Geography - Government - History - Economics
Anthropology - Climatology - Psychology - Religion - Military Science
NOTE TO READER: At first, in the more ancient times our coverage will be very general and succinct, as we approach the present time we will examine things in more detail. Our analyses will be multi- and interdisciplinary covering insights gleaned from: physics, astronomy and astrophysics, chemistry, anthropology, archaeology, philosophy, psychology, religion, economics, as well as history, government and warfare.
Written history only extends back 6000 years, thus much of what we discuss is induced from whatever evidence is left. In matters pertaining to science we use whatever is the current state of thought by the leading experts in the field. In matters of religion we look at the historical context, belief systems when spoken to are not presented as fact, rather from the viewpoint of the believer.
IN THE BEGINNING
4 BILLION years before present -- It is very hot, the planet rotates much faster than it does today, violence is the primary characteristic. Massive earthquakes, mile high tsunamis, and 500 mph winds are common. The ingredients for life are in the water, hydrogen, oxygen, with just a little carbon mixed in. All it needs is a spark. Lightning storms rage for a thousand eons. A billion billion billion sparks hit the oceans and coastal tidal pools, and finally, after a 100 million years the first life appears, a single cell. At about the same time, at the bottoms of the oceans, near hydro-thermal vents where it is warmer, (the bottoms of the seas have cooled), another single celled organism arises.
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1 Billion Years Before present - Life on land did not catch on, the atmosphere was too thin, the entire spectrum and wavelengths of the sun burned through, the pools dried up and so did the tiny creatures, -- but a few of the single celled organisms from the pools got swept out to sea. Most perished, but again a few survived. The newly displaced single celled organisms, deported from the surface to the sea, were hunted, were food for the original sea dwellers.
PANGAE was a supercontinent that assembled from earlier continental units approximately 335 million years ago, and it began to break apart about 175 million years ago. The animal which would evolve into us got trapped on the part that separated into Africa.
500 Million years BP - All the original land dwellers (single cells from tidal pools near the coast), now in the sea for half a billion years (20,000 human histories long) were eaten. Even so, a few survived, INSIDE the original sea dwellers, life was becoming more complex, the earliest fish and serpents, and crab-like creatures had evolved. The most successful of the sea creatures had a mutation which made a patch of their skin ultra sensitive to light. They swam deep to be free of pain, and survived. The less sensitive creatures stayed near the surface and died. Those sensitive to light patches of skin evolved into eyes. The fish and sea serpents could see. Similar mutations led to the other senses.
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250 Million Years BP - Some of the sea serpents, those with a tough outer skin, survived when washed ashore. Some algae did too. Life spread inexorably inland. The surface of the Earth was covered with dinosaurs and plants. The dinosaurs rule the Earth for nearly 200 million years.
The first vocations have taken shape: the hunter, the gatherer, the explorer, the nurturer, and the herder. The warrior has not appeared yet, the hunt is for food. Nor is there a farmer, we eat only what we find. The ancestor of man has not yet differentiated from other mammals. We are the same as the dog, cat, chimpanzee and pig, -- we are a rodent, scavengers, living among the scraps and detritus of the king reptiles. All of Earth's land is gathered together in one super continent, it is called Pangaea, this is when it begins to separate giving rise to the present day continents. In the midst of the old continent a new ocean opens up, this will be the Atlantic. As the continents expand they are moving into the old single super ocean, this is the Pacific. What was once the center of the super continent, is now located where the south Atlantic is. The southern tip of the old continent migrated south and is now the Antarctic. India headed northeast and slammed into China forming the Himalayas, a new force is shaping climate. The Americas separated forming a new contiguous land mass, distinct from the Africa-Asia-Europe land mass.
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65 Million Years BP - The Earth has already seen several major extinctions, another happens now when an asteroid strikes the Earth on the Yucatan Peninsula. Most of the planets species are obliterated, or die in the aftermath. Our ancestor, the sneaky little rat survived, and has been cut-off from the continent which will form into the Americas. A few do make the jump to the Americas, but, evolve alone, the Dodo, the woolly mammoth, etc.
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15 Million years BP - 99.9% of ALL TIME since the big bang has elapsed
10 Million years BP - Most of the species we recognize today have differentiated. The animal which evolves into man is among several sharing similar characteristics. They walk on two limbs, their other two limbs have a wide range of motion (from our swinging in the tree days). The highly developed thumb (from our tree days, good thumbs mean less slipping into the hungry mouths of predators) means we can grasp objects, the wide range of motion in our arms allow for throwing. This grasping and throwing (especially with high speed, accuracy and under duress) is an art form and highly prized in today's (modern) society: baseball pitchers, pigskin passers, tossing balls through hoops while running, etc. We have developed a limber voice box, and are developing complex social relationships. The increased complexity of their lives favor those with more brain capacity, we are getting smarter, using simple tools and exploring and throwing things. Since we are upright, we are exposed to the sun less, and our range expands. But not to the Americas, we missed that boat.
500,000 years Before Present (BP)- Thank the gods he thought, what a perfect day. He was proud of his clan. Powerful were they in his lands. His domain inhabited a green river valley. The watergod ensured that the life sustaining liquid flowed fast, clear and clean to feed the nearby fruit trees. The many gods of the many animals provided plentiful game. The sun god rose again in the sky, ensuring the cycle of life would long endure. It was a peaceful and plentiful time. Or at least it should have been.
The old man, the chief, had heard tales from his father, of others who would come someday to steal all they had, kill the men, rape and kidnap the women and children. So, even in this time of plentiful peace they prepared. The threats, gestures and shoves they used to settle petty family clan disputes would not suffice.
They fashioned clubs and spears from the nearby trees. They made rope from hemp and vines. They were able to sharpen stone objects and fasten them to sticks, the first axe. They also gathered many rocks for throwing. They set traps. They even trained. Other than an occasional lost soul looking for food wandering into the growing village, the enemy never came.
The chief of his clan had access to the choicest females, but, he grew old and weary. The younger men in the group were strong, bold, restless, ready to explode. And they coveted the chieftains harem. The tribe had a shaman, a witch doctor, he was not very powerful, yet, but his power was tied to that of the chief and he too feared the rising tide of discontent among the young men and convinced the old man to send a team of his most troublesome young men (the brave ones) to scout for the feared enemy before they invade. He used his knowledge of the seasons, the promise of returning fertility and basic psychology (pride, greed, stoke fear, isolate a feared other) to manipulate the leader and tribe.
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The scouts found little on their recon other than a few scattered groups of obviously less advanced peoples, no match for the mighty clan. The scouts killed a few of the others, and kidnapped a few of the females they deemed attractive. They returned home, embellishing of course, of their great conquest, the young men even more of a threat to the old man than before. To quell the fears of the villagers a new round of weapons making ensued, the warriors prestige and confidence now nearly on par with the chief and witch doctor. A new occupation arose also, the weapons maker, integral to the security of the clan.
And so it continued for millenia. The tribe grew and expanded around Lake Victoria, Africa, absorbing the many peoples of the vast region. They expanded up the River Nile, out of Africa, into the middle east and beyond, displacing, mixing with, killing and eating the less evolved men they encountered, the Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon and such.
There are more new vocations to consider: the leader, the spiritual guide and the warrior
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