Re: Alternative histories and paralele universes

Kristian Jensen wrote:

> Interesting project, Carlos.
> [interesting stuff snipped]
> So basically, Hangkerim's alternative history should allow for
> potential burden animals to survive into the era when agriculture
> would be invented in the Americas. Perhaps a domesticated kind of
> Buffalo could exist in Mexico (I seem to recall that some Buffalos
> are in fact domesticated today). You could also have some kind of
> extinction of burden animals occur in the old world - giving
> Americans the advantage they never had in our Universe.
Well.  These are some data I have to review.  Actually I was thinking mor=
e in
the fact of the flooding situation as the first cataliser for development=
 of
greath cultures but forgot the rol of burden animals.  Of course, after I=
 have
an *what if* situation and a conworld, I'll put these new elements in the=
 pot.

If I'm not mistaken, the first settlement of America occured at the begin=
ing of
the last gracial period, some 30000 years ago (probably modern human bein=
gs
settled Europa some 35000 years ago).  All the known ancient cultures we =
know
are posterior to the last glacial era.  Then we could imagine which eleme=
nts
existed in the Yangtse-Hoangho, Indo, Tigris-Eufrates and Nilo basines th=
at
trigger the formation of greath cultures.  Big rivers that flooded seems =
to be
one of them, burden animals another one, a critical mass of people...?

Then, lets say some bison could have been tamed and used as burden animal=
s...
that would have helped where bisons lived.  One of todays most fertil reg=
ions in
the world is the middle USA, I think if the propper conditions of a big r=
iver,
domesticated bisons (buffalo), fertil land and enough people, an culture =
could
have developed.

This wouldn't have been Mesoamerica, but Mesoamerica could have played a =
later
rol as a fertile crosspath region, more like the rol the middle East, aro=
und
Mesopotamia, played in our Old World.

I've been working in some sketches on technology: when would they have be=
gun to
use metals (in our world they used gold and sylver and oxidiana, but iron=
,
copper and tin exist in America).  They should have used larger boats, an=
d
rudimentary whels.

When the Conquistadors came, the situation wouln't have been as easy.  Vi=
ruela
should have play an important role, as horses and firearms did in our uni=
verse.
But if the cultures have been better organized in terms of army disciplin=
e, they
wouldn't have falled that easy... some points for think about.

I was thinking on another great culture in the Parana basin.  I only need=
 the
appropiate domesticated burden animal.


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