A cultural hearth is a source area from which new ideas radiate.

Advances in agriculture lead to increased crop production.

Not everyone in a given population needs grow their own crops - one farmer can produce enough crops to support more than one family.

This then allows people to engage in other activities besides crop raising, animal husbandry, hunting or gathering.

As a result of these other activities, new ideas develop and lead to advancements in science, astronomy, mathematics, religion, art, and political systems. These ideas then are spread to surrounding areas.

The white dashed line shows the extent of glacial activity.

The original humans spread from Africa into the Middle East. From there, into Central Asia and then north into Europe and south into India. Humans then traveled south into the islands and Australia and north into China and eastern Russia. Humans then crossed the land bridge into North America and traveled east to the New England area and South into Middle and South America.

culture hearths later culture hearths

• Near a river

• in a temperate climate

• on arable land

• abundance of food

Mesopotamia is a region, not a country.Refers to the individual Peoples that made up Mesopotamia; the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians,  Assyrians, Chaldeans, and to some degree the Hittites, Phoenicians and Persians

Achievements:

• Code of Laws – Hammurabi’s Code

• Writing – Cuneiform

• System for calculating time and angles based on 60 – sexagesimal system

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Mohenjodaro_Sindh.jpeg

Harappa & Mohenjo Daro Civilizations make up the Indus River Valley Civilization

Achievements:

• Town planning – grid system for roads

• sanitation system – covered drains

• water from wells

• grainaries, docks, and warehouses

• uniform weights and measurements

• copper, bronze, lead, and tin

Achievements:

• mathematic advances

•reliable farming with irrigation

• engineering, mining, and plumbing

• pyramids

• medical - cures for diarrhea, burns, indigestion, cataracts, surgery, and mummification

• papyrus paper and hieroglyphics

Achievements:

• wheel barrow, horse harness, row cultivation, and plow

• water chain pump (water goes up)

• metal casting

• Su Song’s mechanical clock – water-driven astronomical clock

• crossbow, rudder, gas lamp, block printing, abacus, paper, porcelain, silk, kites, playing cards

What other things spread?

• Disease

• Language

• Food

• Religion

• Ideas

• Inventions

• culture