Brian M Fagan

Written in a non-technical style by two archaeologists and experienced writers about the past, the story begins with human origins in Africa some six million years ago and the spread of our remote ancestors across the Old World. Then we return to Africa and describe the emergence of Homo sapiens (modern humans) over 300,000 years ago, then, much later, their permanent settlement of Europe, Eurasia, Asia, and the Americas. From hunters and foragers,...

"Humanity evolved in an Ice Age in which glaciers covered much of the world. But starting about 15,000 years ago, temperatures began to climb. Civilization and al of recorded history occurred in this warm period--the long summer of the human species. Fagan illuminates the centuries long pattern of human adaptation to the challenges of an ever-changing climate--and how climate change gave rise to civilization"--Back cover.

How archaeologists use advanced technology to reconstruct the past.

From the 10th to the 15th centuries the earth experienced a rise in surface temperature that changed climate worldwide--a preview of today's global warming. In some areas, including Western Europe, longer summers brought bountiful harvests and population growth that led to cultural flowering. In the Arctic, Inuit and Norse sailors made cultural connections across thousands of miles as they traded precious iron goods. Polynesian sailors, riding new...

Tells how technology has revolutionized the field of archaeology, and shows how scientists have used technological advances to explore and analyze some of the most significant finds of the late twentieth century.

Summary: A compelling account of pre-Columbian America covering topics such as history and mythology, archaeology and ethnography, all in a magnificient narrative of the rise and fall of America's ancient civilizations.