Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations cover art

Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations

Written by: Brian M. Fagan,The Great Courses
Narrated by: Brian M. Fagan
Try for $0.00

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $52.57

Buy Now for $52.57

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

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 Courses

More from the same

What listeners say about Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    45
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    39
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    39
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

over rated

This should be called "how to say as little as possible in as much time as possible".

So much time is wasted in this providing overviews and summaries that you loose the sense of wonder that this topic should bring. maybe I went in with too high of expectations, or the topic is too vast for this but you felt it barely even scratch the surface before the topic ends and you are on to the next.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Sleep-inducing

The way he talks is slow and plodding and he makes random pauses that make you think he is about to say something really interesting, but which are just random and mean nothing. The content feels like a lists of names and dates and fails to give any sense that are are underlying patterns.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!