Guns Germs And Steel Chapter 1 Analysis

In the novel, Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond takes the audience through time and gives them a perspective of how civilizations began to prosper on their respective land. I support Professor Diamond's thesis in which he stated that Eurasian civilizations are dominating because of the way they developed. This is shown through their interaction with the environment, the use of science and technology, and their power and authority, all played a large role in their success and how they continued to strive in Eurasia.

The way civilizations interact with the environment play a large role in whether or not to survive. Domestication played a large role for Eurasian civilizations, giving them a faster form of transportation, easier access to food, and clothing if needed. Diamond states in chapter 9 all of the uses animals had. The narrator states, “domestic mammals were crucial to those human societies possessing them. Most notably, they provided meat, milk products, fertilizer, land transport, leather, military assault vehicles, plow traction and wool”. Along with domesticating the animals, farming played another large role. With the animals domesticated, it made jobs people would normally do much

Technology is what allowed the Eurasians to continually advance and understand deeper concepts. In chapter 13, Mr. Diamond introduces the idea of technology among the Eurasian civilizations, specifically the Cretans. Their first invention involved the concept of language and communications, it was called the Phaistos disk. The disk was comprised of many different symbols, 45 to be exact, what they mean is still not confirmed. The narrator states, “ the Phaistos disk is even more baffling; its estimated date of 1700 B.C. makes it by far the earliest printed document in the world.” With this being the earliest printed document, it only solidifies the fact that the Eurasians were advanced in