Monday 8 October 2012

Monday 8 October 2012 

Homework:

300 words on where Homo Sapiens come from:

I believe in the ‘Out of Africa Theory’ because the human ancestors originated from Africa and developed there. Early humans later migrated to other parts of the world, for example human ancestors moved to Europe and develop to Homo Sapiens Neanderthals in order to adjust to the chilly European climate, such as described in the power point presentation. All different parts of the world assisted in developing the Homo species in different ways, but the species evolved in Africa because the conditions were right there for survival. When they had developed more they moved around in Africa, but eventually they moved abroad. We think this is because the Homo species differed too much from the Australopithecus to live together. When the homo species were developed enough to be called Homo sapiens modern they retreated back to the place where they first evolved, South Africa, because the conditions were, as mentioned earlier, right there for development. 

Civilization:

• Common elements discussion

• Religion (pyramids, ziggurats, bath houses)

• River (flood banks, fertile land around)

• Writing (hieroglyphics, cuneiform)

• Social hierarchy (pyramids, slaves, kings)

• Agriculture (irrigation systems)

• Exchange of goods (Mesopotamia network)

• Civil loyalty

People thought of themselves to belong to somewhere e.g. the people in the civilizations felt they were part of a city rather than a tribe, shift from tirbe to city (citizens/nationality).

• Innovative civilizations

• Mesopotamis – Iraq

• Nile – Egypt

• Indus – India

• Huang He – Eastern China

• Mesoamerica – Mexico

• Andes Mountains – West South America

• Niger – America

All the first cities come from Mesopotamia; they are totally unique not copied whatsoever. Any other city not on the list is defused.

Theory and criticism:

Wheatley's:

The Cosmo-magical City:

• Organized around a religious centre, even before urban civilizations people came together at the religious centre frequently. Important to mix genes from different tribes to get a clean genetic code.

• Used magic: Predicted the future through rituals. This magi communicated with the ‘cosmos’ in other words the gods, hence the ‘Cosmo-magical’ name.

• The religious centre controlled everything in the city (exercising control) administrative buildings around.

Mumford:

Criticisms of Urbanizations:

• Urbanizations leads to continuous warfare, evidence e.g. wall around the city, weapons.

• Two cities will overlap and go to war, fight about land.

• Power and religion is a destructive mix. Religious war is the worst because it is irrational and can’t be resolved because opinions and beliefs will always disagree.

• Enemies become inhuman to each other which leads to extreme and gruesome actions e.g. slaughtering of children and women.

Marx:

• Urbanization leads the beginning of ‘class struggle’ and separation.

• Marx was first an historian.

• Society becomes split into different groups (if this is evident in a civilization Marx theory is correct but there must be evidence of competition between groups).

Lerner:

• Female power

• Urbanizations begins the subjugation (down fall) of women

• Agrees with Mumford’s theory because when groups of people meet warfare is inevitable and men are stronger in warfare i.e. the men gain power because they are better fighter (and don't have to deal with pregnancy etc.).

- Filippa