The book I am using during my current semester is Ways
of the World, A Brief Global History by Robert W. Strayer. The book begins with an introduction to the
beginnings of human life from the very first hominids, then moving through the
times of Homo habilis and Homo erectus, and finally to Homo sapiens, or mankind
as we know it.
We
begin this first chapter by learning that the earliest groups of people were
hunters and gatherers who followed their food sources and spread the population
across the continents. We learn that the
earliest humans came from Africa, and as they wandered in search of food and shelter
they travelled through Europe, across Asia, down to Australia, and all the way
over to North and South America. It’s
interesting to think about how these early groups were able to journey across
mountains and water with nothing more than primitive tools and boats. They certainly covered a lot of distance!
One
interesting aspect of the hunting and gathering life was that all chores were
done by everyone; the people lived in an egalitarian society, without governments
or specialized workers. There was little
need for rulers, and small groups of people lived together, much like extended
families, and worked together as a unit.
Our
next chapter introduces the concept of farming in approximately 10,000 BC. I found it very thought provoking to consider
what it was that had suddenly made people notice the seeds and sprouts that could
turn into crops and food. At this same
time we see the domestication or taming or animals, and the ability to keep
herds or flocks of animal, thus allowing people to stay in one place and begin to
provide for their own foods. Whatever
the inspiration, the act of farming forever changed the way communities of
people lived.
With
these new agricultural societies came specialization of skills and trades. Certain people were better at making tools,
others at growing foods, still others at weaving textiles. No longer did every person need to be able to
excel at every task. This was the
beginning of social hierarchies, where certain skills were valued above others,
and certain members of a community were determined to be of more value or less
value. Populations grew, and leaders
gained power and status. This marks the
beginnings of the upper, middle, and lower classes of society.
Chapter
3 introduces some of the early civilizations such as in the Nile River valley,
in China, and in South America. It is
interesting to note that all of these societies have fairly strong social
hierarchies, including an elite ruling or priestly level, an everyday skilled
craftsman level, and a hard laborer/slave level. We also see the beginnings of gender
inequality, as the female members of society are relegated to the child-raising
tasks while the men have greater choice in occupation. At some point, we see women becoming the
property of their husbands or fathers, a definite move down the social ladder
for women from the pre-agricultural times.
With
these early civilizations comes the beginnings of writing and the recording of
stories, events, and histories. The
first hieroglyphs and cuneiforms were created and used as these civilizations
looked for a way to document their times.
It’s almost strange to thing that at some point in our history there was
no way to write down what sort of things had happened, and then, someone
figured out a way… and the rest of their
civilization learned how to read it and record their own stories in the same
way!
This
first week’s reading has given me a good introduction to the subject of World
History, beginning with the earliest humans and the birth of civilization. I found this week’s chapters to be
interesting, yet I found the early civilizations to be rather disorganized. I look forward to the complexities that
future civilizations will bring!
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