Description
Book SynopsisHumans have always been interested in their origins, but historians have been reluctant to write about the long stretches of time before the invention of writing. This title is suitable for readers interested in the present as in the past, brings science into history to offer a dazzling new vision of humanity across time.
Trade Review"The goal of this project is to question old narrative elements of human evolution and discuss new ones... In practice, this means the book is about some of the cleverest people in the field having fun with ideas." -- John Robb Current Anthropology "A different kind of historical writing ... it offers general readers a thought-provoking approach to language, the brain, genes, exchange and other human faculties." -- Wendy Iraheta San Francisco Book Review "The chapters are perceptive ... in their arguments... Something that is long overdue." Journal Of Interdisciplinary History "Recommended." -- L. L. Johnson Choice "A volume of great significance, bringing fresh insight, focus, and shape to our understanding of the dynamic connectedness that spans the entirety of human history... The calibre of contributors is exceptional and Andrew Shryock and Daniel Lord Smail should be congratulated for assembling the line-up whilst also fostering the volume's collaborative character." Jrai "By envisioning nothing less than a complete account of the human experience, it stakes out a new frontier for historical consciousness that is as welcome as it is timely." American Historical Review "An impressive-at times dazzling-array of data, summaries of literature, and conceptual elements, clearly pooling the specialized knowledges of the various contributors... This is a rich tour of a vast terrain." Science & Society
Table of ContentsList of Figures Preface A Note on Dates PART ONE. PROBLEMS AND ORIENTATIONS 1. Introduction Andrew Shryock and Daniel Lord Smail 2. Imagining the Human in Deep Time Andrew Shryock, Thomas R. Trautmann, and Clive Gamble PART TWO. FRAMES FOR HISTORY IN DEEP TIME 3. Body Daniel Lord Smail and Andrew Shryock 4. Energy and Ecosystems Mary C. Stiner and Gillian Feeley-Harnik 5. Language April McMahon, Thomas R. Trautmann, and Andrew Shryock PART THREE. SHARED SUBSTANCE 6. Food Felipe Fernandez-Armesto with Daniel Lord Smail 7. Deep Kinship Thomas R. Trautmann, Gillian Feeley-Harnik, and John C. Mitani PART FOUR. HUMAN EXPANSION 8. Migration Timothy Earle and Clive Gamble with Hendrik Poinar 9. Goods Daniel Lord Smail, Mary C. Stiner, and Timothy Earle 10. Scale Mary C. Stiner, Timothy Earle, Daniel Lord Smail, and Andrew Shryock Notes Bibliography Contributors Index
