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The World from Beginnings to 4000 BCE (New Oxford World History)

von Ian Tattersall

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1294210,386 (3.88)4
To be human is to be curious. And one of the things we are most curious about is how we came to be who we are--how we evolved over millions of years to become creatures capable of inquiring into our own evolution. In this lively and readable introduction, renowned anthropologist Ian Tattersall thoroughly examines both the fossil and archeological records to trace human evolution from the earliest beginnings of our zoological family Hominidae, through the emergence of Homo sapiens, to the Agricultural Revolution. He begins with an accessible overview of evolutionary theory and then explores the… (mehr)
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This is a highly recommended read if you want to get a brief overview of the earliest human history. Ian Tattersall is very professional, that is clear, and he also knows how to hit the right note. For example, he clearly shows how relative the findings of paleoanthropology are, and how careful you should be with new fossil discoveries: “the problem has been that paleoanthropologists have tended to dive in at the deep end, going directly to full-fledged scenarios. This has tended to reduce discussion in the field to a sort of storytelling competition.”

And he gives another typical example of his nuanced thinking in dispelling the simplistic scheme of a growth from primitiveness to civilization, for example in the transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers: “Hunter-gatherers have a totally different perspective on the world from that of agriculturalists, it is true; but it is not necessarily a simpler one. The world views and social interactions of hunter-gatherers are (or, sadly, were) typically highly complex and nuanced, as are their interactions with the environment around them.”

Yet I see two weaknesses: Contrary to the explicit purpose of this Oxford series, Tattersall's focus nevertheless is very Eurocentric. The development of the Neanderthal and homo sapiens in Europe in particular gets a lot of attention, but that is of course also because scientific research has focused on this. Plus, this book was published in 2008, so it's still at the beginning of the genetic revolution. Tattersall already processes some results of the mitochondrial and the Y-chromosome research, but you can’t find the great new insights that have only emerged in the last 5 years. Still I highly recommend this book. More on this in my History-account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/360416896 ( )
  bookomaniac | Oct 29, 2020 |
A readable and for the most part easy to understand introduction to human evolution and prehistory, The World from Beginnings to 4000 BCE by Ian Tattersall is both informative and extensive (but not intensive, as this is but a short and rather general introduction). The writing style, although academic and scientific, is not overly difficult, and while the author does on occasion make use of subject specific jargon and definitions, he has, for the most part, succeeded in creating a work that can be easily comprehended and enjoyed by scientists, students, as well as those with just a casual interest in anthropology and human prehistory.

Those individuals looking for a detailed and in-depth analysis of human origins might be somewhat disappointed, but as a general introduction (and a recent one at that, as the book was only published in 2008), The World from Beginnings to 4000 BCE successfully achieves its purpose. As an added bonus, the author has also listed a detailed bibliography for each of the featured chapters (in may opinion, this is much more user-friendly than an extensive general bibliography at the back of the book), as well as interesting and relevant websites, making The World from Beginnings to 4000 BCE not only a great introduction to human origins and prehistory, but a book that can serve as a starting point for further research and reading. ( )
1 abstimmen gundulabaehre | Mar 31, 2013 |
The last book I read about pre-human and early humans history was my history textbook back in the mid-nineties when we were going chronologically through the history of the world in a few subsequent school years. As fascinating as the topic had been, that small introduction had been more than enough for me - I like history but the more recent events (the ones involving people) had always sounded a lot more interesting. And the textbook was not up-to-date with the current development or spent anytime discussing the more objectionable theories - it was a book created to introduce you to what the scientists believed to be the story at the time - and give you a glimpse in the distant past.

So when I opened this book, I expected to find a lot of information I had never heard of, tied into what I already know and reinforcing the base I got all those years ago. And the book did not disappoint. Despite the length of the book (~120 pages), Tattersall is taking his time explaining the hows and whys of the ancient history and along the way discussing a lot of the theories around it - both new and still being considered possibly valid and old ones that had been dismissed but had shaped the historical thought for decades. All the needed background to understand what he is talking about is written clearly - waving a very readable introduction to evolution, fossils and how a piece of rock can tell you the story of a whole species.

And then the book hits its main topic and takes you on a trip that will eventually lead to the first complex society - complete with all the errors, speculations, researches and dismissed theories.

Tattersall's research covers everything happening in the field almost to the time when the book was published (2008) and he is using all the new discoveries in his narrative about what most likely happened. There is no attempt to go for the sensational or to hide the blunders through the years of recovering and dating fossils -- errors did happen, fabrications existed and all of them became part of the wide tapestry of the history research. A lot of what was covered in this part of the book was something I had never heard of - all the discoveries from the 90s and from the first decade of the 21st century are described and put in their appropriate context. And the last chapter of the books leads from the pre-history times, speeding through the centuries of settlement to end at the times when the first 6 complex societies emerge (almost at the same time, mostly independently) and the real history begins.

If I have any issues with this book, it is the repetition. Although considering the nature of the book, it can be used as a reference one... in which case the repetition between the chapters makes sense.

Overall - the book is highly readable introduction to where the humans came from. It might not appeal to the mass reader - the book is too technical in places; a bit too academical in others. Which does not bother me at all - I like the style. ( )
3 abstimmen AnnieMod | May 6, 2011 |
Partendo dalla presentazione della concezione darwiniana, l'autore illustra l'evoluzione dagli hominidae all'homo sapiens. La documentazione fossile ed archeologica sarà lo strumento per descrivere i passaggi fondamentali della storia dell'uomo alla scoperta di come siamo diventati quello che siamo.
  delfini | Dec 17, 2009 |
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To be human is to be curious. And one of the things we are most curious about is how we came to be who we are--how we evolved over millions of years to become creatures capable of inquiring into our own evolution. In this lively and readable introduction, renowned anthropologist Ian Tattersall thoroughly examines both the fossil and archeological records to trace human evolution from the earliest beginnings of our zoological family Hominidae, through the emergence of Homo sapiens, to the Agricultural Revolution. He begins with an accessible overview of evolutionary theory and then explores the

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