A Short History of Humanity

A New History of Old Europe

De: Johannes Krause, Thomas Trappe, Caroline Waight - translator

Narrado por: Stephen Graybill

“Thrilling...a bracing summary of what we have learned [from] ‘archaeogenetics’ - the study of ancient DNA...Krause and Trappe capture the excitement of this young field.” (Kyle Harper, The Wall Street Journal)

Johannes Krause is the director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and a brilliant pioneer in the field of archaeogenetics - archaeology augmented by DNA sequencing technology - which has allowed scientists to reconstruct human history reaching back hundreds of thousands of years before recorded time.

In this surprising account, Krause and journalist Thomas Trappe rewrite a fascinating chapter of this history, the peopling of Europe, that takes us from the Neanderthals and Denisovans to the present. We know now that a wave of farmers from Anatolia migrated into Europe 8,000 years ago, essentially displacing the dark-skinned, blue-eyed hunter-gatherers who preceded them. This Anatolian farmer DNA is one of the core genetic components of people with contemporary European ancestry. Archaeogenetics has also revealed that indigenous North and South Americans, though long thought to have been East Asian, also share DNA with contemporary Europeans.

Krause and Trappe vividly introduce us to the prehistoric cultures of the ancient Europeans: the Aurignacians, innovative artisans who carved flutes and animal and human forms from bird bones more than 40,000 years ago; the Varna, who buried their loved ones with gold long before the Pharaohs of Egypt; and the Gravettians, big-game hunters who were Europe’s most successful early settlers until they perished in the ice age.

Genetics has earned a reputation for smuggling racist ideologies into science, but cutting-edge science makes nonsense of eugenics and “pure” bloodlines. Immigration and genetic exchanges have always defined our species; who we are is a question of culture, not biological inheritance. This revelatory book offers us an entirely new way to understand ourselves, both past and present.

©2021 Johannes Krause and Thomas Trappe (P)2021 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A highly readable, personal guide to the twists and turns in unravelling ancient DNA: Krause and Trappe expertly recount the story of archaeogenetics to reveal how this new field has utterly transformed understanding of our deep past.” (Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art)

“One of those books that stops you dead in your tracks and makes you say out loud: Why didn’t I know that before? So easy to read. So logically argued. So satisfyingly sensible and thought-provoking. Read it, think about it, and then read it again. An absolute revelation.” (Sue Black, author of All That Remains)

“A captivating and informative look at the origins and future of humanity.... Krause and Trappe make complicated scientific processes accessible to lay readers, and offer hope that the ongoing study of ancient genetics and the development of new technologies such as genome editing will help to fight pathogens.” (Publishers Weekly)

archeo genetics. a lot of WOW moments listening

a lot of insight based on new science into prehistory. and Revelations about human migration and disease

Facts are recent and based in academic research.

Too short, I would’ve enjoyed a longer book. The authors did a great job with very difficult subject matter.

Good overview with a lot of opinion

A much shorter version of Baker's Ancestral Journeys,but with a lot more attention to the impacts of disease and plagues. Again, A lot of opinion at times without great regard to the facts. Not a lot new, other than how he chooses to interpret things.

Just what I was looking for

This is just what I was looking for—an up-to-date, genetically informed, ancient history of Europe. Sure, like some of the other reviewer‘s noted, there are some ideologies that are “dispelled” or propagated, but the reader is warned in the very first part of the book. And I do believe they are good points! Overall, I very much enjoyed the book.

Drop the politics

The discussion of ancient DNA and human migration was fascinating. But all the politics injected almost ruined the audiobook. David Reich’s book is much better.

Genetic Human History

Genetic scientists are doing some amazing things. It’s crazy that early humans inadvertently left us genetic secrets by burying the dead and preserving dna. We are in uncharted territory when it comes to learning about human history. I need more books like this.

Interesting science, obnoxious politics

Whatever your personal politics, it's not hard to be taken aback by the schizophrenic nature of this book. Most of it is a fascinating, if not particularly deep, discussion on the recent findings in archeogenetics. However, occasionally, particularly after discussing some uncomfortable findings the author(s) veer hard into machine-gun boilerplate political arguments, probably to avoid cancelation. At best these arguments are irrelevant to the topic at hand, at worst insultingly simplistic and often contradicting previous material. Overall interesting, but probably won't hold up well.

Meandering account

As concerns the history there is a narrative backed by little explanation of the actual data and supporting evidence. Not solidly backing the narrative with evidence. Follows Nazi thinking now going to the opposite spectrum of the political agenda being a proponent of cultural destruction and destruction of cultural identity based on genetic history. Two wrongs don't make a right, however. VERY interesting historical account of some human diseases. Half the book is about archaeogenetics and rather badly written. Almost half the book on diseases. Very nice. Last chapter is on authors convictions. They are entitled to them. That does not make them right or completely wrong either. Nice narration. Worth the time.

Not worth the credit or time

Very disappointed with book. The information is presented at about an eighth grade level. Very little new scientific information and was more a low level sociology book. It ended with a short lecture urging tolerance for migrant people explaining there no races, we are basically all the same. An theme that ran through the entire book. I doubt the people living in the near east and Eastern Europe who were inundated by the waves of steppe people leaving behind up to 70% Y chromosome DNA in todays population had a pleasant mixing with these individuals. After listening to some intriguing books on ancient DNA explaining human migration out of Africa and settlement of modern humans across the globe this book gave watered down science with the theme of tolerance as the primary aim as opposed to hard science. I would recommend dodging it like the plague that is superficially discussed.

Not a short history of humanity

This book is interesting but not exactly a history of humanity. It really a book on the prehistory of Europe and the development of European culture. Which is not all of humanity, just a small portion of it.