Download Theme 1 (Interaction)

Dalya Ackerman
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History P4
Packet B
Theme 1, Interaction: Shifting Cultivation
Shifting cultivation is a process in which an area of ground is cleared of vegetation,
usually by burning down the existing vegetation, and is cultivated for a few years. It is then
abandoned. It is also known as slash and burn agriculture and swidden agriculture. This farming
method developed primarily in rain forest zones of Central and South America, West Africa,
eastern and Central Asia, and much of southern China and Southeast Asia, so generally tropical
regions.
At first, the burnt soil is initially fertile, but then nutrients are quickly depleted, and
farmers move onto another area. This leaves vast areas of land infertile, which is bad for the
environment.
Ayesha Bakshi
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History / Period 4
Packet B
Theme 1 - Interaction: Fertile Crescent
One of the concepts found in the theme of Interaction located in Module 5 is
called “The Fertile Crescent.” The Fertile Crescent was very important for all the early
civilizations of the Neolithic Revolution. This area is found in present-day southern Iraq,
Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and northern Egypt, so that includes most of the Middle
East and a part in northern Africa.
The Fertile Crescent is also called the “Cradle of Civilization” because it is home
to many concepts like domestication of plants and animals, agriculture, urbanization,
writing, trade, science, history, and religion. Since the soil was good for agriculture such
as barley, legumes, etc. and the soil was near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Many
cities like “Eridu” (first for the Sumerians) and Uruk grew in the Fertile Crescent. Priests
in the civilizations in the Fertile Crescent were also rulers to the people and were in
charge of the food for the civilians and in charge of trade.
Balila, Joshua Mr. Tavernia Period 1 Packet B Interaction: Slash and Burn Agriculture Slash and burn agriculture is the process by which natural vegetation is chopped down and burned, which creates ash that is used to fertilize the soil of the land. Generally, the chopped vegetation is given time to dry out, in order to maximize the effect of the burning. This was used during neolithic times in order to fertilize the soil using the ashes of the burnt vegetation, and is still used today in many places around the world. One of the major disadvantages of slash and burn agriculture, however, is that once all of the nutrients in the ash have been used up, the soil is no longer suitable for farming, and then the farmers have to move to another spot of vegetation and repeat the process. The reason that the soil is no longer usable after a few years is because the soil was never nutrient rich to begin with; by burning down the natural vegetation, the nutrients in the ashes artificially enhance and fertilize the soil, allowing crops to be grown there for a short time. These practices of slash and burn agriculture are also mostly present in areas of dense vegetation, such as in rainforests or grasslands, where producing crops is difficult due to the competition over land and resources between the plants. These areas are also places of great biodiversity and ecological importance, so the environmental impacts of slash and burn agriculture are tremendous. In addition, the loss of natural vegetation can result in widespread deforestation, soil erosion, and desertification in these areas. However, with sufficient planning and time given to let vegetation grow, slash and burn agriculture can help people with little access to arable land produce crops to either sell or support their families. Currently, approximately 7% of the world’s population practices subsistence slash and burn agriculture, mostly in areas where finding arable land is near impossible due to dense vegetation, poor soil nutrients, or a variety of other reasons. Ariann Barker
Mr. Tavernia
Ap World History Period 4 Packet B
Interaction: Agricultural Revolution
The Agricultural Revolution, or the Neolithic Revolution, was the human transcendence
from foraging to agricultural practices. Their main purpose in choosing agriculture over
their traditional hunting and gathering methods was to find a more sustainable, reliable
source of food. This prompted many changes in how humans interacted with the
environment. The agricultural revolution led to various processes that helped both
cultivate and destroy the Earth at the same time. Practices like overgrazing, which
ruined land, prompted more migration to more verdant, rich lands. However, once early
civilizations moved inward to better plots, they cultivated and destroyed the land they
moved onto. This vicious cycle is what prompted many early humans to migrate to
various places, including the River Valley Civilizations.
Eric Bazail
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History
Packet B
Interaction: The Huang He River Valley (Yellow)
The cradle of Chinese civilization, the Huang He (Yellow) River (see above) has been
responsible for some of the greatest accomplishments leading up to the formation of the modern
Chinese state. From this river emerged the Shang and the first organized agricultural and
irrigational technologies, a direct result of the regular flooding on its banks. Thanks to a strong,
centralized Shang bureaucracy, organized construction of dykes and irrigation channels became a
reality, and water was able to be utilized in the dry expanses of interior northern China. The
availability of water allowed for greater agricultural production, more specialization of labor, and
the creation of established Chinese cultures and societal structures.
Although the river provided water to early China, due to the lack of steady rainfall, the
Shang had to rely on millet and drought-resistant crops in order to provide food for their people.
Despite this, the river held other purposes in Chinese life, facilitating political and economic
development. Flowing from east to west without heavy currents, the Huang He helped facilitate
communication and trade across early Chinese civilization and allowed for the interior to access
the coast. This led to greater prosperity and allowed the Shang rulers to expand further,
stretching out of the core Yellow River Valley area and encompassing the land to the banks of
the Yangtze River. All this set the stage for the Zhou and future Chinese dynasties, changing
history forever.
Sydni Dichter
Tavernia
AP World history, period 4
Packet B
Interaction: Pangea
Pangea is the first continent. Pangea was the supercontinent that broke
apart into the seven continents we have today. It was located in the middle of the
earth and was surrounded by Panthalassa, the global ocean. Fossils provide
evidence that it existed because similar fossils were found in extremely different
parts of the world. Alfred Wegener was
the first to state that Pangea existed in
1912, creating the theory of continental
drift. Pangea began to break apart during
the Jurassic Period, when there were still
dinosaurs. When Pangea and
Panthalassa separated, it created many new climates, especially on the coasts.
Pangea broke apart in fragments, rather than all at once. It is theorized that in
about 250 million years, a new pangea supercontinent will form because the
continents are moving closer together all the time.
Ben Geller
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History P.4
28 September 2016
Interaction: Shifting Cultivation
Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily,
then abandoned and allowed to revert to their natural vegetation while the cultivator moves onto
another plot(Wikipedia). People can cultivate land faster than the land is able to regenerate and be able
to be planted on. This practice has many forms such as slash and burn agriculture. This is when people
slash down trees with machetes and then burn the trees. This act of burning the trees leads to swidden,
or a field of deforestation. This process actually makes the soil more fertile because of how healthy the
ash is. After the tribe uses the land up as much as possible, they use this slash and burn method to heal
the soil, so that they can come back later. While the soil is healing the tribe travel to a different area.
Shifting cultivation does not work with large populations because of the constant travel and lack of
healthy land. This practice occurs in the less developed countries because they do not have the money
to depend on agriculture. Also some countries cannot produce enough for themselves and their leaders
with agriculture, so they have to depend on these other methods. This is shown in Africa how they
trade tea to the United States for the USAs benefit, while Africa gets money back from America. The
problem is the people getting the money are the head of the family and they use it for their benefit.
This leaves the family in a circular repeating process that feeds only the highly ranked in society and the
USA. This is the situation here families and/ or small populations would have to depend on their
environment and interact with it. These processes like shifting cultivation involve interaction with the
environment and the people doing the process. These agricultural processes themselves cause a sort of
interaction. The production from these methods also produce economic benefits. The actual
production of the agriculture falls under the economic theme.
Annita Huang
Mr. Tavernia
AP World/Period 4
Packet: B
Theme 1: Agricultural Revolution
Agricultural revolution is a period when hunter-gatherers began farming and
domesticating plants animals. There are a lot of negative effects to agricultural revolution such as
deforestation which happened because humans wanted to build shelter and plant their own food
which would also require a lot of land. Humans had cut down many trees in order to achieve
their land. Deforestation caused animals that lived around the area to lose theirs homes and
caused the forest to dry up which then the land turned into a desert. Desertification was resulted
from deforestation and overgrazing of animals. Desertification caused soil erosion which then
led to a depletion of nutrients. Not only did agricultural revolution cased this but also a decrease
in biodiversity in the ecosystem. This was due to settlers relying on certain crops and plants from
the environment. Since the settlers relied on those certain plants so much they grew more and
more of them causing the other plants and crops to disappear.
Laila Inan
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History
Packet: B
Interaction: Shifting Cultivation
Shifting Cultivation is the process of humans cutting down vegetation in a
certain part of their environment, usually a forest, burning it down to bring
nutrients into the soil, and then farming on the land. This is considered an
interaction theme since it shows how humans are interacting and
manipulating their environment. It is something used commonly today. This
farming method was developed primarily in rain forest zones of Central and
South America, West Africa, eastern and Central Asia, and much of southern
China and Southeast Asia. The soil of burnt vegetation becomes temporarily
fertile, but then nutrients depleted and farmers moved onto another forest.
This can lead to soil erosion or desertification. It has many negative effects
on the environment. After being cultivated for a few years, the land
abandoned for a new area until its fertility has been naturally restored. It is
also known as slash-and-burn agriculture, and swidden agriculture.
Emily Irigoyen
Tavernia
AP World History/4
Packet B
Overgrazing: Theme 1 (Interaction)
After years of using agriculture practices in the same plot of land, a concept
would occur called overgrazing. This is when more stock was placed on a plot of
land than the plot could contain. The pastures would then mostly have a weedy
type of vegetation that wasn't suitable for agriculture. After the overgrazing
caused desertification and speeded up soil erosion, early people were forced to
migrate to lands with the ability to produce more agricultural products. This was a
very pressing issue since agriculture was a large part of many Neolithic people’s
routine in order to meet their food requirement. This led to systemic migration,
usually near areas with large bodies of water since irrigation and
nutrient-enriched soil was more accessible there. This is a great example of
human interaction with the environment which caused negative effects both on
the people and their surroundings.
Sloane Knapp
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History/ Period 4
Packet B
INTERACTION: Pangea
Back before the world had separate continents with vast oceans surrounding
them, it was hypothesized that only one landmass existed. This supercontinent is known
as Pangea, which was all modern continents combined into one. Pangea was existent
in primeval times, as it formed about 270 million years ago and broke apart about 70
million years later. It consisted of two parts, being northern Laurasia and southern
Gondwana. It is believed that the continents are slowly but surely moving, which led to
the breaking of Pangea and the creation of multiple continents and oceans. This theory
is called continental drift and it was theorized by Alfred Wegener in 1912.
Trishala Kumar
Mr. Tavernia
Ap World Period 3
Interaction: Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia translates to “the land between two rivers.” Mesopotamia is the area
between the Tigris and Euphrates River which accounts for the name. The area between
the rivers was alluvial and verdant, which made it ideal for settlement. The area that
Mesopotamia occupied corresponds to modern day Iraq, Kuwait and parts of Syria.
Mesopotamia is both a primary cultural and agricultural hearth. Mesopotamia consists of
many different cities/civilizations including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and
Assyrians. The first Mesopotamian civilization was Sumer. Cuneiform was the writing
form used by the Mesopotamians. The first Neolithic revolution occurred in
Mesopotamia. in around 10,000 B.C. Early Mesopotamian cities show evidence of
irrigation. Along with agriculture, nomadic pastoralism was also practiced in the area.
The most important crops in Mesopotamia were wheat and barley. The main animals that
were raised in Mesopotamia were sheep, goats, and cows.
Angela Lin
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History P.4
Packet B
Interaction Between Humans and the Environment: Plow
The plow is ​a large farming tool with one or more blades fixed in a frame used for cutting
furrows in the soil and turning it over, allowing seeds to be planted into the ground. It was
usually a curved beam attached to a blade. The plow ​was invented in Mesopotamia during 6000
BCE. It was made entirely of wood with the plow blade made of wood hardened by fire. The
plow was pulled by two men. Around 5500 BCE, the plow was pulled by oxen and the blade
made of sharpened flint. The first plow with a metal blade was made in northern China in 3000
BCE. Plowing was a more efficient way to quickly ready a field for crops. The plow helped
create food surpluses which was a factor that led to civilization of the Eastern hemisphere. With
the food surpluses, formation of cities and new technologies were developed. As the plow
advanced, so did the domestication of plants and animals and civilization in general.
In Mesopotamia, seeds were dropped through a funnel that was attached to the plow to
decrease the time and effort made to plant crops. As technology advanced, the plow turned into
the yolk and the wheel.
In Mesopotamia, farming was primarily located near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
where they grew wheat, dates, and barley. As time progressed, the soil of Mesopotamia became
over salinated due to the intense farming created by plow, and could no longer support farming.
This coincides with the decline of Mesopotamian civilizations. The situation in China was
completely different as they were more conservative in their efforts with the plow. They rotated
crops through the terraces above the Huang and Yangtze Rivers, even developing new
techniques for plowing rice paddies. The land can still be used to farm unlike certain places in
the middle east. In Mesoamerica, the Olmec used the plow to farm corn which led to the
formation of large cities. In the Indus River Valley, the plow, borrowed from Mesopotamia, was
used to farm wheat and barley creating a trade network between cities.
Olivia Lloyd Mr. Tavernia AP World/Period 4 Packet B Theme One: Pangaea In 1912, Alfred Wegener developed a theory called the theory of continental drift. In his theory, he proposed that all of the current continents were once joined in one supercontinent called Pangaea. When Wegener first proposed this theory, it received skepticism, but as similar fossils were found in places across the ocean from each other, he appeared to have been close in his idea. Additionally supporting Pangaea were similar rocks and minerals found on different continents. For instance, coal deposits seen in the Eastern United States and Western Europe suggests the two continents were at one point joined. The continents also seem to fit together, like a puzzle. Pangaea was divided into two parts, Gondwana, which consisted of South America, Africa, Antarctica, India, and Australia; and Laurasia, which was made up of North America, Europe, and Asia. This supercontinent was surrounded by an ocean called Panthalassa. Pangaea was not the first supercontinent to exist; scientists have since proposed previous supercontinents and break ups, which repeat at a pattern of about 400 million years. Around 270 million years ago, Pangaea was fully formed, and around 200 million years ago, it began to break up. This was caused by the shifting of the tectonic plates in the earth’s upper mantle. The plates shifted gradually into their current positions, and they are still moving today. Thea McKenna Mr. Tavernia AP World P4 Packet B Interaction: Levant During the Old and Middle Kingdoms, Egypt’s foreign policy was essentially isolationist. This meant that all foreigners were considered enemies, but Egypt’s interests abroad focused on maintaining access to valuable resources rather than on acquiring territory. Because of this, they traded with the coastal towns of the Levant (modern Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and Syria) to bring in cedar wood. Today, "Levant" is the term typically used by archaeologists and historians with reference to the history of the region. Scholars have adopted the term Levant to identify the region due to it being a wider, yet relevant, cultural corpus that does not have the political overtones of Syria­Palestine. So Levant is basically just the name of the region that extends from Greece to Libya. Many cultural groups occupy the area. Until the creation of the modern State of Israel in 1948, Jews lived throughout the Levant alongside Muslims and Christians; since then, almost all have been expelled from their homes and sought refuge in Israel. Some communities and populations speak Aramaic, Greek, Armenian, Circassian, French, English, or other languages in addition to Levantine Arabic. Hijaan Mitha
Mr. Tavernia (P. 4)
Period One
Packet B
Panthalassa is the vast ocean
that surrounded Pangea, the
supercontinent, prior to its split.
It is considered to be a part of the
ancestry of the Pacific Ocean,
often called “Paleo-Pacific”
meaning “old Pacific.” As
Pangea initially broke into
Gondwana and Laurasia, the
Tethys seaway formed. Further
splits resulted in the Paleo-Tethys
Ocean. As separations of the
landmasses continued to occur,
ocean boundaries became more
defined and led to the names we
have now. Today, most of the
oceanic basin and crust has been
subducted under the North
American and Eurasian Plates.
Scientists consider remnants of
Panthalassa to be Juan de Fuca,
Gorda and Cocos, all tectonic
plates under the surface of the
Earth.
Nile River
The Nile River is a river in Northeastern Africa, which was the basis for the
ancient Egyptian civilization. This 4,258 mile river is the only river in the world that
flows from the south to the north. The river is characterized by large expanses of
cataracts and rapids which separated Upper and Lower Egypt in ancient times.
The Nile River was an absolutely necessary part of Egyptian culture and
everyday life. Without the Nile River, the Egyptians would never have invented things
like papyrus from the papyrus reed or have been able to farm. Every year the banks of
the Nile would flood. Because of this, there would be a layer of silt from the bottom of
the river that would move onto the land and cover the land. When the waters receded
the layer of silt was left on land which fertilized the soil, and allowed the Egyptians to
produce good crops. Also the river served as a source of food for the Egyptians. The
Egyptians would catch giant fish in nets and use them for food.
The river was also used as a way to trade once they invented boats. The land of
Aswan was very hot and received slim to no rain. Yet due to its proximity to the Nile
River and the fact that it was home to a very special type of granite called Syenite,
Aswan became a very profitable area. The special type of granite was hewn into blocks
and shipped down the river in ships to be used in both the pyramids and in the great
halls of the pharaohs palace.
The Nile played a religious role in the lives of Egyptians. Hapi was the god of the
Nile and was constantly being worshipped for the gifts that he bestowed upon the
people. He is traditionally seen with a papyrus plant growing out of his head and
holding genii which symbolizes the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Hapi was
worshiped the most during the time of the flood due to the layer of silt that was
deposited by the river and made land that was once dry and dusty, now able to be
cultivated and produce good crops.
Samantha Ross
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History P.4
Packet: B
Interaction: Slash and Burn Agriculture
Slash and burn agriculture was a farming method developed primarily in the rain
forest zones of Central and South America, West Africa, eastern and Central Asia, and
much of southern China and Southeast Asia. This method was also known as shifting
cultivation. This agricultural system is a process by which trees, plants, and crops are
slashed and burned to the ground when the land is no longer arable. ​The new layer of
ash provides the plot of land with a nutrient-rich layer to help grow crops. ​This process
allows farmers to plant crops somewhere else in the meantime and return to a plot of
land full of nutrients and fertile soil. The process repeats when the new land they use to
plant crops becomes infertile once again. Although the slash and burn agriculture is
quite useful and helpful, it can also be extremely harmful. For example, when using it
over a large area of land, the animals currently living there may become harmed and
their homes will be taken as well. Also, this system releases much smoke which would
ultimately increase the amount of air pollution. Lastly the slash and burn agriculture may
result in soil erosion and deforestation.
Kaitlyn Seese Mr. Tavernia AP World History P.4 Packet: B Mesopotamia Mesopotamia, meaning “the land between rivers” in Greek, is ​an ancient region of Southwest Asia in present­day Iraq, lying between the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates. To the north of Mesopotamia and the east are the Zagros Mountains, which separate the plain from the Iranian Plateau. To the west and southwest are the Syrian and Arabian deserts. Historians believe Mesopotamia is where humanity originated. Some of these ancient civilizations include the Sumerians, who lived in Mesopotamia at the start of the historical period (the period for which we have written evidence). By 5000 BCE, archaeologists believed the Sumerians were in southern Mesopotamia. They created the framework for civilization during the fourth and third millennia BCE. Another ancient civilization in Mesopotamia is the Semitic civilization. The Semites were believed to be the descendants of nomadic groups who migrated into the Mesopotamian plain from the western desert. In 2000 BCE, the Semitic people became politically dominant, and their main language was Akkadian. Later on in Mesopotamian society, the Babylonians, led by Hammurabi, who established the Hammurabi Code, became a dominant society. The Babylonian society was divided into three social classes: 1) the free, landowning class; 2) the class of dependent farmers and artisans; and 3) the class of slaves. Babylonian also invented cuneiform, an ancient system of writing that was mainly used for record keeping. Sydney Stewart
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History Period 4
Packet B
Interaction: Nile River
The Nile river beings in Burundi and ends in Egypt and is the world’s longest river. The river
starts at Lake Victoria and drains into the Mediterranean. The core civilization found in The Nile
river valley is the Egyptians, who relied on the river for most everything. Most Egyptians live
near the Nile currently with 1 million people living around the Nile River Valley. The ancient
Egyptians used the waters from the Nile River to provide water to sustain crops. Heavy yearly
rains from Ethiopia sent down flood that would leave fertile silt. The seas around the Egyptian
civilization served as a barrier from disease and war. The Egyptians who inhabited the Nile
Valley invented a 365 day calendar based on astronomy, developed geometry for field creation
and canals, and used hieroglyphics. They people who lived here also but Pyramid monuments for
three of their great pharaohs, Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. Menes, the first Pharaoh of Egypt,
united Upper and Lower Egypt. Lower and Upper Egypt, was actually Northern and Southern
Egypt, respectively. They were called this because Lower Egypt was down river from the Nile
and Upper Egypt was closer to where the Nile started. The annual flooding of the Nile was called
the Akhet, or the inundation. The Nile no longer floods because of the building of the Aswan
Dam in the 1960’s. Hapi was the Nile god. So the Egyptians when a flood came used to thank
Hapi for bringing fertility to the land. The Nile is 6695 kilometers long or 4160 miles long. The
name Nile came from “Neilos” the Greek word for river. The Nile banks contain the largest
crocodiles in Africa. There are several major cities located along the edge of the River Nile.
These cities are Thebes/Luxor, Gondokoro, Cairo, Khartoum, Karnak and Aswan.
Shayaan Subzwari
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History/Period 4
Packet B
Interaction: Pangaea
Pangaea was a supercontinent that formed about 300 million years ago during the late Paleozoic
era. Much of Pangaea was in the southern hemisphere, in contrast to the world today, where most
of the landmass is concentrated in the northern half of the world. Pangaea was surroundings by a
super ocean, called Panthalassa. The Tethys sea surrounded part of Pangaea. Pangaea consisted
of 2 major smaller landmasses, the north of which was Laurasia, and the south was Gondwana.
Laurasia consisted of present day North America and Europe, while Gondwana consisted of
present day Africa, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. It was the last supercontinent to
exist before the world broke up into multiple smaller continents. Scientists believe there to have
been about 9 supercontinents in the history of the
world.
The word is derived from Greek for “entire land”. It
was first proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912, the
originator of the theory of continental drift, who said
that Pangaea had broken apart due to the continents
moving on the tectonic plates. Evidence for the
existence of Pangaea can be seen through the
continuous distribution of fossils across continents that are not in contact today, as well as the
continuity of mountain chains and geologies in present day continents.
Noah Teixeira Mr.Tavernia AP World History Period 4 Packet B Interaction: Agricultural Revolution ​The Agricultural Revolution is when early humans changed from food gathering to food production. This revolution occurred between 8000 and 2000 BCE and occurred with the Neolithic Revolution. Although it seems as if the Agricultural Revolution only occurred once, it actually occurred several times with several different civilizations over the course of 6000 years. Sometimes, the domestication of animals was included with the adoption of agriculture. Different people from around the world domesticated plants as well. For example, cassava in Brazil.Also, the Agricultural revolution led to new technologies, such as the plow and permanent settlement. These qualities relate it to the interaction theme of AP World History. While the Agricultural Revolution has led to amazing things, it has also led to the depletion of the earth. Overgrazing and lack of crop diversity has stripped nutrients from the soil and has left the world with deserts and inarable land.