HIST 2B Lecture 3: History 2B
25 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Factors produced monumental building and early cities in north america. Culture + environment: religious, social needs and suitable ecological conditions. Fusion of religious, political authority, to centralize, exploit human labor power. No civilization used wheels, iron, or steel. North america"s native peoples: the mound builders and cahokia. Monument building built c. 5400-5000 years ago: predates pyramids of egypt, mesoamerican civilizations, no written document. Midden heaps (large of human and animal refuse: wild vegetables, animal bones) Significance: pre-agrarian, pre-ceramic; mounds serve as territorial markers, rituals, people were not farmers, hunter-gatherers, coordinated labor, not a permanent settlement. Trade network across southern america: soapstone (ga), ore (missouri) May have been built for flood protection, close to rivers. Annual assembly points or territorial markers; unsure what these mounds were for. Agriculture spreads across eastern n. america, adopted at different times: adopted late due to short growing season.
