Sofia Perozzi

9/30/13
History 5

Modifications and Adaptations

Section 1- Introduction
When a person walks through the barren plains of this environment, the first
characteristic they notice is the shadow of the towering mountain peaks behind
them. This sloped and mountainous landscape is raised high above sea level.
Looking around the beautiful scenery atop these rocky mountains is an incredible
sensation. The skies are painted in an immaculate array of orange and yellow while
the sun is setting. The air tastes almost earth-like and saccharine. A gentle, whistling
breeze drifts through, with its calming flute-like sound. Livestock is scattered across
the landscape with their distinct calls, which can be heard from miles away. The cold
and moist grass feels soft but sometimes prickly. Down the mountain, a person
could simply see the changes in elevation along the stunning horizon behind the
faded and mystifying mountaintops. The abundant trees around the base of the
mountain scatter their pine needles, creating a rich, tangy fragrance. With all the
emptiness around someone in this vast environment, they realize how alone they
really are.

It is in this favorable geographic environment that the civilization of Quinn
will be founded. It is a civilization whose design takes it inspiration from the study
of past civilizations such as the Arabs, the Aztecs, the Greeks, the Mayans, the
Mesopotamians, and the Romans among others. This book will document the
necessary steps to take in order to create a successful civilization.

Human Changes to the Land

Part l- Analysis of the Problem
The first step in building a successful civilization is to secure basic human
needs such as food and water. Due to its geography, the major challenges the
Sofia Perozzi
9/30/13
History 5
civilization of Quinn faces in achieving a basic food and water supply include the
following:
1. The highlands and mountains can be a very difficult place to create a
flourishing civilization. One main reason is because there is no sign of water
nearby. Having water is crucial to survival because it is important for
humans to both clean and hydrate themselves. Without the ability to clean
oneself, there is a higher possibility of catching sicknesses or deceases. Also,
if humans lose too much body fluid from not drinking water they could get a
headache and become drowsy. Having the ability to accumulate rainwater
and spring water is uncommon in this location. Rainwater is extended
throughout this hilly landscape in order to irrigate the land, making it
difficult to collect. Spring water can be found across the mountain range but
climbing up the peak and then dragging a limited amount of water back
down is a difficult task. The people of this growing civilization have a choice
to make; they could either find a solution to this issue, or face death by thirst
and decease.

2. Another crucial factor of having a successful and thriving civilization is food.
The civilization of Quinn is facing a facing a major issue effecting their food
source in this vast environment; domesticating the animals scattered across
the landscape for not only food but also transportation and clothing. The
difficulty with domestication is first and foremost, capturing these wild
creatures and making sure that there is no chance of escape. The people of
this civilization would also have another laborious job; to create tools and
weapons for killing the livestock and feeding the society with its growing
population. A stable food supply is an absolutely necessary factor to a
civilization because without it, there is starvation, showing that the society is
barely scraping by. Undoubtedly, catching food such as livestock and cattle
and growing food is essential to not only creating a prosperous civilization,
but also surviving.
Sofia Perozzi
9/30/13
History 5
Part ll- Proposed Solutions
Adaptations are changes that humans make to themselves to benefit their
survival motives. Environmental modifications are physical changes made to a land
to fit the way they live and help their civilization thrive. These two factors play
important roles in civilizations because they decide whether a society will survive,
thrive, or die. An example of an adaptation is when a person changes the way they
dress to fit the weather in a specific environment. A couple of examples of modifying
are collecting resources from the mountains for the construction of tool and
weapons and cutting down pine trees to use its wood for shelter. The nature around
an environment can also modify a landscape. For example, when a volcano erupts it
modifies the land and itself by blowing off its top.
Since the civilization of Quinn is located in the highlands and foothills, there
is an alternate solution to spending hours and hours searching for water. Instead,
the people of Quinn modified the land to build wells to extract the abundant amount
of water that is stored underground. This civilization has adapted to collecting
stones from the nearby mountains for the construction of shovels and digging deep
down into the earth to create the start of the well. They also were required to collect
additional resources from the mountains and create a wall of stone bricks around
the hole. Lastly, the one factor that is yet to be completed is the production of a
bucket for drawing ground water out of the hole. This environmental modification is
similar to the environmental modifications made by the Arabs. In the coastal plains,
[Arabs] built deep wells to irrigate the land (Frey 79). Unquestionably, the
civilization of Quinn is in great need of a manageable way to collect water for their
hydration.
One large issue facing the civilization of Quinn is domesticating the animals
surrounding the landscape so that they can reproduce and create a stable food
supply. To solve this problem, the people of Quinn preformed an adaptation to
collect stones from the mountain and create tools and weapons for scaring, but also
Sofia Perozzi
9/30/13
History 5
feeding and leering the livestock so they stay in an enclosed area. Qs figured that if
they successfully domesticated these animals, they could use them for not only food,
but also transportation. These adaptations and strategies made by the people of
Quinn are similar to the adaptations made by the Greeks in about 500 B.C.E. As
stated by Frey, Farmers kept a few oxen, mules, and donkeys for plowing and
transportation (249). Also, They raised sheep and goats, which can graze on the
sides of mountains. Sheep supplied wool for clothing, while goats provided milk and
cheese (Frey 249). In the end, the adaptations made by the Greeks to create a
successful civilization is much the same as the adaptations made by Quinn to have
animals that provide food, transportation, and clothing.