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Humans: from the beginning: From the first apes to the first cities
In just a few years, our understanding of the human past has changed beyond recognition as new discoveries and advances in genetic techniques overturn long-held beliefs and make international news. Drawing upon expert literature and the latest research, FROM THE BEGINNING is a rigorous but accessible guide to the human story, presenting an even-handed account of events from the first apes to the rise of the first cities and civilisations. Along the way, we learn about the emergence of modern human behaviour, prehistoric art, early modern human migrations from Africa, the peopling of the world, and how farming and agriculture replaced hunter-gathering. First published in 2014, FROM THE BEGINNING has been revised and updated for 2021, bringing it fully up to date with the latest developments. New finds include evidence that apelike hominids made stone tools; that small-brained Homo naledi lived alongside Homo sapiens in Africa; and that Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo sapiens all repeatedly interbred. There is also expanded coverage of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, with new chapters on the Mesolithic and later prehistory of Europe, the Minoans and Mycenaeans, and the Late Bronze Age collapse of Eastern Mediterranean civilisation. Other topics such as Neanderthal symbolic behaviour and the origin of the Indo-European languages are re-examined in the light of the latest evidence. FROM THE BEGINNING is written for the non-specialist, but it is sufficiently comprehensive and well-referenced to serve as an ideal ‘one-stop’ text not only for undergraduate students, but also for postgraduates, researchers, and other academics seeking to broaden their knowledge.
811 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 14, 2017
I finally finished this tome after five months of off and on reading.
The book begins by explaining our current knowledge of human evolution (as of 2015). I found it to be extraordinarily interesting, but I had some difficulty keeping track of all the various species that pre-dated modern humans. Therefore I suggest any readers to pay close attention to this part and make frequent side trips to Wikipedia for additional info and charts.
Next, Mr. Seddon describes the various hypotheses of how humans expanded across the globe. He uses archaeological discoveries and DNA science to support (or disprove) these theories. It's all very fascinating.
The following sections cover anthropology and sociology as Mr. Seddon discusses how humanity grew from groups to tribes to cities along with outlining the development of agriculture and language in great detail.
We then move on to the New World and learn about the peoples and societies that pre-dated the Inca and Aztecs. This is the section that I and other reviewers get bogged down in. Much of the information at this point is about the dimensions of the various structures in which these ancient peoples lived.
Throughout the book Mr. Seddon points out how climate variations impacted evolution and cultural development, often leading to the demise of a civilization. He follows up on this background to give a dire warning about how fragile our modern society has become in regards to significant climate change.
This book is an academic study, not a history book per se, and does require some stamina to finish. The text ends somewhat shy of 80%, followed by a large section of maps displaying major archaeological sites, the dispersal of hominids from Africa, the spread of agriculture, and the creation of the first cities, and finally a section of charts mapping out our evolutionary timeline, and human innovations.
I enjoyed this book, despite its intimidating length and scope of analysis. I recommend it for anyone interested in learning about our current understanding of how we as a species got to where we are.
The book begins by explaining our current knowledge of human evolution (as of 2015). I found it to be extraordinarily interesting, but I had some difficulty keeping track of all the various species that pre-dated modern humans. Therefore I suggest any readers to pay close attention to this part and make frequent side trips to Wikipedia for additional info and charts.
Next, Mr. Seddon describes the various hypotheses of how humans expanded across the globe. He uses archaeological discoveries and DNA science to support (or disprove) these theories. It's all very fascinating.
The following sections cover anthropology and sociology as Mr. Seddon discusses how humanity grew from groups to tribes to cities along with outlining the development of agriculture and language in great detail.
We then move on to the New World and learn about the peoples and societies that pre-dated the Inca and Aztecs. This is the section that I and other reviewers get bogged down in. Much of the information at this point is about the dimensions of the various structures in which these ancient peoples lived.
Throughout the book Mr. Seddon points out how climate variations impacted evolution and cultural development, often leading to the demise of a civilization. He follows up on this background to give a dire warning about how fragile our modern society has become in regards to significant climate change.
This book is an academic study, not a history book per se, and does require some stamina to finish. The text ends somewhat shy of 80%, followed by a large section of maps displaying major archaeological sites, the dispersal of hominids from Africa, the spread of agriculture, and the creation of the first cities, and finally a section of charts mapping out our evolutionary timeline, and human innovations.
I enjoyed this book, despite its intimidating length and scope of analysis. I recommend it for anyone interested in learning about our current understanding of how we as a species got to where we are.
August 14, 2015
The book loses focus as it delves into the minutiae of the archaeological record. This was an ambitious attempt to document all of human history but the blow by blow of minor Chiefs rising and falling from power is not needed. Especially when there is no attempt made to do the same for the larger civilizations, about which more is known. If it isn't within the scope of the book to include, say, Aztec history, or Roman history, why attempt a comprehensive treatment of lesser known groups?
June 9, 2023
AN EXCELLENT SURVEY AND SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE AND THEORIES
Author Christopher Seddon wrote in the Introduction to this 2015 book, “This book… is intended for anybody who is interested in the origins of the human species and how we subsequently went on to populate the world, discover agriculture, and eventually build cities… our knowledge [of] the distant past has been greatly increased by modern science. The invention of radiocarbon dating in the 1950s essentially rewrote the prehistory of Europe… genetic techniques have demonstrated our close evolutionary relationship to chimpanzees and the recent African origin of modern humans… As recently as 2009, when I commenced work on this book, there was still no strong evidence that modern humans had interbred with Neanderthals… The field is of course well-covered by a wide range of books covering ever major topic and aimed at specialists, non-specialists and general readers alike. What does not exist is a single volume … that covers the whole story: human evolution… a one-stop guide to prehistory… It is this gap that I have set out to address with my book…
“What is becoming clear is that there were three main ‘phases’ in the evolution of the hominins after they diverged from chimpanzees. The… earliest phase---lasting from around seven to 4.2 million years ago---[featured] apes with brains no larger than those of chimpanzees, and adaptations for both tree-climbing and two-legged walking… the second phase---lasting from around 4.2 million years ago---are known as australopithecines. Their brains were again no larger… but they were now better adapted to walking upright… The australopithecines probably made and used stone tools, though the evidence is rather limited. The third and final phase lasted from 2.0 million to around 200,000 years ago, and it was during this period that the first humans emerged… Our own species, Homo sapiens, is now believed to have emerged in Africa at the end of this third phase, before ‘going global’ and replacing the archaic human populations throughout the Old World.” (Pg. 8-9)
He asks, “which ape was our closest relative—was it the chimpanzee or the gorilla?...improved [DNA] sequencing methods were developed… these studies showed that we are slightly more closely related to chimpanzees than gorillas. Current estimates for when we diverged … are in the region of between five and seven million years ago… The implications … are that humans and chimpanzees are descended from a species of African ape that lived millions of years ago---the Last Common Ancestor (LCA) or, in popular parlance, the missing link.” (Pg. 24) Later, he adds, “Whether the hominids originated in Eurasian or Africa remains uncertain.” (Pg. 28)
He notes, “For most of the last four or five million years, there have been more than one hominin species living contemporaneously… We can categorically rule out the view that there has been a simple evolutionary progression from one species to another all the way from the LCA to Homo sapiens. Not all the hominins were our direct ancestors; many were evolutionary cul-de-sacs, and died out without issue. In fact, early hominin evolution has been likened more to a tangled bush than to a simple tree.” (Pg. 29)
Of the anatomical adaptations necessary for bipedalism, he states, “one may wonder what evolutionary forces could possibly select for such a radical series of transformations. An obvious possibility is that bipedalism freed our hands for other purposes, such as tool-making… [but] features don’t evolve because of what they might enable to happen in the future… The human hand was a useful spin-off from something else, but what?” (Pg. 37)
He acknowledges, “the evolutionary theory of the australopithecines is nowhere near fully understood, and it is also far from clear where the earliest humans fit into the picture. Even the geographical location of where the earliest humans emerged remains uncertain…” (Pg. 46-47) Later, he adds, “The generally accepted view is that the australopithecines remained confined to Africa throughout their long career… [but] there are no very obvious reasons why the australopithecines could not have expanded their range… there is good reason to suppose that early hominins did leave Africa ahead of … Homo erectus…” (Pg. 51-52)
He reports, “Homo habilis represented an advance in brainpower over earlier hominins… [but] why did it need to wise up?... Living in larger social groups might have facilitated larger brains by reducing food costs through cooperative behaviors, though this leaves unexplained how and why larger social groups came about in the first place… The answer … may be with climate change…” (Pg. 57-58) He summarizes, “it remains u8certain how many species the habilis type represents, and how they should be categorized. What is clear is that they … depended for their survival upon a high-quality diet and the ability to make and use tools.” (Pg. 60)
He comments, “Around 600,000 years ago, the African and Asian populations began to diverge from each other: in Africa and Europe, bigger-brained hominins start to appear in the fossil record. Asian Homo erectus seems to have remained largely unchanged until its final disappearance, although just when this was is uncertain.” (Pg. 79)
He notes, “the Neanderthals and their immediate precursors were the first hominins known to intentionally bury their dead. Consequently, many remains have been recovered from burial sites. It has also proved possible to extract genetic material from Neanderthal remains… from which we have learned much about their evolutionary history and their way of life.” (Pg. 90) He continues, “Neanderthals probably had the same range of skin and hair color as modern humans.” (Pg. 93)
He adds, “it is reasonably safe to conclude that Neanderthals were not the dimwits of popular imagination. However, their cognitive abilities and neural organization almost certainly differed from those of modern humans. The case for behavioral modernity remains unproven, there are reasonably sound arguments both for and against.” (Pg. 107)
He summarizes, “Homo sapiens… is believed to have emerged in Africa about 200,000 years ago… [that] represents just ten percent of the span of time since the first undisputedly human species, Homo erectus, emerged in Africa. It is only one percent of the time that has passed since the era of the early apes as Proconsul. Even that is a fairy recent event in terms of primate evolution … We are only the latest in a long line of African apes.” (Pg. 117)
He says, “The widely accepted view, based on genetic evidence, is that modern humans dispersed from Africa in a single migration sometime around 65,000 years ago… early migrants reached East Asia and Australia before Europe… a conservative estimate would suggest that humans reached Australia at least 50,000 years ago. These dates don’t tell us when modern humans first left Africa, but they suggest that it was a long time after the early Levantine migration… [it] is thought to have been aided by improving climatic conditions in tropical Africa, and possibly by technological innovation.” (Pg. 157)
Later, he explains, “there remains no consensus on how and why agriculture arose… Many believe that agriculture … could only have arisen among sedentary rather than seasonally mobile groups… a strain on food supplies … possibly combined with elements of social competition … might have provided the stimulus leading to agriculture.” (Pg. 231)
This is an excellent (and RECENT!) summary of a very broad topic, that will be of great interest to anyone studying human origins.
Author Christopher Seddon wrote in the Introduction to this 2015 book, “This book… is intended for anybody who is interested in the origins of the human species and how we subsequently went on to populate the world, discover agriculture, and eventually build cities… our knowledge [of] the distant past has been greatly increased by modern science. The invention of radiocarbon dating in the 1950s essentially rewrote the prehistory of Europe… genetic techniques have demonstrated our close evolutionary relationship to chimpanzees and the recent African origin of modern humans… As recently as 2009, when I commenced work on this book, there was still no strong evidence that modern humans had interbred with Neanderthals… The field is of course well-covered by a wide range of books covering ever major topic and aimed at specialists, non-specialists and general readers alike. What does not exist is a single volume … that covers the whole story: human evolution… a one-stop guide to prehistory… It is this gap that I have set out to address with my book…
“What is becoming clear is that there were three main ‘phases’ in the evolution of the hominins after they diverged from chimpanzees. The… earliest phase---lasting from around seven to 4.2 million years ago---[featured] apes with brains no larger than those of chimpanzees, and adaptations for both tree-climbing and two-legged walking… the second phase---lasting from around 4.2 million years ago---are known as australopithecines. Their brains were again no larger… but they were now better adapted to walking upright… The australopithecines probably made and used stone tools, though the evidence is rather limited. The third and final phase lasted from 2.0 million to around 200,000 years ago, and it was during this period that the first humans emerged… Our own species, Homo sapiens, is now believed to have emerged in Africa at the end of this third phase, before ‘going global’ and replacing the archaic human populations throughout the Old World.” (Pg. 8-9)
He asks, “which ape was our closest relative—was it the chimpanzee or the gorilla?...improved [DNA] sequencing methods were developed… these studies showed that we are slightly more closely related to chimpanzees than gorillas. Current estimates for when we diverged … are in the region of between five and seven million years ago… The implications … are that humans and chimpanzees are descended from a species of African ape that lived millions of years ago---the Last Common Ancestor (LCA) or, in popular parlance, the missing link.” (Pg. 24) Later, he adds, “Whether the hominids originated in Eurasian or Africa remains uncertain.” (Pg. 28)
He notes, “For most of the last four or five million years, there have been more than one hominin species living contemporaneously… We can categorically rule out the view that there has been a simple evolutionary progression from one species to another all the way from the LCA to Homo sapiens. Not all the hominins were our direct ancestors; many were evolutionary cul-de-sacs, and died out without issue. In fact, early hominin evolution has been likened more to a tangled bush than to a simple tree.” (Pg. 29)
Of the anatomical adaptations necessary for bipedalism, he states, “one may wonder what evolutionary forces could possibly select for such a radical series of transformations. An obvious possibility is that bipedalism freed our hands for other purposes, such as tool-making… [but] features don’t evolve because of what they might enable to happen in the future… The human hand was a useful spin-off from something else, but what?” (Pg. 37)
He acknowledges, “the evolutionary theory of the australopithecines is nowhere near fully understood, and it is also far from clear where the earliest humans fit into the picture. Even the geographical location of where the earliest humans emerged remains uncertain…” (Pg. 46-47) Later, he adds, “The generally accepted view is that the australopithecines remained confined to Africa throughout their long career… [but] there are no very obvious reasons why the australopithecines could not have expanded their range… there is good reason to suppose that early hominins did leave Africa ahead of … Homo erectus…” (Pg. 51-52)
He reports, “Homo habilis represented an advance in brainpower over earlier hominins… [but] why did it need to wise up?... Living in larger social groups might have facilitated larger brains by reducing food costs through cooperative behaviors, though this leaves unexplained how and why larger social groups came about in the first place… The answer … may be with climate change…” (Pg. 57-58) He summarizes, “it remains u8certain how many species the habilis type represents, and how they should be categorized. What is clear is that they … depended for their survival upon a high-quality diet and the ability to make and use tools.” (Pg. 60)
He comments, “Around 600,000 years ago, the African and Asian populations began to diverge from each other: in Africa and Europe, bigger-brained hominins start to appear in the fossil record. Asian Homo erectus seems to have remained largely unchanged until its final disappearance, although just when this was is uncertain.” (Pg. 79)
He notes, “the Neanderthals and their immediate precursors were the first hominins known to intentionally bury their dead. Consequently, many remains have been recovered from burial sites. It has also proved possible to extract genetic material from Neanderthal remains… from which we have learned much about their evolutionary history and their way of life.” (Pg. 90) He continues, “Neanderthals probably had the same range of skin and hair color as modern humans.” (Pg. 93)
He adds, “it is reasonably safe to conclude that Neanderthals were not the dimwits of popular imagination. However, their cognitive abilities and neural organization almost certainly differed from those of modern humans. The case for behavioral modernity remains unproven, there are reasonably sound arguments both for and against.” (Pg. 107)
He summarizes, “Homo sapiens… is believed to have emerged in Africa about 200,000 years ago… [that] represents just ten percent of the span of time since the first undisputedly human species, Homo erectus, emerged in Africa. It is only one percent of the time that has passed since the era of the early apes as Proconsul. Even that is a fairy recent event in terms of primate evolution … We are only the latest in a long line of African apes.” (Pg. 117)
He says, “The widely accepted view, based on genetic evidence, is that modern humans dispersed from Africa in a single migration sometime around 65,000 years ago… early migrants reached East Asia and Australia before Europe… a conservative estimate would suggest that humans reached Australia at least 50,000 years ago. These dates don’t tell us when modern humans first left Africa, but they suggest that it was a long time after the early Levantine migration… [it] is thought to have been aided by improving climatic conditions in tropical Africa, and possibly by technological innovation.” (Pg. 157)
Later, he explains, “there remains no consensus on how and why agriculture arose… Many believe that agriculture … could only have arisen among sedentary rather than seasonally mobile groups… a strain on food supplies … possibly combined with elements of social competition … might have provided the stimulus leading to agriculture.” (Pg. 231)
This is an excellent (and RECENT!) summary of a very broad topic, that will be of great interest to anyone studying human origins.
January 11, 2016
Good overall history. Gets a bit turgid towards the end.
April 26, 2021
This is an extraordinary book which is very ambitious in conception and execution and which, on the whole, is a triumphant success. It is remarkable and exhilarating to be taken on a journey from the very beginnings of humanity right to the first cities. I know of no other book which attempts such a feat and which does it with such authoritative thoroughness and aplomb.
This is a subject which fascinates me and I made copious notes, although I think it is also fair to say that only those with a considerable interest in the subject will want to dive into what is at times an extremely detailed and somewhat dense thicket of text. There were times when I was close to being overwhelmed by some of the technical detail, especially in the later chapters. Although the development of agriculture is a deeply interesting topic, some of the detail on ancient varieties of maize, for example, was a bit too fatiguing for me.
Occasionally the author allows an odd note of political bias to creep in. He notes with disapproval that the Tory politician Jacob Rees-Mogg used a megalithic stone circle as the backdrop to a poster urging voters to “Get Brexit Done” and mutters darkly about “the chauvinism of prehistory.” This seems weirdly over-reactive and tells us more about the author’s prejudices than Rees-Mogg’s, I feel.
There is a big fuss happening in England as I write about half a dozen football teams who have incurred the wrath of the government and the country by trying to form some kind of super-League amongst themselves. As I have no interest in the sport I am somewhat nonplussed as to why this should be such a big deal, but I was reminded of the Mesoamerican ball courts described by Seddon which were conceived to be portals to the underworld in which the game of life and death was ritually enacted. I had a moment of insight as I recalled the famous statement of one football manager: “Football is not a matter of life and death – it’s much more important than that.”
The book ends on a rather negative note as the author plunges himself into some doom and gloom thinking about the future of humanity. I thought this was a bit over the top. Admittedly my optimism may not be as well founded as Seddon’s pessimism. (Maybe he’s still upset about Rees-Mogg and those pro-Brexit megaliths). However, despite my caveats, I really think this is a magisterial work and collects together an enormous amount of fascinating material.
This is a subject which fascinates me and I made copious notes, although I think it is also fair to say that only those with a considerable interest in the subject will want to dive into what is at times an extremely detailed and somewhat dense thicket of text. There were times when I was close to being overwhelmed by some of the technical detail, especially in the later chapters. Although the development of agriculture is a deeply interesting topic, some of the detail on ancient varieties of maize, for example, was a bit too fatiguing for me.
Occasionally the author allows an odd note of political bias to creep in. He notes with disapproval that the Tory politician Jacob Rees-Mogg used a megalithic stone circle as the backdrop to a poster urging voters to “Get Brexit Done” and mutters darkly about “the chauvinism of prehistory.” This seems weirdly over-reactive and tells us more about the author’s prejudices than Rees-Mogg’s, I feel.
There is a big fuss happening in England as I write about half a dozen football teams who have incurred the wrath of the government and the country by trying to form some kind of super-League amongst themselves. As I have no interest in the sport I am somewhat nonplussed as to why this should be such a big deal, but I was reminded of the Mesoamerican ball courts described by Seddon which were conceived to be portals to the underworld in which the game of life and death was ritually enacted. I had a moment of insight as I recalled the famous statement of one football manager: “Football is not a matter of life and death – it’s much more important than that.”
The book ends on a rather negative note as the author plunges himself into some doom and gloom thinking about the future of humanity. I thought this was a bit over the top. Admittedly my optimism may not be as well founded as Seddon’s pessimism. (Maybe he’s still upset about Rees-Mogg and those pro-Brexit megaliths). However, despite my caveats, I really think this is a magisterial work and collects together an enormous amount of fascinating material.
September 6, 2020
Excellent overview - flawed kindle version
Given the vast scale of evolutionary and pre historical material covered the author must summarise large amounts of material. He does that deftly for the most part and where I got completely lost was mostly down to my lack of knowledge and gaps in time between reads. He rarely dives in to controversies rather allowing the reader to make up their own mind on competing views.
The kindle version is plagued with typos and missing words leading to the opinion that it was too hastily released and undermines the quality of the scholarship.
Given the vast scale of evolutionary and pre historical material covered the author must summarise large amounts of material. He does that deftly for the most part and where I got completely lost was mostly down to my lack of knowledge and gaps in time between reads. He rarely dives in to controversies rather allowing the reader to make up their own mind on competing views.
The kindle version is plagued with typos and missing words leading to the opinion that it was too hastily released and undermines the quality of the scholarship.
September 27, 2019
Awesome! A very interesting and enthralling book!
This book is absolutely magnificent. It starts at the very beginning of human evolution and smoothly progresses (without missing a beat) all the way to agriculture and the first cities. There is nothing missing in this book. If you would like to know everything about human prehistory and evolution, look no further!
This book is absolutely magnificent. It starts at the very beginning of human evolution and smoothly progresses (without missing a beat) all the way to agriculture and the first cities. There is nothing missing in this book. If you would like to know everything about human prehistory and evolution, look no further!
April 30, 2020
Full marks for the scope and the monumental effort it would have been in writing the book. However reads a lot like a text book and hence the drop in stars. But well worth the effort.
Recommended read for anyone who has the patience and experience in traversing similar books.
Not recommended for people whose only non fiction read is Sapiens (which is a pleasure to read).
Recommended read for anyone who has the patience and experience in traversing similar books.
Not recommended for people whose only non fiction read is Sapiens (which is a pleasure to read).
January 17, 2023
Unless you are an archeologist or geneticist, it provides all the information you will ever want to know and much you won't even remember about homo sapiens and all his/her cousins.
As far as global warming and the CO2 claimed influence I respectfully and totally disagree with the writer but the book's title is covered in every detail.
As far as global warming and the CO2 claimed influence I respectfully and totally disagree with the writer but the book's title is covered in every detail.
July 21, 2022
Good but I want interested in historical pat, just prehistorical.
March 18, 2024
Very dense with details. Very easy to get lost in the details without getting the overall sweep of civilization.
June 15, 2023
High level scan
September 3, 2020
This is an awesome treatment of the biggest topic I can think of ... a comprehensive review of the archaeological, climatic, geological, and cultural evidence and theories tracing our species far back in time. It's a super example of a readable yet comprehensive science book written for a general audience.
April 29, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book. Seddon gives an easy to read account of our evolution from our distant ancestors to our modern civilizations. If you are interested in where we came from and how we evolved than you should read this book. I know I will refer to this book many times in the future.
Read
March 24, 2016Interesting and very well researched but very heavy reading. It took a very long time to get through and would only recommend to someone with a real scientific interest in the topic rather than a general overview!
May 22, 2016
Rise of humanity
This covers what is known today about the rise of humans. It is written in a very comprehensive way for the layman to understand. What a fascinating history of our development. I you are at all interested in mans development I recommend this!
This covers what is known today about the rise of humans. It is written in a very comprehensive way for the layman to understand. What a fascinating history of our development. I you are at all interested in mans development I recommend this!
June 2, 2015
First two thirds of the book was really interesting and easy to read. The last third was too technical.
September 12, 2015
Very good. Rather slow to read, but very interesting.
August 8, 2022
Well-researched, well-documented, and well-written.
Tons of details and plenty of footnotes.
Surprisingly readable, although this isn't a book for relaxing on the beach with.
Tons of details and plenty of footnotes.
Surprisingly readable, although this isn't a book for relaxing on the beach with.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews