The Super Summary of World History - Alan Dale Daniel [13]
Arguing any of these theories presents little challenge. History, as we know it in 2010, fits none of the categories perfectly. Those claiming repetition have an endless number of past civilizations as proof, and those saying history is advancing to an end must await that event because there is no other way to know if they are right. Saying history is a bunch of stuff that happened, without patterns or themes, is another idea that will have to wait for a non-end. Hard to do.
Let Us Learn From History
What can we learn from Pre-history? Remember that unknown and unrecorded events have large impacts on history, thus your actions, even if unrecorded, will have an influence on the future for good or evil. Someone had to be the first farmer. Thank goodness for that ancestor. Because of that person we have enough food to avoid hunting every day of our lives. Be thankful for nice living accommodations. By nice, I mean anything better than a hole with dry grass for a floor. Even very small things in our lives, such as indoor running water and flushing toilets, would be magical to our prehistoric ancestors. Think upon how great we have it, and it is all because those unknown guys and gals so long ago never gave up trying to do better. (What did the gals do? Naturally, they nagged the guys for more stuff.)
Books and References:
http://www.txstate.edu/anthropology/cas/cas_projects.html—or for photos of Acheulian hand axes and other Paleolithic artifacts.
Or see http://www.txstate.edu/anthropology/cas/cas_projects.html for similar stone age objects.
The New Penguin History of the World, Roberts, J. M, Penguin Books, 2007. Foundational.
The National Geographic Almanac of World History, Daniels and Hyslop, National Geographic, Washington, DC.
The Times Complete History of the World, Richard Overy, Barnes and Noble, New York, 2007.
The Outline of History, the Whole Story of Man, Vol. 1 & 2, by H.G. Wells, Doubleday and Company, 1956. These volumes have been brought up to date, at least to 1956, by Raymond Postgate. Even though dated, this is a wonderful read.
The Oxford Atlas of World History, Concise Edition, O’Brien, Institute of Historical Research, University of London, 2007.
The Oxford Desk Encyclopedia of World History, Oxford University Press, 2006.
National Geographic Almanac of World History, by P.S. Daniels and S.G. Hyslop, National Geographic, 2003.
The Penguin Atlas of World History, Vol 1 and 2, by Kinder & Hilgemann, Penguin Books, 1964, 2003. This is the BEST two volume atlas on World History. Fantastically illustrated; this is a must read for anyone interested in history. These two volumes cover every important event that can be mapped up to the year 2002. The volumes are small, but well worth the trouble of getting a magnifying glass to look at them. AD2
The World, An Illustrated History, Edited by Geoffrey Parker, Harper and Row, New York, 1986.
Bones of Contention, Lebenow, Baker Books, 2004
Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth, Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution Is Wrong, Wells, Regnery Publishing, 2002.
Darwin’s Black Box, The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution, Behe, Free Press, 2006
The Times History of the World, Overy, 2008, Times Books.
Chapter 2
Ancient History 8000 BC to AD 455
From 8000 BC to 4000 BC, anatomically modern humans began an agricultural revolution in the Middle East that spread throughout the globe setting the foundation for cities and city-states. Eventually, these city states evolved into larger political entities which then developed ruling classes (elites—can’t get away from ’em), armies, priests, and bureaucrats (such as the ever present tax collectors). Along the way, the invention of writing led to what we now identify as history. In our short historical survey the terms Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, advanced civilizations and whatnot are often used. Please understand that while ancient Greece may be in the Bronze Age (using