the anthropocene

1. The Anthropocene
Konstantinos Plakas
Artemis Pittaras
School: 2nd Experimental Junior
High School of Athens
Project 2017
Teacher: Ms Dertili Dimitra

2. The different eras
The history of human evolution from 4000 BC
until nowadays is divided in four big eras:
• The Agrarian era (from about 4000 BC to
approximately 1800 AD)
• The Modern era (1800 AD to
the mid 20th century)
• The Digital era (from the late 20th century to
early 21st century)
• The Future era (from mid to late 21st century)

3. The Agrarian era
• The years when humans started inventing
different tools and ways to make their life better.
• The first inventions were made to help humans
with their work which was based on agriculture
and hunting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Age

4. The first years
• One of the most important inventions of that
period was the wheel.
• Humans also started taking advantage of
animals and they used them for transportation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_animal-powered_transport

5. 2nd and 1st millennium BC
After the invention of the wheel humans invented
new things like:
• Boats
• New weapons
• New tools
• Ways of building structures and cultivating the
ground.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_historic_inventions

6. Spiritual evolution
They also evolved their spirit:
• They invented philosophy
• They created new religions
• They developed different cultures
• They invented drama and the theater
• They developed writing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_evolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama

7. Modern era
• The modern era is the era that served as the
basis for the Digital era.
• During the modern era there was the evolution
of spirit and matter.

8. The spiritual evolution
• New strong religions appeared in the human
history, Christianity and the Islam
• Philosophy evolved
• Because of the American and French revolution
the democratic ideas reappear
• During the age of the Enlightenment we have the
idea of nations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution

9. Discoveries and inventions
• New discoveries were made.
• Very important inventions were invented.
• The old inventions and tools evolved.

10. The new world
• The world’s major powers started exploring the
world
• Colonization began.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization

11. Scientific research
• New scientific discoveries were made.
• Physics, biology and chemistry evolved rapidly.
• Humans could explain natural events, cure a lot
of lethal and non lethal diseases and make new
things from different materials.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_science
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology

12. 19th century to mid 20th century
• In the modern era the biggest technological
development began in the 19th century until the
end of the modern era.
• The rapid technological development happened
thanks to the industrial revolution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution

13. Means of transport
• In the early 19th century railways and
steamships were built and that made
transportation easier.
• In the late 19th century the internal combustion
engine was invented and thus the first cars.
• Personal fast transportation was established.
http://www.localhistories.org/transport.html

14. Air travel
• In the early 20th c. the Wright brothers made the
first flyable airplane in history.
• This invention created a revolution regarding
the means of transport.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers

15. Space travel
• The first human spaceflight was launched by the
Soviet Union on 12 April 1961 as a part of the
Vostok program, with cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
aboard.
• The first human who landed on the
moon was Neil Armstrong in July
1969 in the Apollo 11.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_exploration
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11

16. World War One
• The new technology was also used for war
purposes.
• Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the
Ottoman Empire had sided together while
France, England, the USA, Russia, Greece,
Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro, Portugal,
Romania, Italy and Japan were the allies of the
other side.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I

17. World War 1 weapons
• The new technology also developed new
overpowered weapons. The infantry used rifles,
mortars, machine guns, flamethrowers, poison
gases and artilleries. Tanks, airplanes, zeppelins
and submarines were also used in the war.
http://www.historyonthenet.com/world-war-one-weapons/
• http://www.historynet.com/weapons-of-world-war-i.htm

18. World War 2
• From the economic crisis that Germany had
after its defeat in world war 1, fascist ideas were
brought to power. The second world war began,
on the one side were Germany, Japan and Italy
and on the other side were the Soviet Union,
England, France and theUSA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II

19. The atomic bomb
• The first nuclear bomb was launched by the USA
and dropped on two Japanese cities, Hiroshima
and Nagasaki at the end of World War 2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon

20. The Cold War
• The Cold War was a state of political and
military tension after World War II between
powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union
and its satellite states) and powers in the
Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies
and others).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War

21. Developments
• From the First World War until the Cold War
technology evolved rapidly.
• The means of transport were developed.
• The powerful nations started using nuclear
technology not only for weapons but also for
producing energy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_historic_inventions

22. The Chernobyl disaster
• The Chernobyl disaster, was a catastrophic
nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986
near Pripyat, in what was then part of the Soviet
Union.
• Chernobyl is the biggest nuclear accident in
history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

23. Digital era
• The Digital era is the most familiar to us era
because it starts in the late 20th century and
continues until today.
• It is the most technologically advanced era.
• The new millennium brought big changes to
every human.

24. The internet
• The biggest change for mankind due to the
internet or world wide web.
• Better computers were built and the internet
became accessible to more and more people.
• The Internet created a new world that could
connect people from around the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

25. Genetic engineering (Definition)
• Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of an
organism's genome using biotechnology. It is a set of
technologies used to change the genetic makeup of
cells, including the transfer of genes within and
across species boundaries to produce improved or
novel organisms. New DNA may be inserted in the
host genome by first isolating and copying the
genetic material of interest using molecular cloning
methods to generate a DNA sequence, or by
synthesizing the DNA, and then inserting this
construct into the host organism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering

26. New technology
• Laptops
• Smartphones
• Realistic games and virtual reality
• Overpowered new weapons of mass destruction
• Developed means of transport
• Advanced medicines
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology

27. Future ?
Our near future is unknown. No one can predict what
can happen. I believe that:
• Technology will keep advancing
• The world may be at war again
• Virtual reality will become part of our life
• Maybe the internet of things will be established and
smart houses will be available
• Space tourism and space trips will be available soon
• Weapons will become stronger
• The environment maybe destroyed

28. Conclusion
• The future of mankind is for sure unknown. But we
can certainly tell how humans have evolved and
how they have changed the earth over the years. We
can say that since the 18th century humans have
changed the earth a lot. Since that century humans
have officially declared themselves rulers of the
earth. That means that humans are all the more
responsible for the earth’s condition and for the
earth’s protection. Humans will continue learning
more and more about their origin. Humans will
always try to understand what started everything
and when the end of everything will take place.

29. Sources
• Wikipedia: https://el.wikipedia.org
https://en.wikipedia.org
• http://www.historyonthenet.com
• http://www.historynet.com
• Google images
• (the slide on the future is based on our personal
thoughts about the near and far future and it is
not based on any specific source)

30. Thanks for your
attention!!!!