Patterns in Prehistory

Patterns in Prehistory is a survey of world prehistory designed for introductory world prehistory courses in anthropology departments. It focuses on the four great transformations, or patterns, in the history of our genus: 1) the evolution of culture itself, in the form of initial use of human social behaviours, cognitive abilities, and tools of our ape-like ancestors, 2) the first appearance of Homo sapiens, 3) the evolution of agriculture, and 4) the rise of the first civilizations, from Mesopotamia, to Egypt, China, the Indus Valley, Mexico, and Peru.