Prehistoric World Cultures (First Edition) (Paperback)

"Prehistoric World Cultures" provides a broad overview of world prehistory while highlighting significant events, developments, and cultures through time. Organized chronologically and geographically, it gives students a clear understanding of changes through time from the evolution of our species to the development of complex civilizations.
The beginning of the text focuses on how archaeologists study past cultures and what kinds of archaeological methods are used to investigate prehistoric sites. The text then presents information on evolution, the beginnings of agriculture, and early complex civilizations such as Mesopotamia and the city-states of the Nile River Valley.
Students will also learn about the early cultures of East Asia, the Chinese Empire, South Asia, and ancient India. New World cultures, such as Native American groups, and the Maya, Aztec and Inca are addressed in the final chapters.
Each chapter includes a "Bringing it Together" section that enables students to make important conceptual connections. Key terms and concepts are highlighted at the end of each chapter to improve retention.
The text gives students a firm grounding in world history, enabling them to better contextualize current news and events. Streamlined and straightforward, Prehistoric World Cultures can be used in courses on world prehistory, world archaeology, and introduction to archaeology.
Renee B. Walker received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is an associate professor of anthropology at the State University of New York, Oneonta and a past recipient of the university s Richard J. Siegfried Junior Faculty Prize, and the Chancellor s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Her research interests include Eastern North American archaeology, Paleo-Indian and Archaic period subsistence patterns, and the archaeology of hunter-gatherers. Dr. Walker s professional writing includes "Foragers of the Terminal Pleistocene in North America," co-edited with Boyce N. Driskell, and "Bones as Tools: Archaeological Studies of Bone Tool Manufacture, Use and Classification," co-edited with Christian Gates-St. Pierre. She also has numerous articles published in archaeology journals and edited book volumes."