Guns, Germs, and Steel

What factors favored Eurasia for the domestication of animals?

- large amounts of big 14 crops were present in Eurasia -East-west axis vs. north-south axis

How and why did food production develop?

-Available of more consumable calories means more people. -Possessing domestic animals, and livestock fed more people. -Big domestic mammals also interacted with domestic plants, which increased crop production. -People of many hunter-gatherer societies moved frequently in search of wild foods, but farmers must remain near their fields and orchard. -permits one to store food surplus built up by taxation, can support other full-time specialists besides kings and bureaucrats. -domesticated animals = transport -war

know how cultivating plants and possessing domesticated animals gave advantages to food producers?

-Domestication of animals: furnishing meat, milk, fertilizer, and plow pulling. -First prehistoric farmers of central Europe-- Linearbandkeramik culture (5000 BC) used hand held digging sticks to till the soil -specialization, people can have other positions besides being hunters, food production allowed ppl to be sedentary. -moms can make more babies!! bigger population -war; enough supply of nutrients to keep replenished, and horses used for transport to outrun ppl

Were the Inca predisposed to conquest and why?

-In the New World (America, South America, territory that the Europeans discovered.. also the Inca never traveled so the only times they were predisposed to conquest took place in their own territory ), yes the Inca were predisposed to conquest, with their own people; however, the Inca were NOT predisposed to war with people from the Old World, such as the Spaniards. -Even though Inca had 80,000 men in battle at Cajamarca, they were beat! Succeeding in war is not dependent on the number of people, but the military advantages (proximate causes) + the ultimate causes. -Diseases accounted for 95% of pre-Colombian Native american deaths

Why did other nation-states not become homogenous?

-Other places didn't have unifying symbol of authority or worship, and thus, didn't stick together

How did China become socially homogenous?

-Politically unified since 221 BC -Single writing system -Majority of population speaks Mandarin -Head start in food production -Had powerful dynasties (ex. Zhaaou dynasty) that kept people in-line

How did the Spanish manage to so easily defeat the Incas?

-Proximate Cause: Spanish conquistador Pizarro defeated the Incas and their absolute monarch Atahuallpa by holding Atahuallpa hostage for the city's gold before executing him. -Ultimate Cause: "Prudence, fortitude, military discipline, labors, perilous navigations, and battles of the Spaniards will cause joy to the faithful, and terror to the infidels."

What were the advantages the Spanish enjoyed?

-Superior weapons (more swords than guns), horses, steel armor, writing, literacy (although Pizarro himself was illiterate), diseases, maritime technology. -Spaniards had superior military advantages, while the Inca had primitive weaponry

Which groups of non-Chinese remain in tropical southeast Asia?

-The Semang Negritos of the Malay Peninsula -The Andaman Islanders -The Veddoid Negritos of Sri Lanka ^ dark skinned and curly haired

What did the Spanish have going for them that the Inca did not?

-The Spanish had the "most invincible," Roman Catholic Empire, led by a powerful emperor (Catholicism is key) -Pretending to be missionaries, driving by religion -The Spanish could write

What comes first, the need or necessity, or the device itself?

-The device comes first -invention is often the mother of necessity, rather than vice versa -once a device had been invented, the inventor then had to find an application for it. only after it had been in use for a considerable time did consumers come to feel that they "needed" it.

Why couldn't the fourth group have been domesticated unless the first had already been?

-The first group were the ones that were easiily domesticatable-- wheat, barley, and peas. The fourth group were derived from weeds in fields of intentionally cultivated crops, they were rye, oats, turnips, radishes, beets, leeks, and lettuce, the first group could not have been domesticated unless the first one b/c if you don't have a farm in the first place, how would you discover these weeds?? weeds popped up in the existing farmland.

What places, or ecosystems, favor European-style agriculture?

-anywhere 40 degrees north, on east-west axis

Why did writing give advantages to those societies possessing it, and why did it empowered those individuals who were literate?

-blueprint copying-when you copy or modify an available detailed blueprint "idea diffusion." -writing made transmission of info easier, more detailed, more accurate, and more persuasive

Why did some continents have almost no chance of domesticating (especially large) animals?

-cannot domesticate big animals, other continents like north america/ africa had animals that were too big and too dangerous.

What were the geographic and social factors that facilitated its development?

-fertile soil -land easy to till

What the features that make Australia and its indigenous population, the Aborigines, the most unusual continent with a unique people.

-inhabited very early, had stone tools -earliest boats -not as much technology and food production, unlike the New Guineans -New Guineans and Australians separated genetically by only about 10,000 years -Environments, not genetics, effected ability to achieve technological advancement -New Guinea-- good climate, soil, rainfall, although their crops lacked protein -Australia is dry, least fertile, and least ecologically diverse continent -Large native mammals went extinct quickly after humans arrived

What are the subtle differences between food collection and food production?

-less physical work (for food collectors), lots of physical work for producers -more comfort for food producers b/c higher yield -freedom from starvation -longer expected lifetime

How does Diamond use linguistic evidence to locate the land of origin of these groups?

-look at different words, and compare similarities and differences -like a puzzle -whichever words are most similar are the one's that originated from each other, back track until you find originating place word has derived

How do subsistence strategies influence the development of large-scale complex societies?

-makes sedentary living possible -larger population -allows for specialization, other ppl can make infrastructure

How did sedentary living contribute to the rate of inventions in a society?

-sedentary living was decisive for the history of technology, because it enabled people to accumulate non-portable possessions -gatherers are limited to technology that can be carried

Why were the Vikings unsuccessful in their early attempt to colonize the New World?

-the fact that they were in Norway because they moved more north, it was too cold to use the same food production strategies-- they didn't have the knowledge, and they were outcompeted by the inuits who had the knowledge. -the targets (Greenland and Newfoundland) -The time (984-1410) guaranteed Europe's potential advantages of food production, technology, and political organization could not be applied effectively.

How does Diamond use linguistic and archaeological evidence to describe this migration and locate the land of origin of these groups?

-uses backtracking technique (find words in common and compare), and also use archaeology, can track pig bones in china and the more recently they appear the more likely that they were colonized later

What are the five factors contributing to the rise of food production?

1. Decline in the availability of wild foods 2. an increased availability of domesticatable wild plants made steps leading to domestication more rewarding 3. The cumulative development of technologies on which food production would eventually depend-- technologies for collecting, processing, and storing wild foods. 4. The two-way link between the rise in human population density and the rise of food production (the long-debated chicken and egg problem)-- gradual riase in population impelled people to obtain more food. 5. Geographic boundaries and limitations-- areas of the globe more suitable for food production

Why, for the same six reasons wouldn't an animal be a good candidate for domestication?

1. Diet-- finicky 2. Growth rate-- slow 3. Problems of captive breeding-- cheetah ex. 4. Nasty Disposition-- harmful creatures 5. Tendency to panic-- animals that don't react very well = bad 6. Social structure-- cannot be led

What are the six reasons why an animal would be an excellent candidate for domestication?

1. Diet-- not finicky/ picky 2. Growth rate-- fast growth rate = better! 3. Problems of captive breeding-- cheetah example, the easier they are to breed, the better 4. Nasty disposition-- animals that won't kill or harm humans 5. Tendency to panic-- animals that stay calm are good. Big mammalian herbivore species react to danger from predators or humans in different ways. Some species are nervous, fast, and programmed for instant flight when they perceive a threat. Other species are slower, less nervous, seek protection in herds, stand their ground when threatened, and don't run until necessary 6. social structure-- herd of horses have a hierarchy, alpha male. they live in herds; they maintain a well-developed dominance hierarchy among herd members; and the herds occupy overlapping home ranges rather than mutually exclusive territories

How do elites maintain power and control (there are 4 ways)?

1. Disarm the populace, and arm the elite 2. Make the masses happy by redistributing much of the tribute received, in popular ways 3. Use the monopoly of force to promote happiness, by maintaining public order and curbing violence 4. construct an ideology or religion justifying kleptocracy. ( is a term applied to a government seen as having a particularly severe and systemic problem with officials or a ruling class (collectively, kleptocrats) taking advantage of corruption to extend their personal wealth and political power)

What four factors influence the acceptance of an invention within a society?

1. Economic advantage 2. Social value and presitge 3. compatibility with vested interests 4. Ease with which its advantages can be observed

What are the three reasons why plants didn't get domesticated in New Guinea?

1. No cereal crops domesticated in New Guinea-- not one of the world's largest 56 seeded wild grasses is native there, whereas 32 are in the Fertile Crescent. 2. New Guinea fauna included no domesticatable large mammal species. 3. New Guinea's available root crops were limiting for calories as well as for protein. Regions differed greatly in their pool of domesticatable species, they varied correspondingly in the date when local food production rose, and food production had not yet arisen independently in some fertile regions as of modern times.

What were the several lines of evidence archaeologists used to determine where and when plants and animals were first domesticated?

1. Radiocarbon Dating 2. For smaller artifacts such as bone, seed, and food residue, accelerator mass spectrometry 3. Comparing wild plants to domesticated plants.

What are the three ways food production influences the formation of complex societies?

1. Seasonal workers for other purposes 2. stored food surpluses which feed specialists and other elite 3. makes sedentary living possible

What are the 8 prerequisites for turning a wild plant into a domesticate?

1. Size-- large 2. Bitterness of seed 3. Fleshiness of fruit 4. Oiliness 5. Fiber length-- cotton, flax, and hemp (hemp is the oldest) 6. Wild mechanisms for the dispersal for seeds-- the one's that don't blow up are domesticated, the one's that blow up are wild, bc they need to disperse their seeds for themselves. 7. Plants not all sprouting at once in case of drought or fire--- seeds enclosed in a thick coat (germination inhibition) 8. Mutant plants individuals interbreeding (reproductive biology)

What three characteristics did the plants have in common?

1. So very well adapted to environment due to the Mediterranean climate-- mild, wet winters, and long, hot summers. 2. The plants were annual (annual plants don't require much energy!)-- wild ancestors of the Fertile Crescent crops already abundant and productive. 3. Flora includes a high percentage of hermaphoriditic "selfers"-- plants that usually pollenate themselves but that are occasionally cross-pollenated.

Where were plants and animals first domesticated?

1. Southwest Asia, aka Near/East/ Fertile Crescent plant domestication: 8500 BC, animal domestication: 8000 BC 2. China--- 7500 BC 3. Mesoamerica-- 3500 BC 4. Amazon Basin/ Andes and Amazonia--- 3500 BC 5. Eastern U.S.--- 2500 BC 6. Africa's Sahel Zone-- 5000 BC 7. Tropical West Africa--- 3000 BC 8. Ethiopia--- ? 9. New Guinea--- 7000 BC

Four earliest groups of crops that were domesticated (examples)

1. Wheat, barley, and peas 2. Olives, figs, dates, pomegranates, and grapes 3. Apples, pears, plums, and cherries (need grafting, Chinese technique) 4. Weeds-- rye, oats, turnips, radishes, beets, leeks, and lettuce

Why did Native American societies develop so few microbes that might have proved lethal to European interlopers (there are 5 reasons)?

1. Widespread dependence on protein-poor corn instead of Eurasia's diverse and protein-rich cereals. 2. Hand planting of individual seeds, instead of broadcast sowing. 3. Tilling by hand instead of plowing by animals, which enables one person to cultivate a much larger area, and which also permits cultivation of some fertile but tough soils and sods that are difficult to till by hand. 4. Lack of animal manuring to increase soil fertility. 5. Human muscle power instead of animal power for agricultural tasks such as threshing, grinding, and irrigation.

What are the three different writing systems that have developed?

1. alphabetic 2. logograms 3. syllabaries

What are distinguishing characteristics of each writing system?

1. alphabetic-- each letter represents one sound 2. logograms-- each symbol represents one word 3. syllabaries-- sign for each syllable

What are the characteristics of bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states?

1. band-- 5-80 ppl, usually blood related, nomadic typically, one language and ethnicity, egalitarian government with informal leadership, no economic specialization. 2. tribe-- 100s of people, fixed settlements, one ethnicity and language, egalitarian or "big man" government. 3. chiefdoms-- 1000s of people, one or more villages possible with a paramount village, one ethnicity, centralized hereditary rule, intensive food production, early division of labor. 4. states-- 50,000 people, many villages with a capital class and residence, one or more languages, formalized laws and judges, intensive food production.

Know the 4 reasons why a band or tribal organization cannot work for large populations.

1. conflict between unrelated strangers 2. growing impossibility of communal decision making with increasing population size 3. economic considerations 4. population densities

What are the fourteen (14) factors that explain the origin of differences in receptivity among societies?

1. longer human life expectancy 2. lack of availability of cheap or slave labor or a high cost of labor 3. patents or other legal protections 4. ready availability of technical training 5. rewards for investment via capitalism 6. individualism 7. encouragement of risk taking 8. scientific outlook 9. tolerance of diverse views 10. religious tolerance and religious encouragement of innovation 11. war 12. strong central government 13. rigorous climate 14. abundant resources

Why did Europeans get a "head start" in the colonization of the new world (there are 4 reasons)?

1. more effective food production, resulting from greater availability of domesticatable wild plants and especially animals. 2. less formidable geographic and ecological barriers to intracontinental diffusion 3. Non-inventions of writing and wheels in complex Andean societies 4. 1. natives had a later start 2. limited suite of wild plants and animals 3. greater diffusion barrier 4. smaller more isolated areas of human population

What are the two (2) factors associated with the likelihood of borrowing inventions from other societies?

1. the ease of invention of the particular technology 2. the proximity of the particular society to other societies

What 2 additional factors gave Europeans an advantage?

1. their combined area is fully 76 percent that of Eurasia 2. their human population as of A.D. 1492 was probably also a large fraction of Eurasia's

Which group or groups had advantages over others? Why?

Bantu had advantages over other groups -What advantages enabled the Bantu to displace the Pygmies and Khoisan? -When did the Bantu reach the former Pygmy and Khoisan homelands? With the addition of iron tools to their wet-climate crops, the Bantu had finally put together a military-industrial package that was unstoppable in the subequatorial Africa of the time

Is it a racial taxonomy? Why or why not?

Diamond does in fact differentiate the peoples of Africa racially - blacks, whites, Pygmies, Khoisan, and Indonesians

Where were wild plants first domesticated?

Fertile Crescent (Southwest Asia)

Why was the first group easiest to domesticate, while the remaining three were increasingly tougher to domesticate?

The first group, who emerged from ancestors such as wheat, barley, and peas, were easiest to domesticate because they were: -grown easily -grown in high yields -readily storable -self-pollinating -required little genetic change to be converted to crops

How did agricultural Europeans inevitably defeat indigenous peoples?

diseases, from livestock

How does does an elite arise?

knowledge is kept restricted to very few people, gives them special advantages that peasants don't have