Prehistoric disaster in Eurasia/ Native American Geopolitics

If the Eastern Agricultural Complex was fully develop it would as good as Amazonian agriculture. Only Eastern Agricultural Complex crops fully develop in OTL were Squash (Cucurbita pepo), gourds, and sunflowes. Little barley and Maygrass would give them grains to make flour. Erect knotweed and goosefoot give you leafy vegetables. Sumpweed gives you edible seeds rich in oil like sumflowers. If add Pecans and American chestnuts plus Maple sugar and syrup. Would if you almost compete agricultural system for North America.

I did a scenario based on this idea for my AH Newsletters a while back. I'm not sure if I posted it here. I had the old Eastern Agricultural Complex crops developing earlier due to earlier selective breeding on the part of the local Indians. I agree that the crops involved could have had considerable potential given time, though I suspect that corn and beans would have become part of Eastern North American agriculture too.
 

NothingNow

Banned
And along it - is there good currents from african sailors to go to south america, or the reverse? Could we have had 'african Basques' fishing around Brazil, or such?

It depends on Shipbuilding tech really. West Africa was nowhere near advanced enough to build the ships needed at pretty much any point. The Tainos and Caribs OTOH were decently capable of pulling that off, with minor improvements to their tech base.
 
It depends on Shipbuilding tech really. West Africa was nowhere near advanced enough to build the ships needed at pretty much any point. The Tainos and Caribs OTOH were decently capable of pulling that off, with minor improvements to their tech base.

There was that tale with a sultan of... Mali? So, maybe northwest africa could start one day to send fishermen affar, with some techs created... or stolen....
 

NothingNow

Banned
There was that tale with a sultan of... Mali? So, maybe northwest africa could start one day to send fishermen affar, with some techs created... or stolen....

unless it was timed just right, and they had enough rain and fish to cary them through the trip, they probably couldn't make it. It's a long trip. The return trip is even harder.
 
BTW (shameless self-promotion mode on): I did write a book on this sort of thing (titled: American Indian Victories) seven or eight years ago. I don't know if you can still get it on Amazon, but if you want to get it and can't, let me know. I still have a few copies. I also have a lot of scenarios like this in my alternate history newsletters (online and free), including one where I try to trace the trajectory of the New World across the next 100 years in the absence of Europeans.

I own a copy of your book(American Indian Victories). I do remember something about Polynesian chickens reached Chile. When llamas finally do reach mexico they would give mexico a huge boost because they are very usefully as a beasts of burden and for their wool and meat. Question would pigs make it to the New World from the Polynesian. Dont believe pigs ever got to easter island I maybe wrong on that.
 
I think Amazonia has more potential than the EAC due to the greater, far greater, variety of crops in the Amazon Basin than in Eastern North America (or any place else for that matter.) They also developed agriculture in Amazonia earlier than the EAC did in OTL, so if we could have a POD where Amazonia makes extensive contact with the Andes then they could easily be as developed as OTL Medieval West Africans by the dawn of the 2nd millennium.

DaleCoz: Sounds like a very interesting read; I will have to get the book! :)
 
I do agree the Amazonia has more potential than Eastern North America but problem with Amazonia crops their tropical and take long time change to grow different climates like temperate zones . Eastern Agricultural Complex gives you that grow it a temperate climate. You need POD both the Amazonia and Eastern North America.
 
I do agree the Amazonia has more potential than Eastern North America but problem with Amazonia crops their tropical and take long time change to grow different climates like temperate zones . Eastern Agricultural Complex gives you that grow it a temperate climate. You need POD both the Amazonia and Eastern North America.
The issue with that argument is that the Carribean, Lowland Mesoamerica (including much of the Maya Area) and the lowland Andes are tropical. For the highland Andes, the temperate zones and highland Mesoamerica one needs crops that can grow and that do not take as long to domesticate as Maize did in OTL; I suggest quinoa and amaranth, widely used in OTL by the Andeans and the Mesoamericans and amaranth was used widely by peoples in Australia to make seedcakes and in East Asia for greens as well in OTL; furthermore, amaranth is drought tolerant, both are complete proteins that can be used as a source of high quality cooking oil, both can be used for greens and amaranth grows like a weed (hence the name "pigweed.")
 
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