'The perfect textbook ... this is the kind of book we wish we'd had' - How It Works 'Exciting, accessible and informative ... by far the best introduction available' - Cyprian Broodbank, Institute of Archaeology, University College London 'One of the best overviews of world prehistory it is possible to get. Excellent coverage, up to date and accessible' - Tim Reynolds, Birkbeck, University of London 'Absolutely essential reading for all students of archaeology' - Barry Cunliffe, University of Oxford

Here is a new, fourth edition of this authoritative introductory survey of world prehistory, spanning the past 3,000,000 years and written by a team of twenty-four expert authors. This edition has been radically updated to be more thematic and accessible: chapters are connected by new key themes boxes (climate change, domestication, migration, social inequality and urbanism), which link global regions and encourage big-picture thinking. The text has been streamlined and the book?s design completely revamped: it is now in full colour throughout, with more than 50% more colour images than the previous edition. There is increased coverage of the Americas, with a brand-new chapter, The Origins and Dispersal of the First Americans. Revisions take into account the latest sites and discoveries, including Homo naledi and the new LiDAR surveys of Angkor Wat. Each chapter begins with a newly designed, easier-to-use timeline, and features boxes on key sites, key discoveries, key controversies and, as above, key themes. All of the key methods boxes from the previous edition have been consolidated into the Introduction and now offer an up-front primer of archaeological methods and practices. Tables and maps are simplified and easier to use.