every country in every region, the most commonly misidentified nations and their regions are:
Places
North AfricaEgypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco
Places
West AfricaGhana, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Benin
Places
East AfricaKenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, Mozambique
Places
Equatorial Africa
Congo, Rwanda, Sudan
Southern AfricaAngola, Zimbabwe
Middle EastTurkey, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq
East AsiaChina, Japan, Korea
South AsiaIndia, Pakistan, Afghanistan
Southeastern Asia
Thailand, Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines
Latin America
Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Cuba
Geography and humanity in the Foundations
The climate of the Earth is constantly changing.10,000 years ago the Earth was much cooler than it is today.Around 9,000 B.C.E the temperature increases greatly (global warming?)
Geography and humanity in the Foundations
As the Earth got warmer regions of massive human occupation dried out (Sahara region). This caused:
Plants to dieAnimals to leaveFood to become scarce
Geography and humanity in the Foundations
People moved around the globe to other regions with the animals.Eventually, the populations of people developed agriculture and settled near bodies of water.
Major population changes/migrations
Most Homo Sapiens Sapiens, pre-10,000 B.C.E resided in and around Tanzania.After 8,000 B.C.E they were all over Afroeurasia.The societies that developed farming found this to be a much more reliable form of food production.
Major population changes/migrations
Population Increase Over Time
Year Human Population (estimate)
3000 B.C.E 14 million
2000 B.C.E 27 million1000 B.C.E 50 million500 B.C.E 100 million
Major population changes/migrations
Biggest reason for demographic changesFARMINGNope!Human Innovation (which includes farming :-p)Innovation:
Sedentary agriculturePotteryMetalworkingTextile production