ABSTRACT

For one semester or quarter courses in World Prehistory.

Written by one of the leading archaeological writers in the world -— in a simple, jargon-free narrative style —- this brief, well-illustrated account of the major developments in the human past makes world prehistory uniquely accessible to complete beginners.

Written by Brian Fagan, World Prehistory covers the entire world, not just the Americas or Europe, and places major emphasis on both theories and the latest archaeological and multidisciplinary approaches.  His focus is on four major developments in world prehistory:  1) The origins of humanity.  2) The appearance and spread of modern humans before and during the late Ice Age- including the first settlement of the Americas.  3) The beginnings of food production.  4) The rise of the first civilizations.

part |1 pages

Part I Prehistory

chapter 1|33 pages

Introducing World Prehistory

part |1 pages

Part II The World of the First Humans

chapter 2|32 pages

Human Origins

chapter 3|33 pages

African Exodus

part |1 pages

Part III The Birth of the Modern World

chapter 4|26 pages

Diaspora

chapter 5|22 pages

The Origins of Food Production

chapter 6|28 pages

The Earliest Farmers

chapter 7|27 pages

Chiefs and Chiefdoms

part |1 pages

Part IV Early Civilizations

chapter 8|20 pages

State-Organized Societies

chapter 10|28 pages

Egypt and Africa

chapter 11|22 pages

South, Southeast, and East Asia

chapter 12|26 pages

Lowland Mesoamerica

chapter 13|20 pages

Highland Mesoamerica

chapter 14|25 pages

Andean Civilizations