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The Settlement of America

The Settlement of America. World History - Libertyville HS. Environment and Settlement. Why Did the Ice Age Occur? Likely cause was increased volcanic activity Volcanic ash accumulated in upper atmosphere, lowering world temps Most recent glacial advance = 70,000 years ago

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The Settlement of America

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  1. The Settlement of America World History - Libertyville HS

  2. Environment and Settlement • Why Did the Ice Age Occur? • Likely cause was increased volcanic activity • Volcanic ash accumulated in upper atmosphere, lowering world temps • Most recent glacial advance = 70,000 years ago • As ice sheet advanced animals were driven before it • Into this environment, man arrived

  3. Environment and Settlement • During Ice Age, ocean levels dropped 50-300 feet, compared to today • Effect was to create a “Bering Land bridge” between Asia and Alaska / North America (BeringianLand Mass) • Small hunting gathering groups followed game into Americas, not even knowing they were doing so • Based on geological & archaeological evidence, early man arrived in Americas about 30,000 years ago Bering Strait, Today Asia America / Alaska

  4. Migration and Settlement • Man in North America = Homo Sapiens • No evidence of fossil apes in W. Hemisphere • No evidence of primitive man in W. Hemisphere • Significance?

  5. Migration and Settlement • Critical factors of settlement of Americas • Ice free corridor from Western Canada into Rocky Mts, along river valleys • Remember: Americas were NOT settled in a short amount of time OR by a single group of people! • Migration is a SLOW, PROLONGED SPREAD OF SUCCESSIVE WAVES OF PEOPLE!!! Migration pattern from Africa through rest of world – colored circles, lines represent approx. time when Man reached those areas

  6. Animals of the Americas • What animals did man find in the Americas? • Horses • Camels • Giant ground sloth • Dire wolves • Mastodon • Wooly mammoth • Saber tooth cats • Stag-Moose • Bison / musk ox

  7. Where did the animals go? • Almost all big game species in the Americas present during the Ice Age died out by 8000 BC – why? • Environmental change: climate changed faster than natural selection • Human hunting

  8. Implications of Big Game Extinction • As big game died out and weather warmed, man had to adapt to new circumstances • Some settled down and developed agriculture • Others continued their hunter gatherer tradition, following (diminished) herds wherever they went

  9. Central American Pre-history • Pre-history • Human habitation from 15000 BC • Corn farming from 8000 BC, with intensive farming from 1800 BC • Civilization started, at this point

  10. Olmecs • Considered the ancestor culture to all other Mesoamerican civilzations • Influence on later civilizations • Writing system, from 950 BC • Religion, including bloodletting (no HS) • Political arrangement = City states

  11. Maya (600 BC-900 AD) • Located in Yucatan peninsula • Architecture • Built impressive cities, in middle of jungle • Stepped pyramids • Ball courts central to cities

  12. Mayan Politics & Religion • Organized as city states, like Greeks • At height, population = 2 million • Religion • Polytheistic (nature gods / goddesses) • Part of daily life • Worshipped cycles of nature, life, universe • Closely observed nature’s cycles (sun, moon, etc)

  13. Math, Science, Technology • Base 20 counting system (dots and dash) • Obsessed with astronomy (religion) • Temples functioned as observatories • Made detailed calendars to predict events “El Caracol” – Chichen Itza

  14. Trade, Decline & Fall • Traded by land and by water • Decline / fall – we’re not 100% sure… • Ecological theory (catastrophe, disease, climate change) • Non-ecological theory (invasion, revolt) • Mayan cities in Northern Yucatan continued to flourish until Spanish arrived in 1500s

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