Human Migration In Historical Perspective

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McNeil, Human Migration in Historical Perspective, in : Population and Development Review When our ancestors became fully human they were already migratory (big game) Clothes and housing allowed them to sustain a tropical microclimate next to their almost hairless skins, no matter what conditions prevailed in the environment. Tools, language, and disciplined cooperation in the hunt made it easy for advancing human bands to outwit rival predators. They shed most of the germs that helped to maintain ecological equilibrium → population explosion (ca. 8000 BC.) global crisis. Intensification of their food search ; Agriculture began. Enhanced production and intensification of infection that resulted from a more sessile existence. Slash and burn agriculture → wheat and barley traveled across Eurasia within 5000y. 4000 BC : human communities learned to build sailing vessels. → fishing, long distance trading 3000 BC : development of pastoral nomadry ; required to establish enzyme mutations that allowed adults to digest milk. Pastoralists were also migratory. Their rapidity of movement and superior diet gave them a clear military advantage over more sessile and protein-deficient cultivators. Seafaring population : a mobile element remained among Old World populations. Important innovations could spread widely and rapidly. Eurasia's lead in technical skills resulted from this circumstance. Variety of ways of life = variety of civilizations. Sumerian rule 4000 BCE (the earliest : wheel, bronze metallurgy, writing, architecture, irrigation) Specialization : higher skills. Rulers/ruled → emergence of elite and tax collection. The advantage of civilization lay in the superior skills that specialization guaranteed, and the enhanced wealth that division of labor permitted. Weakness : alieanation. Ethnic differences reinforced the social gap. Ehtnic diversity

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