Locating+World+History+in+the+environment+and+time

**Why is geography important to the study of history? What changes and continuities in climatic factors encouraged the development of human society?** **What is periodization and why is it important?**  **What are “diverse interpretations”?** **What does the study of demography tell us about the human response to environmental factors?** **How has the environment played a part in determining history?**
 * People tend to settle in places with more natural resources
 * __Guns, Germs and Steel__ teaches us that groups that are geographically lucky end up being much more successful than those that are geographically unlucky
 * Geography affects migration, culture, politics, economics, even religion
 * Mesopotamia - geographically unlucky, freq/ random flooding and freq invasions = gods are mean
 * Egypt - geographically lucky, more predictable flooding and hard to invade = gods are nice
 * It is the term the AP World creators have for the way they **break the class into five units.**
 * The cut-off points, when a unit ends and another starts, usually signal to us that big change has come or is going to come. (end of unit 1 = fall of the classical civilizations)
 * When people look at historical evidence, they often different opinions (religious v. secular, civilization is good for the world v. civilization is bad for the world, etc.)
 * It shows that humans are impacted by nature
 * The ice age → Agricultural Revolution → Surplus of food → People settle down → Population increases, inequalities increase, efficiency increases,
 * Farming = demand for farmers → number of children increase → mothers people at home to take care of the children, fathers going out to support the family.
 * Natural disasters, climate changes, droughts
 * Causes people to move out of or into lands
 * War over land and natural resources


 * TIMELINE**

14,000 B.C.E. - End of Great Ice Age 8500-3500 B.C.E - Development of Farming in Middle East 6000 B.C.E. - First Potter's Wheel

Source: __Princeton Review's Cracking the AP World...__ (Page 89,) __World Civilizations__ by Stearns (Chapter 1)