Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations
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Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations
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Narrated by:
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Brian M. Fagan
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Written by:
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Brian M. Fagan
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The Great Courses
About this listen
Where do we come from? How did our ancestors settle this planet? How did the great historic civilizations of the world develop? How does a past so shadowy that it has to be painstakingly reconstructed from fragmentary, largely unwritten records nonetheless make us who and what we are?
These 36 lectures bring you the answers that the latest scientific and archaeological research and theorizing suggest about human origins, how populations developed, and the ways in which civilizations spread throughout the globe. It's a narrative of the story of human origins and the many ties that still bind us deeply to the world before writing. And it's a world tour of prehistory with profound links to who we are and how we live today.
Woven through this narrative is a set of pervasive themes: emerging human biological and cultural diversity (as well as our remarkable similarities across surprising expanses of time and space); the impact of human adaptations to climatic and environmental change; and the importance of seeing prehistory not merely as a chronicle of archaeological sites and artifacts, but of people behaving with the extraordinary intellectual, spiritual, and emotional dynamism that distinguish the human. Among the corners of our mysterious past you'll explore: human prehistory from Australopithecus africanus through Homo habilis and Homo erectus; the beginnings of agriculture and animal domestication; theories behind the appearance of urban civilization and overall attributes of preindustrial civilizations; the maritime trading revolutions in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia; and much more.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2003 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2003 The Great CoursesYou may also enjoy...
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 53
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 48
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As great a course as advertised
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What listeners say about Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan Sparey
- 2023-09-01
I loved every minute
I loved this. the narrator was really good. The information was very interesting, I am really into pre history listened to a few books now this is my favorite
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Laverdm
- 2024-02-22
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC
What an amazing course! The delivery is impeccable and the content tremendously rich and well organized.
I couldn’t put it down! I will for sure revisit it multiple times!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 2023-06-14
Dated and traditional but interesting
I almost gave up on this lecture when Brian Fagan emphatically stated Neanderthals had not mated with humans, which has since been proven false, however I continued to listen without regret. Despite some annoyance, such as his pronunciation of “controversy”, I found this to be a good summary of 2 1/2 million years of human existence and development. It is a very traditional presentation, and can get tedious on occasion but he also shows his passion for the topic such as his descriptions of the cave paintings in chapter 10. Overall I recommend it as good introductory summary of human pre-history.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rusty
- 2018-12-21
very informative
An extreme informative read overall! some information is out of date but as he even points out in the lectures, it is still a very unknown subject they are learning new things about every day.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- kaelyn coghill
- 2023-01-18
Long, repetitive, outdated
You could consume the information contained in this 18hr lecture in about 2hrs on youtube. The lecturer repeats points multiple times, almost as filler to make it longer. Some of the information is also out of date.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Micah Clark
- 2024-09-08
Obnoxious lecturer
Presenter is obnoxiously posh and ethnocentric. Prepare to hear him brag incessantly about his "classical education" and roll his Rs like some Elizabethan dandy. Content is fine, sort of a tasting menu of prehistory.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2021-11-09
excellent outline of the big picture.
Valuable after the more specific course Lost World's of South America. I have listened to over 100 great courses and the always provide new and powerful insight on their subject matter.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- PCR
- 2019-05-23
Thought-provoking while Informative
I found Prof Fagan evocative, and steeped in a subject he shared so well that I am sad to reach the end.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- C. Chaffin
- 2022-08-08
Too long
The information is great however this is an 18 hour audio book that could have been accomplished in 9 hours. The professor is often long winded or repetitive. If you have spare time and don't mind hearing someone who likes to hear themselves this is for you.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2024-07-12
Information-packed Course
This lecture series led by Anthropology Professor Brian M. Fagan is organized logically and delivered authoritatively. The bulk of the presentation is overly ambitious (attempting a worldwide review sentences the program to more of a "survey" than an in-depth study), but the development of early man into a social organism and how humanity then constructed multiple distinctive forms of civilization is straight-up fascinating.
Less fortunately for audiobook consumers, Professor Fagan delivers his lectures with an odd halting cadence. There are uncomfortably long pauses in the middle of sentences that become annoying after a few hours (made less disruptive by setting playback speed at 1.20X). I'm not saying that the presentation is unlistenable, mind you - Fagan is clear and the sound quality is excellent - just "average" at best. The quality of the accompanying PDF is likewise "acceptable": fashioned as more of an outline than a comprehensive lecture-by-lecture learning guide.
Altogether, this Audio Course rates 7 stars out of 10. As a 'Plus' offering, it was an intellectually stimulating way to spend a few quiet afternoons.. but if Audible asks for a Credit, spend it on another 'Great Courses' project.
[NOTE: Some of the information - Neanderthal-Cro Magnon intermingling & colonization of the Americas, for example - is a bit dated. A lot of data has been collected since this recording's release in 2013]
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