What is History?David Gomez

Journey of Man• Journey of Man• Evolution is a genetic history

– Goal was to construct a family tree: Luca

• Using isolated tribal blood predominately in Africa as samples.

– Follows DNA– Following the Genetic Markers

of Men:» Y markers do not change,

Son bushman markers are unique

» First branch to split in the family tree

» Bushman are the only families that have “clicks”

» Began using bone, ivory and shell, not stone tools

» Began formal burials with items placed with them.

» As trackers they began to think as the prey, and analyze the foot prints

– De Kelders cave» Human Remains over 80,000 years

old» Almost identical facial structure to

modern man– The next Human Remains are in Australia

» Little to no evidence of there journey

» Last time Australia was connected to mainland was 100 mya

» There are no other primates on the Australian continent.

» Mungo people, lived in Australia around 30-45k years ago. One of the first settlements had around 200 people.

– Next stop India to find the link for the migration from Africa to Australia.» Collect blood samples from Madurai

India extracting DNA.» They have found the evidence for

the coastal migration to Australia.– From the Middle East it took mankind

close to 10k years to get to Europe. Known as Cro-Magnon» Cave paintings describe the

migration during the ice age.» Isolated in Europe because of

growing ice age, they developed light hair and eyes

– Through the Central Asia/ Kazakhstan » Because of the drought and fires

and subsequent repopulation of grass lands led early humans to follow the herds.

– Then migration through Russia began to the Americas. Where the Chukchi Indians still live to this day.» People still live their, 200

kilometers inside the Arctic Circle.

» They survive completely off of herding Reindeer, who survive off the lichen under the snow.

» Following the Reindeer they continued on throughout the Americas. Only 10-20 people made it.

» With 800 years they populated both continents.

• The Conclusion– The perception of Race and Race superiority

is a divisive and wrong• We all come from the same place and

have just adapted to our different surroundings.

Catastrophe!• 1500 years ago, mid-sixth century the world’s climate and

temperature dropped.– The sun grew dark and rain was red, clouds of dust

enveloped the earth.– Drought, famine, plague

• Tree Rings– We know what the weather has been like for the

last 7000 years.– Trees around the world experienced the same

decline of tree growth. – Lasted for about a decade. Reduced sunlight

and very cold. • Mid-Sixth Century: The dark ages in Europe.

– Roman Empire was in a resurgence after being sacked about a hundred years prior

» “The sun became dark for about 18 months. There was only light for 4 hours a day.” John of Ephesus

• A dense veil of dust in the atmosphere, blocking the sun. With only three causes.

– Volcano» Sulfuric acid is present in the ice cores in

Greenland and in Antarctica» The eruption would have to happen along

the equator where equatorial winds will spread the dust.

» Krakatau» Shows the caldera left from a large volcanic

eruption.

– Asteroid or Comet» To cause a catastrophe

that would render climate change for over a decade it would call for an object over 4ki across to strike the earth

» No written evidence or physical damage on the earth @ mid 6th century.

– The outcome of the 535AD theoretical eruption.

• Plague of Justinian (Bubonic Plague) weakened the Roman Empire

– Documented by Evagrius Scholasticus

» Bacillus Bacteria that is carried in the gut of a common rat flea.

» 10,000 bodies a day had to be buried

• Climatic event was effecting the Avar people, horsemen in Mongolia

– They move westward and extract large amounts of gold from the Roman Empire

• Teotihuacan City, Mexico- At its peak, early 6th century, 125k people lived there. – Midcentury infant mortality

rises– Lake samples from the Yucatan

Peninsula show a receding of water and a drought.

– A civilian uprising set the cities temples on fire.

• Did the Event Give Rise to the Islamic Religion?– The Marib dam in Yemen, fails.

The Merib people move to Medina and Mecca» Mohammed’s family are

major importers of food during the drought and plague that had reached Arabia at this time.

» There are mass amounts of apocalyptic literature

• What would a future event cause?– Yellowstone Caldera, Long

Valley Caldera, Campi Flegrei Caldera» Agriculture would fail » Satellite and radio

communications would be interrupted

» It would take close to 150 years to recover from an event like this

The Columbian Exchange• On Columbus 3rd Voyage he sailed north

up the coast of South America and found the Mouth of the Oronoco River.

– When he discovered this he deduced that he had not found an island but a new continent.

• Horses brought over by Cortez– They had not been present on the

American continents for 10k years• These horses transformed the

life styles of the people– In North America the Horse

made it possible to hunt the Buffalo, in greater numbers and “brought the Indians time.”

• They Spanish also brought with them large cattle ranching traditions. – In North America we began

to see large cattle drives to the mid-west.

– The US implemented a policy of exterminating the Buffalo, eliminating the food source of the plains Indians.

» They were replaced by cattle and later wheat from Europe.

– Also brought over many livestock– Pigs, Cattle, Sheep, Donkeys, Goats, and

Chickens – Coca, Pineapple, Tabacco, Tomato, and

Peanut were brought over from Europe• Europeans Flooded this new land mostly Italians

and Spaniards– Population Booms in Europe due to the

importation of the South American Potato• After the subsequent blights in Europe

we see a mass immigration to the Americas.

– The Irish poured into Boston and built Boston into an Irish city.

» Reshaped politics and defined the Democratic Party.

• The Exchange brought Over slaves to harvest the Sugar cane brought over to the Caribbean– Sugar Cane workers and harvesters on the

Plantations had the highest mortality rates• Men had to cut and pile 6-10 tons, each,

of cane a day to keep the mill working 24 hours a day

• Slaves that attempted to escape, had the front of there foot cut off.

• Slavery moved throughout all of the Americas.

• Slave traders brought over Casaba, Maize, Sweet Peppers, Pumpkins and Chile peppers, from America. – Corn is a cultivated plant from central

Mexico and perhaps the most important crop to be exposed to the world.

• It can be stored for long periods of time, and was a staple that fed slaves coming over to the new world.

– They now feed a large portion of Africa.