The Agriculture Revolution opened up a new way of living for the Paleolithic people. Gatherer-hunter communities could now settle down because being able to grow their food meant they didn't have to move from place to place. Agriculture gave these communities a form of stability.
The farming of food created a food surplus which helped increase populations. This increase in population was another reason why these paleolithic people decided to settle down. With a food surplus the people could eat more and save it for the coming seasons. Having a richer diet these people could gain more strength and had more time for leisure.
Leisure is something that came along with the Agriculture Revolution. With more food meant more time to specialize in other areas such as art. With this extra time on their hands, cultures and traditions became more developed and concrete.
The Agriculture Revolution also brought along the invention of new technologies and the domestication of animals. For example, in Eurasia the people learned how to use horses and oxen to plow the fields. New tools had to be made in order to to work the fields and harvest the crops.
With the invention of new tools, domestication, food surplus, and increased population the Agriculture Revolution was an essential part of human history.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Monday, September 14, 2015
Xinchen or Claudius? September 14th, 2015
What do you think of Claudius and Xinchen as leaders? Who was the better leader and why?
When Xinchen was promoted to be grand administrator he found it to be his duty to spend his energy of creating benefits for the people. He would visit, help, and rest in villages to see/watch the progress. He encouraged farming and as he would travel about he inspected the water and springs used for irrigation. Most likely Xinchen noticed the flourishing of agriculture with the irrigation systems and even helped villages build canals, dikes, ditches, and water gates. He did all this to expand the irrigated land and increase the food surplus. Xinchen knew how important water was for the people so he formulated regulations/rules concerning the distribution and use of water. Which these rules are inscribed on stones which were placed on the boundaries of the fields to prevent disputes.
Claudius' completion of public works were revered by Suetonius as "great and essential rather than numerous..." However reading Suetonius' description it appears to me that some of these projects such as, the drainage channel of Lake Fucine was done for the gain of glory. He made attempts on make irrigation projects but the drainage channel of Lake Fucine and the creation of the harbor at Ostia were refused. The building of the drainage channel took 30,000 men and 11 years without much success.
Comparing the two men, Xinchen was the better leader judging from the two passages. Xinchen cared for the people and found it his duty to help them. While it seems that Claudius' main focus for making the irrigation public projects was for the glory and power. Xinchen was kind and spent his energy helping the villagers build their irrigation systems while Claudius ordered and watched. Xinchen even created water regulations to help solves disputes on water distribution and usage. Xinchen's passion to work for and with the people is what makes him a better leader than Claudius.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Is Nissa Really a Paleolithic Woman?
Many parts of Nissa's life reflect the same values and follow certain lifestyle patterns of the Paleolithic era. However, despite the recounts of her childhood memories, marriages, loss, and more I don't believe Nissa truly is a Paleolithic woman.
Her family did not own their own livestock and it seems that they didn't grow their own food either. She described her family and community members as gatherer-hunters. Her father would do his best to come home with meat and other members would share this bounty. While the women would gather seeds, roots, and other vegetation. This was a key factor that could have identified Nissa as a Paleolithic woman. Although the way I see it, this just a way her community stays connected to the past; a tradition or culture.
When Nissa talked about her marriages and affairs I found it strange. Paleolithic women generally did not want affairs and societies were mainly monogamous. Women did not want to share their husbands with another woman. Despite these ideals of love it has very much changed since then. Nissa had many affairs and so did her husband. She talked about how having more than one man allowed her to have many things. From the offering of food, beads, or money. Every woman may have similar experiences but in the end the experience turns out completely different. Nissa's experience of love and commitment can be found similar to those in the Paleolithic era, but it is difficult to truly compare it to the experience of those in the Paleolithic era.
Modern medicine is highly effective and can have a small to large amount of side effects. Nissa's experience with medicine was more natural and ritualistic. When she or anyone else felt ill they would take n/um. The person would be laid to rest and women would rub down the face and body with oil as the body trembled and the person was in a trance. This use of herbal and natural medicine is not uncommon today though. Many asian countries such as China or Japan still use herbal medicines.
Today, research has shown us much about the past and how our ancestors lived. The only problem is that we can't truly prove these so called facts all the time. And we can't say that one community's experience is the same as another. There were different living conditions, different cultures, religions, and traditions and those two different communities could have been right next to each other. Nissa's experiences certainly show relations to the Paleolithic people, but it doesn't truly prove that she herself is a Paleolithic woman.
Her family did not own their own livestock and it seems that they didn't grow their own food either. She described her family and community members as gatherer-hunters. Her father would do his best to come home with meat and other members would share this bounty. While the women would gather seeds, roots, and other vegetation. This was a key factor that could have identified Nissa as a Paleolithic woman. Although the way I see it, this just a way her community stays connected to the past; a tradition or culture.
When Nissa talked about her marriages and affairs I found it strange. Paleolithic women generally did not want affairs and societies were mainly monogamous. Women did not want to share their husbands with another woman. Despite these ideals of love it has very much changed since then. Nissa had many affairs and so did her husband. She talked about how having more than one man allowed her to have many things. From the offering of food, beads, or money. Every woman may have similar experiences but in the end the experience turns out completely different. Nissa's experience of love and commitment can be found similar to those in the Paleolithic era, but it is difficult to truly compare it to the experience of those in the Paleolithic era.
Modern medicine is highly effective and can have a small to large amount of side effects. Nissa's experience with medicine was more natural and ritualistic. When she or anyone else felt ill they would take n/um. The person would be laid to rest and women would rub down the face and body with oil as the body trembled and the person was in a trance. This use of herbal and natural medicine is not uncommon today though. Many asian countries such as China or Japan still use herbal medicines.
Today, research has shown us much about the past and how our ancestors lived. The only problem is that we can't truly prove these so called facts all the time. And we can't say that one community's experience is the same as another. There were different living conditions, different cultures, religions, and traditions and those two different communities could have been right next to each other. Nissa's experiences certainly show relations to the Paleolithic people, but it doesn't truly prove that she herself is a Paleolithic woman.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)