Introduction
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There are many different factors to the domestication of the camels. The areas that were affected by its spread created an alternative to cargo, traveling, and even war. The camel has had a significant impact on the cultures that learned to adapt to its uses. Our concept map shows where the camel came from and where it spread and while it spread what it did to the surroundings. The camel transformed the area it was introduced drastically.
The domestication of the camel has been in hot debate for a long time. The evidence, what there is, doesn’t point to one clear time or area to where it first evolved. However, we believe that the evidence points towards 3000-2500 B.C.E. as the first domestication of the camel in Babylonia. It was called the “Donkey of the sea”.
The importance for early cultures that first domesticated the camel can not be taken lightly. Camels were very compatible with wheeled transport making them a great new way to carry heavy loads from one area of the desert to another. This helped the economy of most places but not by much as the camel did have a limit unlike boats which could carry tons of resources. The Arabian camel was also used for milk which was very helpful for its nutrients. It was also used as a pack animal for the incense trade that it was involved in. There was another camel in circulation during this time, that of the Bactrian camel. The Bactrian camel had much the same functionalities as the Arabian camels, such as its ability to produce milk. It also had very distinct wool that was used to keep the sweat from the people’s body and keep them warm during the cold nights. It could also be used for draught work, riding, and packing.
As the camel spread to new cultures it was used in a variety of ways. The Arabian camel spread to Somalia and Socrata in 2000 BCE and the Bactrian camel spread from Morocco to China in 2000 BCE. In war the camel was often used as booty for those who were victorious in battle. The camel was such a vital source of prosperity that it was often taken along side gold and weapons this shows that it is a very important resource in itself. What made war happen however, was the saddle. The saddle originally was from southern Arabia and was a cushioned saddle used for comfortable travel. However, in northern Arabia about 1000 years later, it was transformed into a more dynamic saddle used in most wars.
The camel had a great impact on the ways that people did a multitude of activities. It was a highly efficient way to travel as it is specified to last long trips through the desert. This, in turn, made wars a lot easier to fight in. They could now move thousands of soldiers through deserts easier than before. This also increased trade for the same reasons. It was a source to make a very strong rope referred to as “camel hair rope”. This created a very simple yet highly functional rope that could be made just by having a camel.
As shown by our concept map, the camel had a major impact on the world wherever it spread whether that impact was to help create better transportation options or to further an empire by wars. Its spread to new cultures was quick and took root even faster. This is best shown by the saddle, which changed drastically to where it was used, whether in southern or northern Arabia. The domestication of the camel made an impact in all of the Middle East and spread further to advance other