David Christian Maps Of Time Summary

In Maps of Time David Christian provides a concise history of all that has ever been, and all that will ever be. Christian is writing in the historical approach he refers to as “big history.” Christian pleads the case for big history rather adroitly, providing the analogy that “no geographer would try to teach exclusively from street maps,” therefore Christian is attempting to the field of history with a world map with which to work. (3) Though a pulling away from a map obscures small details, streets dissolve and streams and creeks vanish, larger patterns emerge, continents take shape and vast oceans appear. This same principle applies to taking a grander view of history. In order to achieve what would appear to be a Sisyphean task: giving

proper treatment to a history spanning thirteen billion years, and an infinite future, Christian limits his scope. Christian forms this book around the idea of crafting a “modern creation myth,” which will “assemble a coherent and accessible account of our origins.” (2) Maps of Time was written with the intent to tell the human story, and that is precisely what Christian achieves.
Maps of Time follows a chronological structure, with section breaks being dictated by thematic changes within the history.

In Part I Christian begins with the origins of the Universe, beginning with the big bang and ending with the formation of Earth. Part II traces the genesis of life on Earth, from organic chemicals to far more complex organisms. Part III follows the evolutionary creation of Homo sapiens through their dispersion across the globe. Parts I through III depict largely a history without humans, and, therefore, are dominated by interdisciplinary studies, an aspect Christian describes as big history’s distinguishing feature. Such sciences as cosmology, geology, biology, and more are employed in these sections to present an accurate picture of a global past with no written historical records. In Part IV begins the more traditional historical narrative, where Christian examines the discovery and evolution of agriculture. Parts IV and V follow how the discovery of agriculture would create opportunities and dilemmas, the solutions to which led to the development of civilizations, and eventually to our modern world. In Part VI Christian leaves history behind and looks toward what is coming next, breaking down the future into three parts: the somewhat predictable near future (the next one hundred years), the unpredictable middle future (the next several hundred to several thousand years), and the eminently predictable remote future (the remainder of time), ending his

treatment of everything.
Christian is never at odds with what he intends to do with Maps of Time and remains remarkably consistent while dealing with such a varied topic. This work was never intended to be a detailed global history, in fact, Christian intended quite the opposite, writing selectively so as not to obscure the bigger trends with superfluous detail. For those disappointed by the brevity with which Maps of Time approaches detail, a list of suggested further reading is supplied at the end of every chapter. Indeed, some may even be disappointed with Christian’s lack of parity within his global vision, but he aptly proves his admitted Eurocentrism is a result of following the history, not his own biases. Christian was obviously aware while writing the book that his approach to the topic was controversial, as he confronts the main reservations to big history, more or less accepting these apprehensions, but proving them to be strengths rather than weaknesses. The question that Christian does not answer, however, is how certain aspects of big history add to the historical field. Though Maps of Time is an impressive achievement in scope, do the details of the big bang truly add to the understanding of human history that he is trying to achieve? Parts I and II were fascinating studies, but they felt separate from the remainder of his argument. Perhaps this reaction is one of learned attachment to fragmentary history, but if Christian’s goal was to break this attachment, it was the singular objective Maps of Time was unable to achieve.