First Migrants

Peter Bellwood

• 30 april 2026
• 9781394202416

Samenvatting:

A fully revised interdisciplinary account of human migration across five million years

Now in a fully revised Second Edition, First Migrants: Ancient Migration in Global Perspective traces the large-scale population movements that shaped the genetic, cultural, and linguistic diversity characterizing humanity today. Peter Bellwood synthesises evidence from archaeology, palaeoanthropology, genetics, and comparative linguistics to reinterpret migration as a dynamic process of redistribution of human populations, cultures, and languages, from the earliest African expansions to the global spread of agriculture.

This updated edition incorporates the latest advances in genomic DNA analysis, archaeological science including advances in chronological precision, and language family phylogenies. First Migrants covers the migrations of early hominins, Homo sapiens dispersals across continents, and the diffusion of agriculture within the last 10,000 years. It explores connections between non-anthropogenic climate change and population movements, and examines how prehistoric migrations created enduring patterns of diversity that continue to define contemporary societies.

Suited for upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate courses in archaeology, anthropology, human evolution, and historical linguistics, this book also serves modules in global history, evolutionary biology, and population genetics. Scholars and researchers in human genetics, comparative linguistics, and population history will find its interdisciplinary scope and meticulously revised data sources of particular value.

How Our Restless Ancestors Shaped the Interconnected World We Live in Today

First Migrants Revisited: Ancient Migration in Global Perspective reveals how human and hominin migrations over the past five million years shaped the world we inhabit today. Peter Bellwood synthesises insights from archaeology, palaeoanthropology, genetics, and linguistics to trace humanity’s earliest movements — from the first African expansions to the global spread of agriculture. The book reveals how migration redistributed the results of biological and cultural evolution, transforming societies and environments in every corner of the globe.

Bringing together decades of scholarship, Bellwood challenges simplistic narratives of ancient migration as random events without cause or consequence, instead positioning it as a powerful mechanism the behind the formation and spread of new patterns in human biology and culture. Through rich interdisciplinary analysis, he shows how the permanent movements of populations created enduring patterns of genetic, linguistic, and cultural diversity that continue to define us. Covering the migrations of early hominins, Homo sapiens dispersals across continents, and the global diffusion of agriculture, the book provides a richly interdisciplinary account of humanity’s shared past, drawing clear connections between environmental change, demographic expansion, and the human impulse to explore.

Deepening our understanding of migration as one of the most enduring forces in human history, First Migrants Revisited:

• Reinterprets migration as a dynamic process of redistribution of human biology, culture, and language
• Highlights the enduring consequences of prehistoric migration for contemporary human societies
• Provides new insights into the large-scale population movements that shaped the genetic, cultural, and linguistic diversity that still characterizes humanity today
• Features accessible summaries of the latest findings on early Homo sapiens dispersals and the global spread of agriculture
• Includes comparative discussions of different hominin species and their adaptive strategies

First Migrants Revisited: Ancient Migration in Global Perspective is ideally suited for upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate courses in archaeology, anthropology, human evolution, and historical linguistics, as well as for modules in global history, evolutionary biology, and population genetics within BA, BSc, and MA degree programmes.