At the core of this theory is the fact that Asia and Europe share roughly the same latitude, particularly in regards to conditions suitable for agriculture. Grain and rice crops key to the development of civilization could be grown over vast stretches of Asia and Europe. As civilizations grew from their original river-valley beginnings, those in Asia and Europe were able to develop and spread relatively rapidly as people traded surplus food and goods, along with useful ideas and inventions. Growing conditions for people in north/south axis continents were far more localized for far longer periods. Those inhabitants found it much more difficult to transplant agricultural knowledge successfully outside their latitude. The food in one zone simply would not grow in another zone without a tremendous amount of time and effort invested in experimentation and hybridization.
The value of Diamond’s concept is that it puts to rest certain old notions of racial superiority, held both in the east and the west. According to Diamond, the people of Asia and Europe developed dominant world civilizations not because of inherent human qualities, but because they happened to be born on the continents that supported the most rapid human development. Geography, therefore, is a critical piece of understanding for students and teachers of history. If we are what we eat, we certainly are where we live.
The following links are only a few suggestions for studying and teaching the geography related to this website. Additional resources are available at the Helpful Resources link.
Primary Source’s Big Maps Curriculum (partial)—Adaptable to any region
Maps of Asia—Good for classroom work/projects
Silk Road Resources
Blank maps for student work—All Levels
Silk Route map—High School
Silk Route economics and geography lesson—Elementary (Grades 3-5)
Extensive Silk Route lesson, with additional links--Grades 1-5
Monkey Tree: Word history and culture lessons; good section on the contemporary Silk Road—All Ages
Silk Route Geography/Math Lesson—Middle School
Map of Marco Polo’s Journey, detailed—High School
Additionally Interesting
National Geographic Map Machine—Online mapping
Google Earth—Zoom in on any place on earth with the free download
Weather Underground—Weather reports for practically anywhere!
* Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1997.
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