The Human Past

Fifteen new contributors bring fresh perspectives to the fifth edition of The Human Past, the most authoritative introduction to world prehistory, revealing our shared human story with the latest scholarship.

Thoroughly updated by its team of authors, including 15 leading specialists new to this edition, this fifth edition introduces students to a more equitable and representative view of world prehistory.

A total of 30 contributing authors - a truly international team of experts - introduce the enormous diversity of the human story as it occurred around the world, from the emergence of the first Homo species to human migrations, sedentism, domestication and agriculture, population growth and urban living, and the social systems and inequalities that were present across human groups of many sizes, from small societies to vast empires.