| Synopsis: |
The scope of this book is immense, as is its contribution to the study of archaeology. Within nineteen broad geographical sections, numerous specialists survey the span of human prehistory, examining key social developments, new and emerging technologies, and tracing the movement of human populations across the globe and the development of human experience. The study also comprises a re-evaluation of archaeological traditions and conceptions; each discussion, whether it is of the chiefdoms of Polynesia, the mounds of North America, Mesopotamian Uruk, Mycenaean Greece, Saharan hunters, Hittite Anatolia or Neanderthal Europe, includes a review of key controversies that have interested experts in that area for decades. Within each section there are also analyses of key sites. Supported by numerous colour photographs, helpful illustrations, chronologies, diagrams and maps, as well as panels of text that expand on certain topics, this is an invaluable reference for any student of archaeology and prehistory.The second edition has been fully revised and updated throughout, to take into account new theories and discoveries from around the world, including new sites such as the Maya temple San Bartolo, the earliest cult centre of Gobekli Tepe, Turkey, the royal tombs of Qatna in Syria, and the Chinese city of Jinsha, as well as new evidence for the earliest human ancestors and the dates of domestication of plants and animals. 'A magnificent achievement - Chris Scarre has brought together a brilliant international team to provide the most up-to-date overview of world history. The Human past is absolutely essential reading for all students of archaeology.' - Barry Cunliffe. |