Origins

by Lewis Dartnell

tea 112

  and Tibet 91–3

  waterwheels 165, 257

  and Xiongnu 202, 206

  china, bone 149

  see also porcelain chokepoints, naval 98, 115, 118–19, 121, 217n, 273

  Christianity 185n, 217

  cinnamon 113, 114, 193, 241

  civilisations, early 25–30, 26–7, 70–74, 90, 98–9, 132

  Clarke, Arthur C. 94

  clathrate ice 85–6

  clay 130, 131–2, 152, 266

  soils 154–5, 166

  Cleopatra VII, of Egypt 101, 147

  ‘Cleopatra’s Needles’ 147

  Cleveland, Ohio 55

  climate changes 2–3, 9–10, 11–12, 18–19, 21–5, 61, 63, 64, 70–71, 72, 84–5, 86, 143–4, 279–81; see also ice ages Clinton, Hillary 122

  cloves 114, 115n, 241, 247

  clubmosses 262

  clunch 152

  coal 78, 149, 258–60, 279

  formation of 261–8, 267, 274, 280

  politics of 269, 270, 270–72, 271

  cobalt 159, 175

  coccolithophores 138, 139, 140, 144

  coccoliths 274, 275

  cockroaches 262

  cocoa 66n

  coconuts 81

  Cocos Plate 28

  cod 95, 97

  coffee plantations, Brazilian 252, 253

  coins 168n, 182

  Coleridge, Samuel Taylor

  Kublai Khan 210

  The Rime of the Ancient Mariner 97n, 234

  Cologne Cathedral 127

  Colombia: platinum 178n

  Colosseum, Rome 133

  Columbian Exchange 113n

  Columbus, Christopher 52, 227–31, 236, 239, 241

  comets 94, 143n, 178n

  compasses, navigation 118n, 169

  concrete 56, 139, 140–41, 272

  reinforced 130n, 167

  Congo 7, 11

  conifers 79, 130, 141, 195

  Constantinople (Istanbul) 185n, 193n, 205, 207, 211, 213

  cooking food 15, 17, 69, 131, 132

  cooling, global see Cenozoic cooling; ice ages copper/copper ore 157, 158, 159, 160–62, 163–4, 174, 175, 179, 182, 201n

  smelting 131, 156, 157, 161

  coppicing 256

  coral/coral reefs 193, 252n, 280

  Cordilleran ice sheet 49

  coriander 115n

  Corinth 117

  Coriolis effect 233, 235, 237

  Cornwall

  Eden Project 150n

  granite 267n

  kaolin 149, 150n

  tin mines 158, 267n

  Corsica 208

  Cotswolds, the 152

  cotton 82, 112, 125, 126, 193, 252, 253–4, 255, 259, 263, 269

  courgettes 66n

  cows see cattle

  Cretaceous Period 40, 42, 80, 123, 124, 137, 138, 139, 141n, 143n, 144, 145, 152, 178n, 274, 276–9, 278

  Crete 99, 161–3

  Crimean Peninsula 129

  crocodiles 72, 85

  crops 255

  domestication of 52, 63–4, 65–9, 68–9

  rotation 255

  see also cereal crops; grain(s) Cuba 230

  Cumans 203

  Cumberland: coalfields 272

  cumin 115n

  current sailing see sailing and navigation cyanobacteria 171, 173

  Cyclades, the 99

  Cyprus 99, 160

  copper mining 158, 160–62, 163

  Troodos Mountains 160, 163

  Da Gama, Vasco 239–41, 244

  Danube River/Valley 185 and n, 196, 204, 206, 207, 208

  Dardanelles, the 117, 118, 120

  ‘Dark Ages’ 219

  Dartmoor 147, 151

  dates (fruit) 81

  Dead Sea 106, 110n

  Deccan Traps 143n

  deer 83

  Delhi: Akshardham 136

  Denisovan hominins 16, 23, 47, 50–51, 51, 53

  deserts 1, 12, 29, 61, 72, 73, 80, 81, 89, 100, 107, 148n, 184, 189, 190–92, 195, 215–16, 232, 285

  see also specific deserts

  Detroit, Michigan 55

  Dias, Bartolomeu 225–7, 229, 239

  diatoms 140, 171, 274

  dinoflagellates 85, 274

  dinosaurs 40, 80, 82, 141, 143n

  Diomede Islands 48

  Djibouti 11, 18

  DNA, hominins’ 45–7

  Dogger Bank/Doggerland 95, 96, 97

  dogs 74

  doldrums, the 224, 234–5, 239

  donkeys 76, 83, 88, 89, 192

  Dover, Strait of 57, 59

  dragonflies, giant 262–3, 265

  Drake, Sir Francis 55, 249

  Dublin: Leinster House 136n

  Durham: coalfields 272

  Dutch East India Company 250

  dysprosium 175

  Dzungaria, China 197, 214

  Dzungarian Gate, China–Kazakhstan border 189, 196–7, 203, 204

  Eanes, Gil 223–4

  Earth 282–3, 284, 286–7

  circumference 227, 228

  creation 94, 168

  first circumnavigation 232, 248

  magnetic field 169

  orbit round the Sun 19, 21, 22, 24, 35, 36–9, 37

  tilt 19, 35, 36–9, 37, 38, 44–5; see also Milankovitch cycles see also climate changes; tectonic plates earthenware pots 131, 149

  earthquakes 8, 25, 28, 29, 30

  East Africa 7–8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16

  climate 12, 18–25, 44

  tectonic processes 10–13, 18–21, 24, 25, 30, 189

  East African Rift 2n, 10–13, 17n, 18, 20, 20–25, 44, 108, 189, 287

  East China Sea 114, 187

  East India Company 222n

  East Indies 111

  Eastern Desert 107, 133

  Eastern Orthodox Church 185n

  Eastern Steppe 197

  eccentricity cycle 19, 21, 22, 36, 37, 39

  Ecuador: platinum 178n

  Edinburgh 151

  Egypt/ancient Egypt 26, 28n, 64, 72–3, 100, 101, 107, 110, 119, 157, 184

  buildings 132–3

  pharaohs 72, 101, 127, 129, 147

  pyramids 127–8, 129, 133, 138

  sculpture 133, 147–8

  electricity 156, 174, 271n, 272, 281, 282–3, 284, 286

  electronic devices 157, 168, 175, 176, 178, 180, 181–2

  elephants 33, 72, 256n

  Elgon, Mount 12

  elm 130

  Empire State Building, New York 134

  Energy Return on Investment (EROI) index 274

  English Channel 56, 57, 58–9, 134, 137

  Eocene Epoch 129

  equator, the 189, 232, 233, 234, 235, 238

  equids 88–9, 197–8

  Eratosthenes 227

  Eridu 71

  Eritrea 11

  EROI index see Energy Return on Investment Erzgebirge Mountains: tin mines 158

  ethane 276

  Ethiopia 10, 11, 13, 14, 18, 28n, 72

  Etna, Mount 117

  Etruscans 27, 28

  Euphrates, River 27, 65, 90, 107

  Eurasia 9, 26, 27, 28, 39, 42, 47, 56, 77, 106, 143, 183, 194

  climate 2, 48, 196–7

  fauna and flora 49, 53n, 79, 87–90

  warfare 76

  Exeter Cathedral 134

  Exploration, Age of 96, 216, 217, 246

  extinctions, mass 40, 82, 85, 141, 142–3 and n, 144, 145, 178n

  factories (coastal forts) 253

  farming see agriculture

  feldspar 148

  Ferdinand II, of Aragon 227

  ferns 78, 79, 262

  Ferrel cells 235–6, 248

  Fertile Crescent 63, 65, 66, 67, 158, 269

  fertilisers, artificial 120, 178–9

  feudalism 212

  Finland 195, 286

  fir trees 79, 130, 141

  fire 15, 17, 69, 131–2, 173–4

  firebricks 131–2

  fish/fishing 95–6, 97, 275, 280

  fla
x 82

  flint 17n, 137, 139–40, 156, 164

  Florida 237

  flour 63, 68–9, 257

  flowers see plants and flowers

  foraminifera/forams 85, 128–9, 133, 138, 139, 140, 144, 275

  forests see rainforests; trees/forests fossils 13–14, 18, 40, 52n, 137–8, 141, 150n, 160

  France 56, 57, 58, 185, 207, 208, 267, 269, 284

  corsairs 249

  fur trappers 195

  maritime trade 245

  waterwheels 257

  wine regions 137

  frankincense 192, 193

  Franks 207, 208

  frogs 85

  fruit/fruit trees 78, 81

  fungi 263, 264

  fur trade 195

  Galilee, Lake 110n

  gallium 176, 180

  Ganges Basin 268

  Ganges River 26, 66, 267

  Gansu Corridor 184–5, 188, 203, 204

  gas, natural 274, 276, 279, 280

  Gaul 185, 207

  Gazelles 61, 72, 275

  genetic diversity 45–7

  Genghis Khan 205, 209

  Genoa/Genoese 99, 211, 212, 217, 227, 229

  geological map, first 150 and n

  Germanic tribes 185n, 206–7, 208, 269

  Germany 58, 59, 127, 185n, 208, 273, 284

  Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland 143

  Gibraltar 217n

  Strait of 99, 101, 106, 118, 158, 217 and n, 220

  ginger 112–13, 114, 241

  ginkgo 79

  giraffes 83

  Giza, Egypt: pyramids 127–8, 129, 133, 138

  glaciation/glaciers 31, 32, 40, 54–7, 58, 60, 91, 146, 171–2, 184, 264–5

  glass/glass-making/glassware 115, 132, 140, 193, 255

  glazing pottery 131

  globalisation 246

  global warming 31, 38, 86, 281n; see also climate changes; greenhouse gases gneiss 133

  Goa, India 245

  goats 67, 74, 75, 77, 83, 88, 117

  Gobi Desert 184, 185, 189, 191, 197

  GOE see Great Oxidation Event

  gold 159, 168 and n, 174, 175, 178, 182, 192, 193, 218

  Gona, Ethiopia 18

  Gondwana 139, 264, 265, 267

  gourds 66n

  grain(s) 63, 65, 65, 67–8, 73, 74, 116–18, 120, 166, 200, 205, 208, 257; see also cereal crops Grampian Mountains 148

  Granada, Spain 218 and n granite 127–8, 132, 133, 145–8, 158, 267n

  grasses 67, 77, 80–81, 87–8, 90

  grasslands 15, 77; see also savannah; steppes Great Hungarian Plain 196, 205

  Great Indian Desert 29

  Great Oxidation Event (GOE) 171–2, 173, 280n

  Great Pyramid, Giza 127–8, 129, 138

  Great Sandy Desert, Australia 190

  Great Wall of China 203–4, 208

  Greece/ancient Greeks 27, 28, 73, 99, 100, 107, 110–11, 115–18, 135

  armies 116n, 118

  city-states 73, 116–17

  Huns 207

  greenhouse effect 10, 40, 42, 84–5, 142, 171

  greenhouse gases 38, 40, 42, 44, 279–80

  see also carbon dioxide; methane Greenland 32, 40, 96, 143

  Grenville Mountains 153

  Guatemala 28

  guilds, medieval 212

  Guinea, Gulf of 224, 239, 253

  guinea fowl 74

  guinea pigs: and scurvy 241n

  Gulf Stream 43, 61, 237, 238, 286

  Gunflint Iron Formation 170n

  gunpowder 194, 200n, 211, 213

  gymnosperms 79, 141

  gyres, ocean 237, 238n, 247

  Hadley cells 232–3, 235–6, 285

  haematite 170

  Haifa, Israel 101

  Han dynasty (China) 93, 183, 184, 186, 187 and n, 190–91, 203–4

  Harappan civilization 26–7, 64

  Hawaii 107n, 222n

  helium 167, 180n

  Hellespont, the 117, 118, 120

  hemp 82

  Henry VII, of England 231

  Herat, Afghanistan 190, 194

  herbicides 120, 274

  herbs 115n

  Herculaneum 162

  Herodotus 73

  hickory 130

  hides/leather 75, 77, 88, 140, 193, 255

  structures 130

  Himalayas, the 9, 10, 11, 26, 32, 42, 48, 159, 184, 191, 195, 203, 242, 243, 268, 285

  Hindu Kush 190, 203

  hippopotamuses 33, 83n

  Hispaniola 230

  Hitler, Adolf 215

  Holland see Netherlands

  Holocene Epoch 32, 40, 42, 64–5

  Homer: Iliad 200n

  hominins 7–8, 12–16, 22, 23, 30, 44, 53

  bipedalism 14–15, 16

  brains and intelligence 15, 16, 17, 19–20, 22, 24, 25

  DNA 45–7

  as hunters 15, 17

  migration from Africa 22, 23, 45–6, 47, 52, 63

  and see below

  Homo erectus 15–18, 22, 23, 47

  Homo habilis 15, 16

  Homo heidelbergensis 16

  Homo neanderthalensis see Neanderthals Homo sapiens/humans 7, 8, 16, 22, 23, 25, 47, 49–54, 84

  Hormuz, Strait of 107, 119, 120–21

  ‘horse latitudes’ 235

  horses 49, 75, 76, 77, 83, 86–7, 88, 89–90, 192, 197–200, 201–2, 205, 213, 214

  Hudson Bay, Canada 49

  Humboldt Current 247, 249

  Hungary 185n, 202, 209

  Huns 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208

  hunter-gatherers 15, 61, 62, 63, 70, 74, 75, 80, 197

  hydrogen 167, 175

  hydrogen chloride 142

  hydrogen sulphide 280

  Iberian Peninsula 104, 105, 185, 208, 217

  see also Portugal; Spain ice ages 19, 23, 24, 31–5, 34–5, 38–9, 44–5, 48–52, 53–60, 61, 64, 95, 172, 265

  Little Ice Age 195n, 211

  ichthyosaurs 133

  igneous rocks 132, 179

  incense 115, 192

  India 9, 26, 27, 28n, 42, 48, 91, 92, 104, 110–11, 114, 188, 191, 202, 203, 213, 228, 244, 245, 267, 285

  cotton 112, 193, 259, 269

  eruption of Deccan Traps 143n

  exports 193

  Mogul Empire 210n, 249

  monsoons/monsoon winds 1, 10, 110, 242–4

  population 284

  rare earth metals 177

  spices 112–13, 115, 218

  Indian Ocean 10, 11, 29, 107, 108, 110, 111, 119, 187, 191, 226, 227, 229, 237, 238, 239–40, 243, 244, 245, 248, 252

  Indiana limestone 134–5

  indigo 193

  indium 175, 176, 180, 181, 182

  Indonesia 47, 48, 54, 121, 285

  volcanic activity 111

  Indonesian Seaway 10, 11

  Indus River/Valley 26, 91, 107, 190, 268

  civilisations 26–7, 66, 73, 90, 157

  Industrial Revolution 5, 31, 78, 97, 125, 130n, 150, 152, 167, 254, 259–60, 266, 268, 269, 279, 286

  insects 80, 262–3, 265

  internal combustion engine 78, 273

  Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) 234–5, 243

  Iran 29–30, 48, 110, 120, 121, 190; see also Persia Iraq 48, 71, 120

  iridium 177–8

  iron 1, 92, 130n, 163, 164–5, 167, 168–9, 170, 174, 177, 178, 280n

  and Banded Iron Formations 169–70, 173, 177

  cast 165

  production 164–5, 183, 257, 259, 260, 266, 269, 270

  tools and weapons 128, 165–6, 173, 174, 285

  wrought 164–5, 166

  see also steel Iron Age 156, 165, 167, 174

  irrigation 65, 71, 73, 90, 92, 116, 200

  Isabella, of Castile 226n, 227, 229, 230

  Isfahan, Iran 190

  Islam/Islamic culture/Muslims 110, 205, 212, 213, 217–18

  and diet 83n

  Israel 52n, 101n, 163, 285

  Istanbul see Constantinople

  Italy 105n, 133, 207, 208
, 285

  see also Rome ITCZ see Intertropical Convergence Zone jade 183

  Jakarta, Indonesia 252

  Janissaries 205

  Japan/Japanese 121, 122n, 222n, 228, 245, 248

  exports 112

  landfill mining 182

  Java 111, 114, 119n, 251, 252

  Jefferson, President Thomas 136n, 147

  Joao II, of Portugal 226, 229

  Jordan valley 110n

  Judaism: and diet 83n

  Jupiter 36, 180n

  Jurassic Coast, England 137–8

  Jurassic Period 133, 134, 274, 279

  Kalahari Desert 190

  Kalmuks 203

  kaolin 148–9, 150n

  Karakorum, Mongolia 209, 211

  Kazakh Steppe 196, 197n, 201

  Kellingley, Yorkshire: coalmine 271

  Kenya 10, 239

  Kenya, Mount 12

  kerosene 273

  Khitans 202

  Khufu, Pharaoh 127

  Khwarezmids 212

  Khyber Pass 190, 203, 204

  Kilimajaro, Mount 12

  Kirghiz, the 202

  Kish 71

  Knossos palace, Crete 161

  Korea/South Korea 121, 184

  Krakatoa, eruption of (1883) 111

  Kublai Khan 210

  Kunlun Mountains, China 191

  Kuwait 120

  Laetoli, Tanzania 14

  lakes 20, 20, 21, 57, 72

  ‘amplifier’ 20, 21, 22, 24, 44

  meltwater 60

  Lancashire: coalfields 272

  landfill mining 182

  ‘lanthanide’ elements 176

  lanthanum 176–7

  lapis lazuli 183

  larches 79

  Laurasia 139, 267

  Laurentia 153

  Laurentide ice sheet 49, 55–6

  lava, volcanic 12–13, 24, 132, 141–2, 143, 144

  lead 131, 159, 163, 168, 174

  leather see hides

  Lebanon 101n, 131, 163, 285

  Le Clerc, ‘Peg Leg’ 249

  legumes 81

  Lesser Antilles 230

  Levant, the 23, 60, 61, 65, 73, 74

  Lewis (Meriwether) and Clark (William) 55

  Libya 100, 277

  lignin 264

  limestone 85n, 132, 144, 153, 257, 266

  hot-spring 133

  Indiana 134–5

  nummulitic 127, 128–9, 132–3

  oolitic 133–4

  Tethyean 135–6

  travertine 133

  linen 193, 255, 263

  lions 33–4

  lithium 167, 180, 182

  llamas 74, 76, 88, 89

  loess soils 56, 65, 184 and n

  Lombards 207

  London 135, 137, 152, 154–5, 272

  Bank of England 134

  British Museum 134, 148

  Buckingham Palace 134

  Cleopatra’s Needle 147

  Great Fire (1666) 134

  Marble Arch 135

  One Canada Square 154–5

  St Paul’s Cathedral 134

  The Shard 154–5

  Tower of London 134

  Underground/Tube 155

  Los Angeles 248

  Getty Center 133

  Lucy (hominin) 14, 18

  lycopsids 262

  Macau, China 245