Agricultural Revolution, Dawn of Civilization, and the Bering Strait Migration Theories

Here's a little review of what we talked about in class this week.

I put these conflicting images on the blog to give you a feel for the time periods, and paths of migration. But as you can see the general concensus by scientists on the dates is somewhat varied, as is some of the migration patterns themselves. One link below is a scientist's argument against the Bering Strait Migration theory.

Movements-the people, events, laws, speeches, literature, etc. associated with a particular cause. Movements seek change in some aspect of society; whether it be social, political, economic, or most commonly, a combination of all three.

Example: Environmental Movement, Vete Vendosje Movement, Civil Rights Movement

Revolution- a dramatic change(s) in society. Revolutions, like movements, can be social, political, or economic in nature. Most commonly they encompass all three areas and generally speaking almost all aspects of society.

Example: Agricultural Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Internet Revolution

We also discussed the use of BC, or BCE, and AD, or CE, to mark time.

BC= before Christ (Billions of years ago-0)
BCE=before common era (same as above)

AD=after (Christ's) death (1-2008+)

CE=comon era (same as above)

Finally we discussed the importance of the Agricultural Revolution and how it changed human history.

The agricultural revolution produced a transformation of human society brought about by the invention of the plow, making large-scale agricultural production possible and leading to agrarian societies.
The agricultural revolution had such a profound impact on society that many people call this era the "dawn of civilization." During this same period that the plow was invented, the wheel, writing, and numbers were also invented.
The agricultural revolution further accentuated the changes taking place due to the domestication revolution, extending those effects even farther in society.
During this period, stratification became a major feature of social life. An elite gained control of surplus resources and defended their position with arms. This centralization of power and resources eventually led to the development of the state as the rich and powerful developed the institution of the state to further consolidate their gains.

A short, comical video on the agricultural revolution and the rise of civilizations. At least watch it for the music and funny cartoon at the end of the video.

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=657064dbec74d9eea4be

Here is a site that reviews the basic Beringia migration theory. It includes vocabulary, timeline, and images. Although it is geared more for a younger student, it covers the basics well.

http://www.watertown.k12.ma.us/cunniff/americanhistorycentral/01firstamericans/_Over_the_Land.html

Here is a good article from the discovery.com discussing bering strait migration and the origins of native americans.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/02/13/beringia-native-american.html

I know I'm blasting you guys with links but this one is really intersting. Its a link to the genographic project in which you can explore an on-going project by scientists from around the world working for national geographic in which they study and analyze the early migration patterns of man. You can find out where your original ancestors (prehistoric origins) are from by navigating throughout the links on the site.

https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/

Same website but awesome multimedia relating to this subject. This is a great overview of the early history of man; from origins of homosapians to the rise of the first civilizations. This national geographic site is really good. I encourage you all to explore it.

https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html

Ok, every theory has its holes. Here is a link to a site that argues against the Bering Sea Migration Theory. Remember we will never have many facts therefore issues like this are intensely debated. This author makes some good points.

http://home.earthlink.net/~shiseiryu1/shiseiryu1/nativeamerican/Bering.htm

Ok, I think that's more than enough to keep you guys occupied. Remember to have fun with it. If that means just looking at the pictures, watching the videos, and reading the charts to learn a little more than so be it. If you like exploring more and learning as much as you can by all means thoroughly read through all of these sites and then do your own research. This is a fascinating area of history/science/anthropology that will never stop being studied. We will never know 100% of the truth but we may get closer as technology, artifacts, and more minds are found and developed.