After you've read Part I: From Eden to Cajamarca, identify one point or issue with which you agree, disagree, or about which you would like to learn more. Use the SVHS databases or the Internet to find out more.
Your comment to this post should include the author, title, source, link or database title, and a summary of the source. In your summary, please explain why you choice this particular topic for further exploration.
"Inca Empire" World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO
ReplyDeleteThis article briefly describes the history of the Inca Empire, from the legends of the first settlers to the Spanish invasion and victory over the empire. In Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond dedicates Chapter 3 to discussing why Francisco Pizarro and his 168 Spaniards were able to overthrow Emperor Atahuallpa and his army of over 80,000 men, and I wanted to learn more about the Inca Empire, hoping that this knowledge would offer clues to other reasons why the small group of the Spanish defeated the Incas. Both Diamond and the article agree that although 80,000 armed warriors could easily conquer 168 equally armed men, the Spaniards had the upper hand. Diamond states that the Spaniards had far superior weapons, including guns and steel swords, and also had the advantage of an armed cavalry, allowing the Spaniards to capture Atahuallpa even though they were greatly outnumbered. The article mentions that the Spaniards' superior weapons helped them conquer the Incas, it also included that Atahuallpa had no fear of the small group and assumed that they meant no harm. The Spaniards' surprise attack threw the Incas off guard, also providing the Spaniards with an advantage.
"Cro-Magnons." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO
ReplyDeleteThis source relates to chapter one: "Up to the Starting Line" of Guns, Germs, and Steel. The article gives a description of the Cro-Magnons, ancestors of the modern day humans. This article relates to Jared Diamonds argument of what he calls the "Great Leap Forward." It mentions in the article that the Cro-Magnons used more sophisticated versions of tools and jewelry. Also, they exemplified burial customs. Furthermore, the article explains that the remains of Cro-Magnons that were found greatly resemble modern human beings. These details support Diamond's argument that the "Great Leap Forward" occured at the time of the Cro-Magnons and that they were the first human ancestors to be be very similar to today's humans
"Kamehameha the Great" (No author given)
ReplyDeleteNational Park Service: http://www.nps.gov/puhe/historyculture/kamehameha.htm
In “A Natural Experiment of History,” the second chapter of Guns Germs and Steel, Diamond describes the social complexity of Polynesian islands. He briefly describes how, although some of Hawaii’s islands united, the islands were not completely unified until King Kamehameha I of the Big Island used European supplies and weapons to rule the entire archipelago. I wanted to learn more about his conquests and find out how crucial foreign supplies were to Kamehameha’s victory. This source describes Kamehameha’s life from his birth between 1753 and 1761 and his death in 1819. It first recounts the civil battles that led to his monarchy of the Big Island. Then it details his purchases of foreign weapons and the surrender of his island to the British who promised to protect them. With these advantages, he conquered all other islands besides Kaua'i, which he ruled through a compromise. Through this article, I found that European aid was essential to Kamehameha’s ultimate victory in unifying the Hawaiian Islands.
While reading “Part I, From Eden to Cajamarca” of Guns, Germs, and Steel, I became interested in the Moriori Massacre that occurred in 1835. The information supplied by Diamond just touched the surface and I wanted to find out more about how and why it happened. Upon researching this incident, I found an article by Robert Lindsay called, “The Moriori and the Dangers of Pacifism,” that further explained the genocide and its repercussions for the Moriori people. (http://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/the-moriori-and-the-dangers-of-pacifism) The Maoris were brutal headhunters who were known for their cruel culture. A small tribe of them branched off and settled on the Chatham Islands, adopting an extreme pacifist policy, known as Nunuku’s Law. They became known as the Morioris and abided by this law for 300 years. In 1835, the Maori tribe sailed to the Moriori island with the hope of expanding their culture. The Morioris, who refused to fight, were either killed or enslaved. Many Moriori men wanted to fight back, however, the elders ordered them to uphold their traditions and Nunuku’s Law. Some of the Moriori people attempted to flee and hide, but were found and killed. By 1862, only one hundred Morioris remained and the race was threatened with extinction. Although several thousand Moriori descendants still exist, in 1933, the last “full-blooded” Moriori, Tommy Solomon, died. Their language has been forgotten and their culture is buried in memories.
ReplyDeleteAs Diamond suggested, the strength and dominance of the Maori tribe allowed them to conquer the less prepared, peaceful Moriori people. The Maori culture adapted better to the conditions of their environment than the Moriori. This dominance was evident in the result of the Moriori Massacre on the Chatham Islands.
Source Information:
ReplyDelete“A Paler Shade of Black,” an editorial article by Linda Beckerman, Ph.D
Link: http://www.calresco.org/beckermn/black.htm
In the first chapter of Guns, Germs, and Steel, the author Jared Diamond repeatedly mentions the idea that all humans evolved from African ancestors. For example, Diamond writes that Africa was the setting for “the earliest stages of human evolution” (36). After reading, I was curious about this explanation and chose this topic to discover why different races exist today if everyone is originally of African descent.
The editorial “A Paler Shade of Black” by Linda Beckerman presents research from the Human Genome Project, proving that everyone is actually part of the same race. In ancient times, dark skin tones developed in hot African environments as an “evolutionary advantage” to protect early humans from absorbing too much ultraviolet radiation, which led to toxic vitamin D levels. However, as humans migrated north to colder climates with fewer ultraviolet rays, their dark skin caused vitamin D deficiencies. Therefore, natural selection produced light skin and the so-called Caucasian race. Other diverse features developed through similar geographic necessities; for instance, Asians’ larger eyelids kept out dust during sandstorms.
In conclusion, the article relates to Diamond’s discussion in Chapter 1 about African origins and helped me learn more about racial evolution. The editorial explains in further detail the idea that all humans share common African ancestors while revealing that “races” came into existence through natural selection, to adjust to the environment. Overall, the article supports Diamond’s claims and taught me that the modern interpretation of “race” is useless and invalid.
“The First Americans” by Guy Gugliotta
ReplyDeleteDatabase: MasterFILE Main Edition
Original Publication: Smithsonian Magazine, Feb 2013, Vol. 43, Issue 10
In Chapter One, “Up to the Starting Line,” Diamond discusses the spread of humans throughout the world, from Africa to Eurasia to Australia and, finally, across the Bering Land Bridge to the Americas. He briefly touches on pre-Clovis human sites in America; pre-Clovis humans are theorized by some to be humans that existed in the Americas before the centuries leading up to 11,000 B.C. when a multitude of humans crossed into America as evidenced by hundreds of sites dated by radiocarbon methods. Diamond dismisses the pre-Clovis idea, citing errors in radiocarbon dating and thinking that there would be much more evidence if there truly were pre-Clovis humans (47-49). However, the idea that humans existed in the Americas prior to its widespread colonization piqued my interest.
Upon looking further into pre-Clovis humans, I found an article titled “The First Americans.” It begins by showcasing many findings to support pre-Clovis humans, such as stone arrowheads and a mastodon tusk with circular knife marks. It then summarizes much of the same background that Diamond went over: the origins of humans in Africa and their eventual spread to Clovis points about 13,500 years ago. However, it then shows that sites of human evidence were found that were dated, both by radiocarbon and more accurate AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) techniques, to predate Clovis sites by a thousand years. These were not in any distinguishable pattern, and the tools were dissimilar from those found at Clovis sites. This has led many to believe that the Clovis humans were not the first Americans and that perhaps small groups from Europe crossed the Atlantic thousands of years beforehand.
In Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond makes it sound as if the only evidence for pre-Clovis humans was chipped stone that may not have been from humans, and he also says that radiocarbon dating isn’t always accurate. However, this article shows much more clear and convincing evidence for the existence of pre-Clovis humans, and it backs up the radiocarbon dating with a more modern technique (AMS). While Diamond seems to have dismissed the entire notion, merely glossing over it in a few paragraphs, this article makes me think that there may be merit to the idea that few humans walked through the Americas years before the Clovis hunters. Although Diamond is very thorough and convincing on most of his points, I have to disagree with him here about his thoughts on pre-Clovis humans.
"Climate Change Caused Extinction of Big Ice Age Mammals, Scientist Says" by: Hilary Mayell
ReplyDeletehttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/1112_overkill.html
In Chapter One, "Up to the Starting Line", Jared Diamond exhausts quite a bit of explanation in backing up a theory of how the 'big mammals' of America became extinct 11,000 years ago. This widely-accepted theory says that it was the Clovis hunters who mass-hunted the animals to extinction. Then, Diamond offers a very brief counter theory for the extinction of America's 'big mammals' some 11,000 years ago.This theory suggest that the climate change that came after the last Ice Age is what caused the extinction of these animals. However, Diamond does not waste any time before telling us his opinion on the less popular theory; "Personally, I have the same problem with a climate change theory of megafaunal extinction in the America's as with such a theory in Australia/New Guinea" (Diamond 47). After learning of Diamond's disapproval for the climate change theory, I decided to look a little deeper into the idea, and my findings are quite intriguing.
This article published on National Geographic's website features the research of notable archaeologist from University of Washington, Donald Grayson. Contrary to what Diamond argues in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Grayson says that there is no proof that the last Ice Age and its consequent extinctions occurred in the relatively same time period as the arrival of the Clovis hunters. Grayson and Diamond do in fact agree on one point; the Clovis hunters hunted the mammoth. However, Diamond assumes that they hunted all the big mammals. Grayson points out the fact that we only have evidence of them hunting mammoth. Also, there is evidence that the same type of animal extinction occurred on other continents during the same time period, which would favor the climate change theory much more than the mass-hunting theory.
After reading only a brief article, I have found that there is much more evidence that supports the climate change theory than Diamond suggests. Although the mass-hunting theory may have explained the extinction of America's big mammals 30 years ago, Grayson says that it just doesn't hold up anymore. After researching a bit further into this fascinating topic, I do not question Diamond's intelligence, rather believe the climate change theory is however, more favorable.
Moriori Culture
ReplyDeletehttp://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/culture/moriori/
In chapter 2 of Guns, Germs, and Steel, A Natural Experiment of History, Diamond discusses the Moriori, a hunter-gather group of people with little to no weaponery, and how they were dominated by the war-experienced Maori in December 1835. The Moriori peoples most likely lost this war because of their culture. The Moriori culture itself is very interesting, seeing how they survived into the 1830's as hunter-gatherers. In the article, it states that "The Moriori were dedicated to living lives of non-violence and passive resistance." This was most likely the reason that the Moriori lost the war, they didn't want to fight and they were inexperienced and were up against the Maori who were highly skilled in warfare. Many crops could not be grown in the Mariori's home, the Chathams, because the Chathams were colder and more exposed to weather issues. This caused for the Moriori not to advance as quickly as the Maori, or grow a population large enough to have an army. Also, the leaders of the Moriori decided not to go to war with the Maori, which was a questionable decision because their passive resistance led to their own genocide. After reading this article, it has become clear as to why an invading force of 900 Maori men were able to overtake 2,000 Mariori members with ease because of their anti-war culture and limited supplies. This topic was intriguing because in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond at the start makes it out to seem like a fair fight at the start, but also because the ending did not leave me with a sense of satisfaction and I just felt like I needed to know more.
"Dance Of Human Evolution Was Herky-Jerky, Fossils Suggest"
ReplyDeleteby: Christopher Joyce
http://www.npr.org/2014/07/04/328206581/dance-of-human-evolution-was-herky-jerky-fossils-suggest
In chapter one, "Up To The Starting Line", of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond briefly explains how humans evolved from a variety of African ape species. Evidence of the stages of human evolution come from a variety of fossils dating back to 7 million years ago up until around 50,000 years, which Diamond states was the time of the "Great Leap Forward" or the point of human developments (such as stone tools, needles, awls, jewelry, etc.) (36-39). After reading and learning about the stages of human evolution, I was curious to see if I could find more information about the topic.
The article "Dance Of Human Evolution Was Herky-Jerky, Fossils Suggest" by Christopher Joyce suggests a new theory of human evolution. Rick Potts, the curator of human origins at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History stated that, “The traditional package of traits, including elongated legs, large brains, culture, a whole variety of traits, were thought to have come together with the origin of the genus Homo”. Potts proposed the idea that these traits did not evolve at the same time, but instead emerged separately. He suggests that there were three unique types of humans existing in Africa at one time, and that each had a special feature that became a trait of the modern homo sapien. Therefore the cause of human evolution was not a single event, but frequent climate changes. As a result, Potts concludes that, “The origin of our human lineage in fluctuating conditions led us to be versatile”.
This interesting article introduced me to a new, intriguing theory on human evolution, and it relates to Diamond’s explanation on how humans evolved from different types of apes.
"History of the Conquest of Peru"
ReplyDeleteBy: William H. Prescott
http://history-world.org/inca6.htm
While reading chapter 3 of Guns Germs and Steel, I became very interested in the conquest of the Incas by the Spaniards. It did not seem reasonable to me that the Spaniards were experienced enough that they could beat an empire of 80,000 men when they only had 168 men. Diamond stated in this chapter that the reasons that the Inca were conquered were that they were unaware of the attack, the Spaniards had far more elite weapons and the Spaniards had a cavalry. I started then looking at the Inca's culture and behavior to see if they were more known to be mild tempered. This article gives differences between the societies of the Incas and the Aztecs such as how the Aztecs had a more ferocious manner while the Incas were still driven but had a more mild manner. It also states that while the Aztecs would treat their conquered people as prisoners, the Incas would admit the conquered peoples as new subjects to the empire. This then led me to believe that the mild temperament and culture of the Incas could have also been another contributor to the conquest of the Incas.
"The Story of ... Smallpox - and Other Deadly Eurasian Germs "
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/variables/smallpox.html
In chapter three, "Collision at Cajamarca", Diamond stated that, "The reason for the civil war was that an epidemic of smallpox , spreading overland among South American Indians after its arrival with Spanish settlers in Panama and Columbia, had killed the Inca emperor Huayna Capac and most of his court around 1526 and then immediately killed his designated heir, Ninan Cuyuchi. ... If it had not been for the epidemic, the Spaniards would have faced a united empire." This epidemic was obviously stated to be of importance I was wondering how it exactly organized here.
The article goes on to say that the success of the war does have some gratitude toward weapons and other helpful war strategies, but however the Smallpox epidemic was one of the biggest helps. It started all because during this time periods there was the largest variety of domesticated animals, along with their germs, that were eating, drinking and basically living in close corners to humans. As time went on these animals and their germs crossed and eventually made a deadly strain of diseases today known as smallpox. Smallpox is a viral infection that enters the body mostly through the throat or nose. Some signs of the virus include blisters on all areas of the body starting at the hands and face. If one of these blisters were to be popped, it could break the virus airborne and infect other in that way. It was also said that more people were victims to this deadly disease rather than a sword or gun.
ReplyDelete“Are We Still Evolving?” By: Peter Tyson
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/are-we-still-evolving.html
In Chapter 1 of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond asks “As for the site of the Great Leap Forward, did it take place primarily in one geographic area, in one group of humans, who were thereby enabled to expand and replace the former human populations of other parts of the world?” These questions interested me and I found an answer to many of them. It did take place in mainly one geographic area, and that was Europe. It only took place in one group of humans, that being the neanderthals. The humans that were enabled to expand to the other parts of the world were the same group of humans that replaced the neanderthals.