BIG HISTORY

DAVID NAPOLI

• It is a relatively new way of looking at history, looking at past events as a whole, and how they relate to each other.

• Instead of focusing on single events, or fields of historical study, Big history examines the big picture.

• It uses a variety of scientific fields to achieve this understanding, from biology, climatology and anthropology, to archeology and climatology

What is Big History?

THE DAY THE UNIVERSE CHANGED

The Day the Universe Changed

• Ionians wanted to create a life that was easier, and find ways to make it so. Used geometry from the Egyptians to help with ships and navigation.

• We also tend to see our way of doing things, and our version of the past to be the right one.

• We try as hard as we can to better our lives, and to simplify our day to day lives.

• “ We are what we know, and if what we know doesn’t change neither do we”

THE JOURNEY OF MAN

THE JOURNEY OF MAN

• Spencer Wells believed that when humans first migrated out of Africa they split into 2 separate groups, some going into Europe, while others went on to India and Asia

• Modern Humans evolved from one single man, who lived in Africa approximately 60000 yrs ago.

• M168 is the mutation used to trace our ancestry back to this one man

THE JOURNEY OF MAN

• From the group that went to India, A branch of that went through Asia, and across the Bering Sea

CATASTROPHE

Catastrophe

• Around 540 AD. Trees had developed smaller than usual growth rings, indicating that something caused them to grow at a much slower rate

• Medieval living indicated a reliance on fishing and hunting, as agriculture suffered some sort of set back

• Roman writings also speak of an 18 month long lull in sunshine, with a mere 4 hours of faint sunlight per day.

• Some of the most likely scenarios were a comet, asteroid or volcano. Scientists estimated that a 4km wide asteroid or a 6km wide comet would have been a likely culprit

• However no impact sites exists that would match the times for the global catastrophe

Catastrophe

• A more likely scenario was considered to a volcano• The volcano in question is Krakatoa, in Indonesia

Guns, Germs, And Steel

Guns, germs, and steel

• Societies must accept new forms of technology lest they be wiped out

• Societies that spread out allow new forms of technology form, and sharing between these societies allows the spread of this new technology

• Societies with greater populations have more people able to come up with new innovative ideas and technologies

• The middle east is a great example of how location can inhibit its rise. Its lack of agriculture, water, and other resources put it behind most of the world. Only recently with the worlds need for oil did this area develop.

Guns, germs, and steel

• China’s problems stemmed from more of a political problem

• Arguing between 2 factions of government caused exploration to cease.

THE WORLD AND TRADE

The World and Trade

• Europeans believed that that the world had climate zones, and that the equator was un-inhabitable due to it’s extreme heat

• They also thought that the world consisted of 3 continents, plus a few outlying islands

• Before Columbus, Leif Ericsson made an expedition to Greenland, however global climate change caused a new, small ice age

• Improvements in ships allowed the Europeans to travel further, and reach the new land