agriculture
more stuff
Agriculture:
Many of the plant foods we take for granted came from the Columbian Exchange. The one everyone talks about is the potato and its effect on Ireland. Feed corn is another New World plant. If we look at the effect of the potato and corn on Europe and America (European culture in the New World) we see that these two starches made possible an explosion in the numbers of humans and domestic animals the culture could support.
In his book "Guns, Germs, and Steel," Jared Diamond points out that Europe won the domestic animal lottery with over a dozen species, including horses and cattle, while the New World had to make due with just five (none of which were very good draft animals). Domesticated animals have a dramatically positive impact on farming and encouraged prehistoric Eurasians to congregate into towns and cities.
Animals were also vectors for diseases that swept through these communities. Many humans died, the ones who survived had super charged immune systems that were made stronger and stronger as communities intermingled and new waves of disease passed through.
Diseases:
The immuno-supermen of Europe brought smallpox, cholera, and influenza and measles to the New World and took home syphilis. The scale of death in the Americas was overwhelming, 9 out of 10 people died in the hardest hit areas, and it was not uncommon to see 50% mortality in other areas.
The diseases spread faster than the conquistadors, who got the impression that the Americas were largely unpopulated. For a couple centuries, Europeans patted themselves on the back for being world conquerors, or explained that it was the superiority of their God, when in fact they were a handful of strange soldiers showing up among shell shocked widows and orphans in a post apocalyptic disaster zone.
kdhfvalskjhrg
‘sdakghrg
askjernv
Agriculture:
Many of the plant foods we take for granted came from the Columbian Exchange. The one everyone talks about is the potato and its effect on Ireland. Feed corn is another New World plant. If we look at the effect of the potato and corn on Europe and America (European culture in the New World) we see that these two starches made possible an explosion in the numbers of humans and domestic animals the culture could support.
In his book "Guns, Germs, and Steel," Jared Diamond points out that Europe won the domestic animal lottery with over a dozen species, including horses and cattle, while the New World had to make due with just five (none of which were very good draft animals). Domesticated animals have a dramatically positive impact on farming and encouraged prehistoric Eurasians to congregate into towns and cities.
Animals were also vectors for diseases that swept through these communities. Many humans died, the ones who survived had super charged immune systems that were made stronger and stronger as communities intermingled and new waves of disease passed through.
Diseases:
The immuno-supermen of Europe brought smallpox, cholera, and influenza and measles to the New World and took home syphilis. The scale of death in the Americas was overwhelming, 9 out of 10 people died in the hardest hit areas, and it was not uncommon to see 50% mortality in other areas.
The diseases spread faster than the conquistadors, who got the impression that the Americas were largely unpopulated. For a couple centuries, Europeans patted themselves on the back for being world conquerors, or explained that it was the superiority of their God, when in fact they were a handful of strange soldiers showing up among shell shocked widows and orphans in a post apocalyptic disaster zone.
kdhfvalskjhrg
‘sdakghrg
askjernv