{"product_id":"the-five-million-year-odyssey-by-peter-bellwood-9780691258812","title":"The Five-Million-Year Odyssey","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe epic story of human evolution, from our primate beginnings more than five million years ago to the agricultural era.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the course of five million years, our primate ancestors evolved from a modest population of sub-Saharan apes into the globally dominant species \u003ci\u003eHomo sapiens\u003c\/i\u003e. Along the way, humans became incredibly diverse in appearance, language, and culture. How did all of this happen?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Five-Million-Year Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e, Peter Bellwood synthesises 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBellwood presents our modern diversity as a product of both evolution, which led to the emergence of the genus \u003ci\u003eHomo\u003c\/i\u003e approximately 2.5 million years ago, and migration, which carried humans into new environments. He introduces us to the ancient hominins including the australopithecines, \u003ci\u003eHomo erectus\u003c\/i\u003e, the Neanderthals, and others before turning to the appearance of \u003ci\u003eHomo sapiens\u003c\/i\u003e circa 300,000 years ago and subsequent human movement into Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBellwood 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe fascinating origin story of our varied human existence, \u003ci\u003eThe Five-Million-Year Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e underscores the importance of recognising our shared genetic heritage to appreciate what makes us so diverse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46833629429996,"sku":"9780691258812","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2575263482434.jpg?v=1758470067","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/the-five-million-year-odyssey-by-peter-bellwood-9780691258812","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}