Claims
These are statements or assertions that historians and scientists use to answer questions about how the world works.
What are claims
This feature of civilization helps people remember history. It includes paintings, songs and stories.
What is "Arts and Culture"
The location, land and waterways which impact a civilization.
What is "Geography"
This origin story believes the world began with a "Big Bang" 13.8 billion years ago and life evolved from single celled organisms over 3.8 billion years ago.
What is "The Modern Scientific Origin Story"
Mr. Graham has this kind of pet.
What is "a dog"
Thinking, "The Big History Cafe has only been open for a year, so someone could not have been going there for five years!" is an example of this claim tester.
What is logic
This feature of civiliztion includes buying, selling, and trading of goods and services. Needs currency (money) managed by the goverment
What is "Organized Commerce"
This criteria for a civilization answers the questions of who rules and how they get their power.
What is "Politics"
This origin story believes the continent of North America was created when Sky Woman witnessed animals sacrificing their life to bring dirt up from the ocean to the back of a turtle, creating Turtle Island.
What is "Iroquois"
Recall that we live in 2025 CE. The letters CE stand for these two words.
What is "Common Era"
Believing a person when you have a gut feeling they are right is an example of this claim tester.
What is intuition
This feature of civilization provides order and laws. Also collects taxes.
This criteria for a civilization includes what people believed in, including if there was a god and how it impacted society.
What is "Religion"
This origin story believed that humans were first made from mud, then wood, and finally corn
What is the "Mayan Origin Story"
Nova Scotia and Italy are both examples of this geographical formation.
What is a "Peninsula"
The three responses that Dr. Bain says we make to the claims we hear
What are "Trust, Ignore, and Investigate"
Something the government builds to benefit the civilization such as roads or schools!
What are "Public Works"
This criteria category for a civilization answers the question of how resources are traded and sold. Also includes money and taxes!
What is "Economy"
In this East Asian civilization’s creation story, a giant named Pangu separated heaven and earth. When he died his remains became sky, land and waters.
What is the "Chinese Creation Myth"
This longitudinal line divides the world in half at 0 degrees.
What is the "Prime Meridian"
Looking up to verify the location of the "Big History Cafe" is an example of this claim tester
What is "evidence"
The way information is stored and shared between people. Separates us from all other animals. Done through oral story telling and writing.
What is "Knowledge Transfer"
The way society was organized, including hierarchies with different roles for groups of people.
What is "Social Structure"
In this West African civilization’s story, the god Abassi sent humans to earth but grew jealous when they began to farm and build, showing the dangers of pride and independence.
What is the " Efik Origin Story"
This historian wrote a book called "The Art of Not Being Governed" in which he explains his theory that hill people were not backwards people but conscious refugees of civilizations fleeing negative consequences such as war, taxes and disease.
Who is "James Scott"