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Figuring Out The Past

A History of the World in 3,495 Vital Statistics
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( 114 ratings, 25 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Figuring Out The Past by Daniel Hoyer and Peter Turchin delves into the sweeping story of human history through the lens of data-driven historical analysis. The authors explore how patterns and trends from past societies can illuminate the complexities of human development today. By using innovative approaches and methodologies, the book aims to offer a clearer understanding of how our past continues to shape the present and future.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're fascinated by how historical patterns and data analysis can shed light on the evolution of human societies. It combines insights from education and reference material to offer a fresh perspective on understanding our past and predicting future trends. The authors' interdisciplinary approach might intrigue those interested in the intersection of history, data science, and human behaviour.

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Figuring Out The Past

The numbers that tell the story of humanity

The numbers that tell the story of humanity

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

What was history's biggest empire? Or the tallest building of the ancient world? What was the average life expectancy in medieval Byzantium? The average wage in Old Kingdom Egypt? Where did scientific writing first emerge? What was the bloodiest ritual human sacrifice ever?

We are used to thinking about history in terms of stories. Yet we understand our own world through data: vast arrays of statistics that reveal the workings of our societies. So, join the radical historians Peter Turchin and Dan Hoyer for a dive into the numbers that reveal the true shape of the past.

Drawing on their own Seshat project, a staggeringly ambitious attempt to log each piece of demographic and econometric information that can be reliably estimated for every society that has ever existed, Figuring Out The Past does more than tell the story of the past: it shows you the large-scale patterns.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Figuring Out The Past is seen as a vital resource for understanding historical patterns, particularly for those interested in empire-building. It has been suggested, somewhat humorously, that such knowledge could have changed the course of history for leaders like the last Song emperor.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781788161930

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 November 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Economist Books

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 228.0mm

Weight: 330g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Professor Peter Turchin is Project Leader at the Complexity Science Hub Vienna. He is a founder of a new transdisciplinary field of Cliodynamics and has authored nine books.
Dr Dan Hoyer is an historian and social scientist serving as Senior Reseracher and Project Manager of the Seshat: Global History Databank Project. He has been collaborating with Peter Turchin since 2014.

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