Lecture

Humanising the Globe: From Hunter-Gatherers to Civilisations

Graph Chat

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.

In course

MGT-464: Globalisation, robotics and the future of work

This course introduces students to economic globalisation with an emphasis on the role of digital technology and its impact on the future of work. ...

Description

This lecture explores the journey of humanity from hunter-gatherer societies to the rise of advanced civilisations, covering key phases such as human migration, the agricultural revolution, and the emergence of large cities. It delves into the impact of climate change, trade routes, and population movements on the development of societies over thousands of years.

Official source

Related concepts (32)

Civilization

A civilization (British English: civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of the state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). Civilizations are additionally characterized by other features, including agriculture, architecture, infrastructure, technological advancement, taxation, regulation, and specialization of labour.

Hunter-gatherer

A traditional hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living an ancestrally derived lifestyle in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, especially edible wild plants but also insects, fungi, honey, bird eggs, or anything safe to eat, and/or by hunting game (pursuing and/or trapping and killing wild animals, including catching fish). This is a common practice among most omnivores.

Climate change denial

Climate change denial or global warming denial is dismissal or unwarranted doubt that contradicts the scientific consensus on climate change. Those promoting denial commonly use rhetorical tactics to give the appearance of a scientific controversy where there is none. Climate change denial includes doubts to the extent of how much climate change is caused by humans, its effects on nature and human society, and the potential of adaptation to global warming by human actions.

Climate change

In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to Earth's climate. The current rise in global average temperature is more rapid than previous changes, and is primarily caused by humans burning fossil fuels. Fossil fuel use, deforestation, and some agricultural and industrial practices increase greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide and methane.

Indus Valley Civilisation

The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE. Together with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, it was one of three early civilisations of the Near East and South Asia, and of the three, the most widespread, its sites spanning an area from much of Pakistan, to northeast Afghanistan, and northwestern India.

Related lectures (64)

Sustainable Development Goals: Individual and Collective Actions

Emphasizes the role of individual and collective actions in achieving sustainability through the Sustainable Development Goals and the successes of the Millennium Development Goals.

Circular Economy: Strategies for Sustainability

Delves into sustainability strategies, the circular economy, climate change impact, and challenges, emphasizing the importance of a circular industrial sector.

Global Warming: Emissions and Mitigation Strategies

Discusses global warming, its emissions sources, and necessary mitigation strategies.

Neolithic Revolution

Explores the pivotal Neolithic Revolution, marking the transition from hunting to agriculture, the emergence of cities, and the domestication of plants and animals.

Circular Economy: Sustainable Transition and NetZero Solutions