The Africans dispersed in directions further south and east, and
presumably north into Egypt, Persia, Greece and India. China,
Iberia and Rome emerged. Tribal communities extended to
Mongolia, Korea, Japan and Scandinavia. Most of these
civilizations evolved with little outside contact. The Chinese
made gunpowder, paper and spaghetti. They also gave us the
compass. We had no idea where we were going until that
directional moment. The Persians were popular as tradesmen who
interacted with the Chinese, Indians and East Africans. They
invented bricks, wine, tar and the windmill. They also invented
cookies, ice cream and, ahem, taxes. Republicans insist they
must have been Democrats. The people of India were inventive as
well. They must have noticed seasonal clothing needs. They
brought civilization cashmere wool (Kashmir), cotton clothing
and the buttons to keep dungarees up (from the port town of
Dhunga). They refined sugar, developed cataract surgery, and
unfortunately advanced a frustrating game called Pachis