The Five Million Year Odyssey

Peter Bellwood
Princeton University Press, £17.99

This is the story of three sequential developments: the emergence of Homo sapiens from its primate origins over five million years, together with the development of languages, then farming in the comparatively recent past. Together, they have had a major impact on the earth we live on. Using information from palaeontology, archaeology, genetics, climate history and linguistics, Bellwood provides an interesting account of how Homo sapiens developed to its present condition. The evolution of Homo species has been portrayed in other books, but the subject is developing fast and even as he was writing, new information was being published which changed the story. This will be the case for many years hence, but the movement of primate species and Homo sapiens out of Africa over most of the earth is intriguing.

The development of farming communities from hunters and gatherers, not only in the Fertile Crescent, but in other parts of the world, together with the origin of the main language families, is told in substantial and substantiated detail. Clearly Homo sapiens has travelled widely, and continues to do so, making it difficult to discern the history of the early movement, and language evolution of this species. The story which emerges is well told.

The text is well illustrated with photographs, figures and tables, along with copious notes referring to sources of information.

Dr John C Bowman CBE FRSB             

Reviewed by Dr John C Bowman CBE FRSB