Ebook: People of the Earth: An Introduction to World Prehistory

"People of the Earth is a narrative account of the prehistory of humankind from our origins over 3 million years ago to the first pre-industrial civilizations, beginning about 5,000 years ago. This is a global prehistory, which covers prehistoric times in every corner of the world, in a jargon-free style for newcomers to archaeology. Many world histories begin with the first civilizations. This book starts at the beginning of human history and summarizes the latest research into such major topics as human origins, the emergence and spread of modern humans, the first farming, and the origins of civilization. People is unique in its even balance of the human past, in its readily accessible style, and flowing narrative that carries the reader through the long sweep of our past. Boxes and sidebars describe key dating methods and important archaeological sites. This classic world prehistory sets the standard for books on the subject and is the most widely used prehistory textbook in the world. This book is aimed at introductory students in archaeology and anthropology taking survey courses on the prehistoric past, as well as more advanced readers. It will also appeal to students of human responses to climatic and environmental change"--;Introducing world prehistory -- Human origins : 7 million to 1.9 million years ago -- Archaic humans : 1.9 million to 30,000 years ago -- Origins and the diaspora begins : c. 350,000 years ago and later -- Europe and Eurasia : c. 50,000 to 10,000 years ago -- The first Americans : around 14,000 B.C. to modern times -- After the ice : before 10000 B.C. to modern times -- Agriculture and animal domestication -- The origins of food production in Southwest Asia -- The first European farmers -- First farmers in Egypt and tropical Africa -- Asia and the Pacific : rice, roots, and ocean voyages -- The story of maize : early farmers in the Americas -- The development of civilization -- Early civilizations in Southwest Asia -- Egypt, Nubia, and tropical Africa -- Early states in South and Southeast Asia -- Early Chinese civilization -- Hittites, Minoans, and Mycenaeans -- Europe before the Romans -- Mesoamerican civilizations -- Andean civilizations.