HUMA 1770 Lecture Notes - Polytheism, Heredity, Silt

• School: York University
• Department: Humanities
• Course: HUMA 1770
• Professor: Leo Stan

Document Summary

Limited control over the surrounding environment -> beginning of agriculture through irrigation and the domestication of animals; Agricultural societies -> settled populations + social cohesion (villages, small towns, cities) + cooperation. Technological advancement through use of metal tools (especially the plow) + the invention of the wheel (easier and faster transportation); Greater and more diverse sources of nurture -> increased social stability. Invention of writing; accurate record keeping; efficient long distance communication; beginning of the historical record (communal identity); generation and preservation of knowledge over greater periods of time; imparting of wisdom; Birth of art through the need to adorn everyday practical objects + the rulers" need to display and project their power through expensive, rare, and beautiful objects or attire. Mesopotamia (today"s iraq; the land between two rivers) the region between and along the riverbanks of tigris and the euphrates; Unfriendly environment: arid land with very little vegetation +devastating storms and floods, which usually led to starvation;