Water, Life, Humans, and Civilization

Must survive in low-oxygen environmentsCould not eat other organisms for food

The First Organisms

Two energy sources: Light and Chemical reactions

Light: photoautotrophsChemical reactions: chemoautotrophs

Assemble complex carbon compounds from simple Carbon compounds (CO2) using external energy.

The First Organisms

The First organisms: Chemoautotrophs (Fe and S)

microtubes in pillow lavascontaining residual carbon

Evidence:

Light: photoautotrophsChemical reactions: chemoautotrophs

Must survive in low-oxygen environmentsCould not eat other organisms for food

The Early Organisms

Photosynthesizers: photoautotrophs

Blue-green algae/cyanobacteria

- Removal of carbon dioxide - production of oxygen

Earliest:

Main effects:

The Early Organisms

Oldest macroscopic life: stromatolites

Cyanobacteriacolonies

sediments

Produced billions of tons of O2

Stromatolites Oxygen O2 combined with iron

No immediate increase in atmospheric O2

Colonization of land:

Ozone Layer

Screens harmful UV radiation

Ozone Function:

First land plants 480 mya

Primates ~30 million years ago

Pre-humans ~5-8 million years ago(hominids)

Homo sapiens ~200,000 years ago

Mammals ~65 million years ago

Skipping Ahead

Reptiles ~ 245 million years ago

Kingdom: Kingdom: Animalia Animalia

Phylum: Phylum: Chordata Chordata

Class: Class: Mammalia Mammalia Order: Order: Primata Primata Family: Family: HominidaeHominidae

Genus: Genus: HomoHomo

Species: Species: sapienssapiens

Human Taxonomy

distinct adaptations which may have led to the development of the human species.

Hominids

LucyAge: 3.2 million years

Family: hominidae

Genus/Species: Australopithicus Afarensis

Innovation: Walking upright

“The earliest celebrity”

lead to further anatomical progression

Why Stand Up?

Postural Feeding Hypothesis

Thermoregulatory Model

Wading Hypothesis

Savanna Hypothesis

Hypotheses

Savanna Hypothesis

Uplift of the Himalayas altered the climate in Africa

Lowered rainfall reduced African vegetation

Distance between trees increased

Hominids forced to spend more time on the ground

Hominids developed the advantage of walking upright

Bipedalism lead to further anatomical progression

Lack of consensusPaucity of Evidence

Evolutionary Timeline

- 25,000 yrs

Scarcity of Fossil Evidence

Homo sapiens are the only species to develop civilizations

Water and the Development of Human Civilization

the settlement of people upon an area continuously cultivated and possessed, who live in buildings continuously inhabited with a common rule and economy, a common city, citadel or temple and, in some cases, a military and the development of writing.

Civilization

PossessionHabitationEconomy

Citadel/TempleMilitaryWriting

The first condition necessaryto the settling of humans.

Civilization

A trustworthy supply of water

1. Sumer/Mesopotamia Tigris-Euphrates rivers Egypt Nile river Indus Valley Indus river

Earliest Civilizations and Water

Irrigation, cities, art, architecture, writing

Developments

Civilization: Before and After

DevelopmentPaleolithic (old stone age)

was the first period in the development of human technology of the Stone Age.

-2 million years

~12,000 years

Stone Tools

Homo habilis

Neolithic (new stone age)was a period in the development of human technology that is traditionally the last part of the Stone Age

Domestication Pottery Weaving Hafted Axes

-12,000 -3500 years

Development

Cause of the change?

Agriculture

20,000 years ago

8,000 years ago

DevelopmentOf Agriculture(systematic/irrigated)

Development was slow and variable

Neolithic Revolutionfood gatherers to food producers Fewer Farmers Surplus Food

Specialized skillsDiverse abilities

CraftsmenTradersTechnicians

Why Then?

Climate and Water

Forced Adaptation

Homo sapiens

Retreat of the Ice

Gibraltar Spain

Africa

Turkey

Italy

•Overpopulation of lands around the Mediterranean

•Overload of available resources•Concentration of people into smaller areas

Consequences

depletion of plantsAnimal populations died back

•new survival strategiestill the earthPooled resourcesProtect/domesticate animals

Egypt and Mesopotamia

Neolithic Founder CropsWheatBarleyFlaxChick PeaLentil

Domesticated animals:cows, goats, sheep, and pigs

NileJordanTigrisEuphrates

tool usersagriculture

iron age

industrial revolution

The Model TMoon landing

2,000,000 yrs

8,500 yrs

3,000 yrs

61 years

Time Perspective

Vinyl 1926

Saran Wrap 1953

Velcro 1955

Plastic Garbage Bags 1968

Caller ID patented 1982

First soft drinks in all-aluminum cans 1964

Miscellaneous

Life, Humans, Civilization, and Water

Next: What’s So Special About Water?

Tigris-Euphrates

2/3 Egypt’s arable Land Predictable flooding(July through October)

Nile

Egypt

Khemia signifies black earth: flood deposition

Mesopotamia

Euphrates

Alluvial Plain

Flood: March through June Less predictable

(Water-deposited)

Agriculture and IrrigationIrrigation/Flood ControlCanals

DikesWeirsReservoirsChannelsSewer systems

Mesopotamia: Water and Mythology

The Great Flood(Sumerian, Babylonian, Akkadian)

Enki

Sumerian deity of Water (lord of the watery abyss)

water

Symbols: goat, fish

The Sumerian myth of Ziusudra tells how the god Enki warns Ziusudra, a provincial king, of the gods' decision to destroy mankind in a flood.

Enki instructs Ziusudra to build a large boat - the text describing the instructions is lost.

Sumerian Flood Myth

Circa 2900 BCE

Sargon2334 BC

“My mother who was poor secretlygave birth to me; she placed mein a basket of reeds, she shut up the mouth of it with bitumen, she abandoned me to the river whichdid not overwhelm me. The river boreme away and brought me to Akki the irrigator.”

First Consolidated EmpireSumerian Akkadian Empire

Code of HammurabiCode of Hammurabi

53. If any one be too lazy to keep his dam in proper condition, and 53. If any one be too lazy to keep his dam in proper condition, and does not so keep it; does not so keep it; if then the dam break and all the fields be if then the dam break and all the fields be floodedflooded, then shall he in whose dam the break occurred be sold for , then shall he in whose dam the break occurred be sold for money, and the money shall replace the corn which he has caused money, and the money shall replace the corn which he has caused to be ruined. to be ruined.

54. If he be not able to replace the corn, then he and his 54. If he be not able to replace the corn, then he and his possessions shall be divided among the farmers whose corn he possessions shall be divided among the farmers whose corn he has has flooded.flooded.

55. 55. If any one open his ditches to water his crop, but is careless, If any one open his ditches to water his crop, but is careless, and the water flood the field of his neighborand the water flood the field of his neighbor, then he shall pay his , then he shall pay his neighbor corn for his loss. neighbor corn for his loss.

56. 56. If a man let in the water, and the water overflow the plantation of If a man let in the water, and the water overflow the plantation of his neighborhis neighbor, he shall pay ten gur of corn for every ten gan of land. , he shall pay ten gur of corn for every ten gan of land.

1750 B.C.Babylonian EmpireFirst Water Law

Life, Humans, Civilization, and Water

Next: What’s So Special About Water?

tool usersagriculture

iron age

industrial revolution

The Model TMoon landing

2,000,000 yrs

8,500 yrs

3,000 yrs

61 years

Time Perspective

Vinyl 1926

Saran Wrap 1953

Velcro 1955

Plastic Garbage Bags 1968

Caller ID patented 1982

First soft drinks in all-aluminum cans 1964

Miscellaneous