By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY NOV 2, 2015

Renowned British archaeologist Cunliffe (Britain Begins) explores the social, climatic, and environmental factors that set the inhabitants of the Fertile Crescent and the Yangtze and Yellow River basins on the path "from simple foraging to organized food production and urban living" in this sweeping and ambitious capstone to his long career. Proposing that history has been far more influenced by geography than great personalities, he explores how a densely interconnected web of natural dynamics shaped human behavior and molded the emerging cultures. He apologizes in the preface for barely mentioning well-known human dramas such as Alexander the Great's conquests, yet his pithy observations will engross adherents of the social sciences as much as the natural sciences: Macedonia in the 4th century B.C.E., for instance, "was a macho world, boisterous and dangerous, ready to be set alight by any charismatic leader who chanced his luck." The importance of climate change as a driver of mass migration and social flux recurs throughout, sounding an ominous note for the Earth's current circumstances. Cunliffe is a master storyteller, explaining his carefully researched conclusions through polished language and apropos turns of phrase that make his book a breeze despite its depth and breadth.