No livestock

[silentspace]

The diseases mostly started in other parts of the world and became epidemics in Europe because of urbanization.

Again, this is not my theory, and after this post I'm going to stop posting about it, as I'm not really expert enough to talk about it. But if we're talking about the period of European Imperialism, then we are talking about a period where many other cultures, throughout the world, including in the Americas and Asia, had large cities of equal or greater size then were existing in Europe.

Towards the end of the era of European Imperialism, with the Industrial Revolution, cities grew larger then elsewhere, but not before.

 

[alsih2o]

There's a movement in Landscape Architecture to create more natural, sustainable landscapes, which are landscapes that don't require as much water, care, and maintenance. Native American farms probably fit that bill.

Actually many natives cleared land for crops with fire. Including large sections of wooded land.

Then the eastern folks planted corn, squash and beans on one mound. (the three sisters). The used diggin sticks, while not necessarily a plow they did know to break the ground and to keep other plants off the mound.

Please don't dump from the conversation from someone not agreeing with you, it is just that, conversation.

 

[tarchon]

Actually, I guess in a fantasy setting, you'd probably just have a Kill Weed spell and do no-till farming.

 

[silentspace]

Actually many natives cleared land for crops with fire. Including large sections of wooded land.

Then the eastern folks planted corn, squash and beans on one mound. (the three sisters). The used diggin sticks, while not necessarily a plow they did know to break the ground and to keep other plants off the mound.

Yep. As I understand it, forest rangers burn parts of forests too. 'Large' is a very relative term though. I don't think they would have burned down more forest then they needed to, but I don't know.

Please don't dump from the conversation from someone not agreeing with you, it is just that, conversation.

Are you talking to me? I didn't do that. Please don't say people did things they didn't do. Or don't read into things that aren't there. If you're confused, read my posts again. Just because I have a different point of view than perhaps you do, it doesn't mean I'm dumping on you. (Actually, I'm not sure what 'dump' means, but if its something you're asking me not to do, it sounds negative.)

 

[alsih2o]

Are you talking to me? I didn't do that. Please don't say people did things they didn't do. Or don't read into things that aren't there. If you're confused, read my posts again. Just because I have a different point of view than perhaps you do, it doesn't mean I'm dumping on you. (Actually, I'm not sure what 'dump' means, but if its something you're asking me not to do, it sounds negative.)

I meant "dump from" as "leave" as in please don't leave just because of disagreement.

I was responding to your "my last post on this" bit. No accusation, just an invitation.

 

[Rel]

Actually, I guess in a fantasy setting, you'd probably just have a Kill Weed spell and do no-till farming.

Also don't discount the prospect of Necromancers hiring out skeletal weeders. They work 24/7 and you don't have to feed them!

If you use zombies instead, the chunks that fall off of them fertilize the ground while they're weeding. Bonus!

 

[LostSoul]

Would a circle of death, or some kind of mass inflict spell kill weeds? If it did so, would it destroy the soil as well? It probably doesn't matter, since those spells are too high level to have any major impact.

 

[silentspace]

I meant "dump from" as "leave" as in please don't leave just because of disagreement.

I was responding to your "my last post on this" bit. No accusation, just an invitation.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. Honestly, I don't know that much about the theory. I'm mostly just recalling conversations with my cousin who's studying this stuff in grad school. There are quite a few people here who read Guns Germs and Steel, which I think has something to do with it, and they probably know a lot more about it than me.

 

[alsih2o]

Correct counts for soemthing, but so does just hashing these things out with multiple minds.

I, personally, now want a skeleton gardener.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

So, in a world without domesticated animals, what would the paladin summon to ride?