2. Beginnings
• 50,000 years ago
– Language develops
– Human society begins to fracture
• Social groups first migrate along
coastline.
– Migrations forced by weather and
food sources
• Humanity has spread to all
habitable areas of the earth
3. Rise of Dominant Societies
• Why some societies become
dominant
– Abundant varieties of domesticable flora
and fauna
– Rate of diffusion and migration
• Easier within East-West bias due to climate
(Eurasia)
– Diffusion between continents
– Size of population and area
• Large populations and area provided more
concentration to adopt innovations
4. Why some societies failed
• Fertile Crescent
– Large forest with temperate clime
• Environment was fragile with low rainfall
• Cleared forest for agriculture and to obtain timber
for construction and fuel
• With no sustainment of vegetation, climate shifted
– Societies died out but the domesticated animals and
plant had migrated to Europe
• China
– Dominant due to food production, ecological
diversity and technology
– Shift in political power brought new group in
power.
• Ended “treasure fleet” associated with previous
political power
• Suspended all oceangoing shipping
– By no competing or interacting with other social
groups, China lost by not keeping abreast of
innovations
5. Rise of the Empires
• Greece
– Alexander the Great
• Conquest based on superior
military tactics and technology
• Rome
– Direct descendant of Greece
– Conquest initially based on military power
– Access to luxury, opulence and trappings of
power led to conquered subjects identifying
themselves as Roman
– Rome eventually fell to its immense size
6. New Empires
• Holy Roman Empire
– More a confederation of separate Christian
kingdoms than a true empire
– Emperor appointed by Pope
• Spain
– One of many kingdoms in the Holy Roman
Empire
– Created by marriage of Isabella (Castile) and
Ferdinand III (Aragon) and later conquest of
Emirate of Granada in 1492
7. New World
• Columbus
– Requested funding from five rulers
before Spain approved the voyage in
1492
– Discovery changed world power
• Spanish Empire uses new wealth
to fund Navy as expression of
power
– Power dwindles due to inflation and
waste of money spent to increase
power of Holy Roman Empire
• Other countries create empire by
settling in new world
8. Sources
• Journey of Man – National Geographic –
Spencer Wells
• Guns, Germs, and Steel – Jared Diamond
• World in 1492 – No author identified
• Peoples and Empires – Anthony Pagden
• The Day the Universe Changed – James Burke
• Wikipedia – Spanish Empire
