Paper

A common trait found throughout mankind’s existence is its anthropological dispersion of human culture. But when looking to the past many questions frequently arise. Michael Cook, the author of A Brief History of the Human Race, structures his study of the development of societies and civilizations with one predominant question. “Why did human history happen the way it did?” Well aware that society and civilization are ancient arts, Cook sketches an overview from man’s prehistoric origins to industrialization of the contemporary world. Furthermore, he brilliantly explores why human history did not begin until the fairly recent past. Modern humanoids have been in existence for thousands of years, but it was not until roughly the ninth millennium B.C. that history began to make an appearance. Cook gives a compelling explanation for why this is so. He also explains that by looking into our past many answers to man’s questions can be revealed and lead humans to a primordial enlightenment. From writing and the calendars of Mesoamerica, to the progression of scientific innovation, Cook shows the reader the lush diversity within the human experience.

Modern humans, in regard to having the same indistinguishable features that modern man does, originated more than 130,000 years ago. This resurgence of life is hard to pinpoint and follow due to different ice ages. It is clear however that when the Eemian and Holocene interglacial periods began, due to warmer climates, traces of culture were first detected. Humans jumped through this “window” where other species did not. Cook goes on to describe the exact anatomy of the human biome. He uses DNA examples to further his idea why mankind evolved and developed where other species did not. Mod...

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...e revolution in eighteenth-century. We see Europe, especially the United Kingdom propel forward during the industrial era. This eventually disseminated into the America’s and resulted in varying powers throughout the world. The progression eventually led to a more standardized world than mankind has ever witnessed before, as well as a world marked by inequalities between cultures.

Michael Cook traces the migrations of our early ancestors as they expand across land and sea and populate new domains, all while establishing a life as they adapt to new landscapes and climates. Major trends, such as the rise of agriculture, the rise of society, and the invention of writing all show rich strands in the long element, that is human history and culture. Cook observes that because of mankind’s rich variety and diversity, our history is shrouded just as much as our future.