First Migrants: Ancient Migration in Global Perspective - Hardcover

Bellwood, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1405189096 ISBN 13: 9781405189095

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013

Synopsis

The first publication to outline the complex global story of human migration and dispersal throughout the whole of human prehistory. Utilizing archaeological, linguistic and biological evidence, Peter Bellwood traces the journeys of the earliest hunter-gatherer and agriculturalist migrants as critical elements in the evolution of human lifeways. * The first volume to chart global human migration and population dispersal throughout the whole of human prehistory, in all regions of the world * An archaeological odyssey that details the initial spread of early humans out of Africa approximately two million years ago, through the Ice Ages, and down to the continental and island migrations of agricultural populations within the past 10,000 years * Employs archaeological, linguistic and biological evidence to demonstrate how migration has always been a vital and complex element in explaining the evolution of the human species * Outlines how significant migrations have affected population diversity in every region of the world * Clarifies the importance of the development of agriculture as a migratory imperative in later prehistory * Fully referenced with detailed maps throughout

About this title

Review:

"In sum, First Migrantsis a commendable effort to synthesize a growing body of literature on the subject and will serve as a useful and much needed text for courses on the subject. For those generally unfamiliar with different parts of the world and why people moved to and fro, Bellwood has offered an attractive resource and one which should prove useful in that regard for years to come." (American Antiquity, 1 July 2014)

"This is a significant contribution to our understanding of world archaeology." (Antiquity, 1 June 2014)

From the Back Cover:

Peter Bellwood's global perspective on human migration offers an unprecedented view of the evolution of human lifeways. Charting the fascinating story of human migration throughout prehistory, the author takes the reader on an archaeological odyssey from humanity's origins in Africa two million years ago, through the challenges and dislocations of the Ice Ages, to the continental migrations of agricultural peoples within the last 10,000 years.

Drawing on a wide variety of data from archaeology, evolutionary biology, human genetics, and comparative linguistics, the book's central argument posits that migration has always been a fundamental imperative in human affairs. Bellwood argues that human diversity is not just the result of purely local processes, but that significant migrations have always occurred, and identifies the development of agriculture as a critical element in recent human prehistory. The analysis provided in these pages is informed by the latest research and is well-illustrated with detailed maps.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1405189096
• ISBN 13: 9781405189095
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 328