midterm 1 Flashcards
(10 cards)
Technology
Skill or specialized knowledge by which humans manipulate the environment
dates back to 2.5 million years ago with sharp rocks.
allows people to adapt to their environment
swidden agriculture
also known as shifting cultivation, refers to a technique of rotational farming in which land is cleared for cultivation (normally by fire) and then left to regenerate after a few years.
origins in the neolithic revolution where people moved from hunter gatherers to sitting down.
fire helps with free labor of clearing area, allowed for sol to maintain nutrients in africa.
Virgin soil epidemic
a situation in which a disease comes to a new land for the first time and nobody there has any previous immunizes
an example would be smallpox coming to the new world after 1760
these diseases wreck havoc and fundamentally change the land because of their devistation.
black death
a disease coming out of china also known as the bubonic plagye that had a 50-70% mortality rate. happened during the little ice age across eurasia and ruined the entire land. spread by fleas on rats.
1350 in Europe caused a whole slew of plagues
little ice age
14-18th century
a period of poor climates which lead to a huge decerase in eurasias food production.
reduces animal husbandry and leads to significant population decreases in eurasia.
pristine myth
the way that european and eurasians viewed the americas. they underestimated population and thought the new world was less developed.
this idea can be seen best around 1492 with columbus and his push for the new world.
chattel slavery
chattel slavery is the traditional image of slavery in which slaves are treated as the property of the owner and are bought and sold as comoddities.
chattel slavery began in america around the 1600s with the european slave trade in africa.
chinampa
a type of meoamerican agricultyre which used small rectangular areas of fertile land to grow crops on shallow lake beds.
this took place between 1100-1300
this allowed these people to take advantage of their climate and maximize the output of crops. helped with soil cultivation and drainage from the city.
columbian exchange
the widespread transfer of plants, animals and culture from the old world to the new world in the 15th-16th century
the americas got new crops as well as animals and devistating diseases.
this fundamentally changed the trajectory of the new world as it introduced methods and culture that had not been seen before.
husbandry
the care, cultivation, and breeding of crops and animals. beginning from around the neolithic revolution. early examples include ancient egypt.
this is significant as it allowed population to increase and for the world to move from hunter gatherer systems to settling down.
