{"title":"Books by Peter Bellwood","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780691197579","title":"The Five–Million–Year Odyssey – The Human Journey from Ape to Agriculture","description":"The epic story of human evolution, from our primate beginnings more than five million years ago to the agricultural eraOver the course of five million years, our primate ancestors evolved from a modest population of sub-Saharan apes into the globally dominant species Homo sapiens. Along the way, humans became incredibly diverse in appearance, language, and culture. How did all of this happen? In The Five-Million-Year Odyssey, Peter Bellwood synthesizes research from archaeology, biology, anthropology, and linguistics to immerse us in the saga of human evolution, from the earliest traces of our hominin forebears in Africa, through waves of human expansion across the continents, and to the rise of agriculture and explosive demographic growth around the world.   Bellwood presents our modern diversity as a product of both evolution, which led to the emergence of the genus Homo approximately 2.5 million years ago, and migration, which carried humans into new environments. He introduces us to the ancient hominins—including the australopithecines, Homo erectus, the Neanderthals, and others—before turning to the appearance of Homo sapiens circa 300,000 years ago and subsequent human movement into Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas. Bellwood then explores the invention of agriculture, which enabled farmers to disperse to new territories over the last 10,000 years, facilitating the spread of language families and cultural practices. The outcome is now apparent in our vast array of contemporary ethnicities, linguistic systems, and customs.   The fascinating origin story of our varied human existence, The Five-Million-Year Odyssey underscores the importance of recognizing our shared genetic heritage to appreciate what makes us so diverse.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685722530165,"sku":"9780691258812","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56294252216693,"sku":"9780691197579","price":28.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780691258812.jpg?v=1792598886"},{"product_id":"9781119706342","title":"First Farmers – The Origins of Agricultural Societies","description":"A wide-ranging and accessible introduction to the origins and histories of the first agricultural populations in many different parts of the world This fully revised and updated second edition of First Farmers examines the origins of food production across the world and documents the expansions of agricultural populations from source regions during the past 12,000 years. It commences with the archaeological records from the multiple homelands of agriculture, and extends into discussions that draw on linguistic and genomic information about the human past, featuring new findings from the last ten years of research. Through twelve chapters, the text examines the latest evidence and leading theories surrounding the early development of agricultural practices through data drawn from across the anthropological discipline—primarily archaeology, comparative linguistics, and biological anthropology—to present a cohesive history of early farmer migration. Founded on the author's insights from his research into the agricultural prehistory of East and Southeast Asia—one of the best focus areas for the teaching of prehistoric archaeology—this book offers an engaging account of how prehistoric humans settled new landscapes. The second edition has been thoroughly updated with many new maps and illustrations that reflect the multidisciplinary knowledge of the present day. Authored by a leading scholar with wide-ranging experience across the fields of anthropology and archaeology, First Farmers, Second Edition includes information on: The early farming dispersal hypothesis in current perspective, plus operational considerations regarding the origins and dispersals of agricultureThe archaeological evidence for the origins and spreads of agriculture in the Eurasian, African and American continentsThe histories of the language families that spread with the first farming populations, and the evidence from biological anthropology and ancient DNA that underpins our modern knowledge of these migrations Drawing evidence from across the sub-disciplines of anthropology to present a cohesive and exciting analysis of an important subject in the study of human population history, Farmers First, Second Edition is an important work of scholarship and an excellent introduction to multiple methods of anthropological and archaeological inquiry for the beginner student in prehistoric anthropology and archaeology, human migration, archaeology of East and Southeast Asia, agricultural history, comparative anthropology, and more disciplines across the anthropology curriculum.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56296359133557,"sku":"9781119706342","price":39.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781119706342_efd00d91-b373-4c4e-8700-38b08f2c0ab0.jpg?v=1786034234"},{"product_id":"9781921313110","title":"Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago","description":"Since its publication in 1985, Peter Bellwood's Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago has been hailed as the sole authoritative work on the subject by the leading expert in the field. Now that work has been fully revised and includes a complete up-to-date summary of the archaeology of the region (and relevant neighboring areas of China and Oceania), as well as a comprehensive discussion of new and important issues (such as the \"Eve-Garden of Eden\" hypothesis and its relevance to the Indo-Malaysian region) and recent advances in macrofamily linguistic classification.Moving north to south from northern Peninsular Malaysia to Timor and west to east from Sumatra to the Moluccas, Bellwood describes human prehistory from initial hominid settlement more than one million years ago to the eve of historical Hindu-Buddhist and Islamic cultures of the region. The archaeological record provides the central focus, but chapters also incorporate essential information from the paleoenvironmental sciences, biological anthropology, linguistics, and social anthropology. Bellwood approaches questions about past cultural and biological developments in the region from a multidisciplinary perspective. Historical issues given extended treatment include the significance of the Homo erectus populations of Java, the dispersal of the present Austronesian-speaking peoples of the region within the past 4,000 years, and the spread of metallurgy since 500 B.C. Bellwood also discusses relationships between the prehistoric populations of the archipelago and those of neighboring regions such as Australia, New Guinea, and mainland Asia.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309074133365,"sku":"9781921313110","price":24.48,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"9781394202416","title":"First Migrants: Ancient Migration in Global Perspe ctive 2E Paper","description":"How Our Restless Ancestors Shaped the Interconnected World We Live in Today First Migrants Revisited: Ancient Migration in Global Perspective reveals how human and hominin migrations over the past five million years shaped the world we inhabit today. Peter Bellwood synthesises insights from archaeology, palaeoanthropology, genetics, and linguistics to trace humanity’s earliest movements — from the first African expansions to the global spread of agriculture. The book reveals how migration redistributed the results of biological and cultural evolution, transforming societies and environments in every corner of the globe. Bringing together decades of scholarship, Bellwood challenges simplistic narratives of ancient migration as random events without cause or consequence, instead positioning it as a powerful mechanism the behind the formation and spread of new patterns in human biology and culture. Through rich interdisciplinary analysis, he shows how the permanent movements of populations created enduring patterns of genetic, linguistic, and cultural diversity that continue to define us. Covering the migrations of early hominins, Homo sapiens dispersals across continents, and the global diffusion of agriculture, the book provides a richly interdisciplinary account of humanity’s shared past, drawing clear connections between environmental change, demographic expansion, and the human impulse to explore. Deepening our understanding of migration as one of the most enduring forces in human history, First Migrants Revisited: Reinterprets migration as a dynamic process of redistribution of human biology, culture, and language  Highlights the enduring consequences of prehistoric migration for contemporary human societiesProvides new insights into the large-scale population movements that shaped the genetic, cultural, and linguistic diversity that still characterizes humanity todayFeatures accessible summaries of the latest findings on early Homo sapiens dispersals and the global spread of agricultureIncludes comparative discussions of different hominin species and their adaptive strategies First Migrants Revisited: Ancient Migration in Global Perspective is ideally suited for upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate courses in archaeology, anthropology, human evolution, and historical linguistics, as well as for modules in global history, evolutionary biology, and population genetics within BA, BSc, and MA degree programmes.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368721035637,"sku":"9781394202416","price":30.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781394202416_d0011799-9490-4b40-a968-1311a7d6ad50.jpg?v=1786018714"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-peter-bellwood.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}