Annual Editions: World History, Volume 1: Prehistory to 1500, 9/e

by Mitchell, Joseph R.; Mitchell, Helen Buss

• ISBN13: 9780073397405
• ISBN10: 0073397407
• Edition: 9th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-04-17
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin

Summary

This Ninth Edition of ANNUAL EDITIONS: WORLD HIST0RY, VOLUME 1, provides convenient, inexpensive access to current articles selected from the best of the public press. Organizational features include: an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; a general introduction; brief overviews for each section; a topical index; and an instructor's resource guide with testing materials. USING ANNUAL EDITIONS IN THE CLASSROOM is offered as a practical guide for instructors. ANNUAL EDITIONS titles are supported by our student website, www.mhcls.com/online.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Contents UNIT 1. Natural History and the Spread of Humankind 1. 37048 Stand and Deliver: Why Did Early Hominids Begin to Walk on Two Feet?,Ian Tattersall, Natural History , November 2003 What got humankind started on its unique evolutionary trajectory? The ability to walk upright on two feet bipedalism is what it's calledallowed hominids to outshine their prehistoric cousins. As their environment changed, they adapted. Once they had the ability to hunt and taste red meat, the competition was over. Bipedalism was here to stay! So was meat! 2. 45695 Redrawing Humanity''s Family Tree,John Noble Wilford, The New York Times , August 6, 2002 Two ancient skulls, one from Africa, the other from Georgia (formerly part of the Soviet Union), offer clues regarding human origins . They might change the way paleoanthropologists view such questions such as when humans and primates parted ways, and when our earliest ancestors from Africa left there for greener pastures. Human evolution awaits these and further discoveries that will shed light on Homo sapiens ' true ancestry. 3. 18656 Mapping the , Past,Adam Goodheart, Civilization , March/April 1996 Genetic historians are using DNA analysis to track the migration of human beings. American Indians can be traced to a region of Mongolia, and Polynesians have been tracked to southeast Asia. DNA markers may eventually provide a "map" of the entire human species. 4. 37055 First Americans,Karen Wright, Discover , February 1999 Long thought that the first humans in the New World crossed the Bering Strait at the end of the Ice Age , recent archaeological evidence seems to indicate that none of this may be true. Scientists continued to search for clues pertaining to who, how, and when the earliest Americans arrived. 5. 22065 Japanese Roots,Jared Diamond, Discover , June 1998 The origins of the Japanese people offer a mystery. Genetically they are similar to other Asians, especially Koreans, but their language is distinctly different. Interpretations of Japanese origins are complicated by myth and long-standing enmities. UNIT 2. The Beginnings of Culture, Agriculture, and Cities 6. 35830 Prehistory of Warfare,Steven A. LeBlanc, Archaeology , May/June 2003 According to Steven LeBlanc, humans have been at each others' throats since the prehistoric era . This predilection for organized violence has been largely ignored by previous archaeologists, even though LeBlanc finds evidence in every corner of the world. Wars in prehistoric timesshould we be surprised? 7. 37049 Writing Gets a Rewrite,Andrew Lawler, Science , June 29, 2001 The commonly-held belief that writing began in Mesopotamia five thousand years ago is being challenged by researchers today. Evidence gathered in recent years indicates that it may have developed simultaneously in Mesopotamia, Egypt , and the Indus River valley . But the findings, while promising, are not conclusive enough to make a case for that theory. Perhaps future discoveries will shed new light on this important question. 8. 37050 Time and the River: Life in Ancient Egypt Was Geared to the Annual Nile Flood,John Baines, Unesco Courier , September 1988 Most early civilizations developed around rivers , their histories inextricably tied to a river's bountynone more so than Egypt . The Nile River not only provided Egypt with economic sustenance and political unity, but also shaped Egypt's mythology and worldview . 9. 29935 Poets and Psalmists: Goddesses and Theologians,Samuel Noah Kramer, The Legacy of Sumer: Invited Lectures on the Middle East at the Univ. of Texas , Undena Publications, 1976 Was Sumerian society really male-dominated ? Were women second-class citizens in civic, economic, legal, educational, and theological matters? Not according to recent archaeological discoveries. At least, prior to 2000 B.C.E., we have strong evidence that women of the ruling class enjoyed social and economic equality with men. And, in the heavenly realm, the Goddess Inanna retained her status as "Queen of Heaven." Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon the Great, presided over the temple in the city of Ur, as high priestess and resident liturgical poet. 10. 23316 The Cradle of Cash,Heather Pringle, Discover , October 1998 With the growth of cities and markets there arose a need for a standard way to express the value of varied items. Simple barter became impossible. Silver rings, gold, and ingots provided this necessary medium of exchange in Mesopotamia as early as 2500 B.C.E. UNIT 3. The Early Civilizations to 500 B.C.E. 11. 23317 Indus Valley, Inc.,Shanti Menon, Discover , December 1998 Starting around 3300 B.C.E., the Indus Valley civilization built some of the earliest planned cities at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, and they flourished for 700 years. Streets were laid out in a grid, and houses were constructed with standard-sized bricks. Practical and businesslike, the remains of the civilization reflect little warfare or elaborate burials. 12. 23319 Five Ways to Conquer a City,Erika Bleibtreu, Biblical Archaeology Review , May/June 1990 Archaeological excavations and drawings of Assyrian palaces built from 883627 B.C.E. reveal themes of warfare and conquest. Ladders, fire, siege, battering, and burrowing were all methods of attack against a walled city. 13. 37078 Empires in the Dust,Karen Wright, Discover , March 1998 4000 years ago, some Bronze Age culturesMinoan, Egyptian, Indian, and Accadian disintegrated. Was political strife and social unrest responsible? Or was it a change in climate , which brought about severe droughts ? The jury is still out. 14. 16337 Out of Africa: The Superb Artwork of Ancient Nubia,David Roberts, Smithsonian , June 1993 Due to prejudice, undeciphered writing, lack of archaeological exploration, inhospitable climate, and information that came mainly from enemies, the Nubian civilization is