Anthropocene: A New Introduction to World Prehistory

(Paperback)

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Since taking their first steps on this planet, humans have changed the environment around them. Anthropocene: A New Introduction to World Prehistory tells the comprehensive story of human prehistory through the lens of anthropogenic environmental change. Each chapter explains how and why ancient humans transformed the Earth, linking prehistory to today's greatest global challenge. As they explore this record of the world's early people and societies, authors Joy McCorriston and Julie Field reject the traditional account of cultural evolution, instead presenting a thematic organization that highlights our Anthropocene narrative. Chapters are devoted to cities and agriculture, but also to such topics as technology, extinction, food production, writing and extractivism. Chapter 9, 'Individuals and Identity,' considers human identity and agency in more recent eras, and the book ends with a contemporary chapter that takes a hopeful look at the future.

Reviews

'I love the inclusive nature of its content in terms of global prehistory it covers geographies and cultures that are often neglected in the teaching of archaeology' - James Taylor, University of York

Author Bio

Joy McCorriston is Professor of Anthropology at The Ohio State University. She researches food production, landscape and paleoenvironments in the ancient Near East and co-directs field research in Arabia. Julie Field is Associate Professor of Anthropology at The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on the archaeological detection of human-environmental interaction, in particular the colonization and transformation of islands by Pacific Island voyagers.