A Short History of Humanity: A New History of Old Europe
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- Author：Johannes Krause
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Summary
A radical retelling of humanity's restless， genetically mingled history based on the revolutionary science of archaeogenetics。
In this eye-opening book， Johannes Krause， director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology， and journalist Thomas Trappe offer a new way of understanding our past， present， and future。 Krause is a pioneer in the revolutionary new science of archaeogenetics， archaeology augmented by revolutionary DNA sequencing technology， which has allowed scientists to uncover a new version of human history reaching back more than 100，000 years。 Using this technology to re-examine human bones from the distant past， Krause has been able to map not only the genetic profiles of the dead， but also their ancient journeys。
In this concise narrative he tells us their long-forgotten stories of migration and intersection。 It's well known that many human populations carry genetic material from Neanderthals; but， as Krause and his colleagues discovered， we also share DNA with a newly uncovered human form， the Denisovans。 We know now that a wave of farmers from Anatolia migrated into Europe 8，000 years ago， essentially displacing the dark-skinned， blue-eyed hunter-gatherers who preceded them。 The farmer DNA is one of the core genetic components of contemporary Europeans and European Americans。 Though the first people to cross into North and South America have long been assumed to be primarily of East Asian descent， we now know that they also share DNA with contemporary Europeans and European Americans。 Genetics has an unfortunate history of smuggling in racist ideologies， but our most cutting-edge science tells us that genetic categories in no way reflect national borders。
Krause vividly introduces us to prehistoric cultures such as the Aurignacians， innovative artisans who carved animals， people， and even flutes from bird bones more than 40，000 years ago; the Varna， who buried their loved ones with gold long before the Pharaohs of Egypt; and the Gravettians， big-game hunters who were Europe's most successful early settlers until they perished in the ice age。 This informed retelling of the human epic confirms that immigration and genetic mingling have always defined our species and that who we are is a question of culture not genetics。
In this eye-opening book， Johannes Krause， director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology， and journalist Thomas Trappe offer a new way of understanding our past， present， and future。 Krause is a pioneer in the revolutionary new science of archaeogenetics， archaeology augmented by revolutionary DNA sequencing technology， which has allowed scientists to uncover a new version of human history reaching back more than 100，000 years。 Using this technology to re-examine human bones from the distant past， Krause has been able to map not only the genetic profiles of the dead， but also their ancient journeys。
In this concise narrative he tells us their long-forgotten stories of migration and intersection。 It's well known that many human populations carry genetic material from Neanderthals; but， as Krause and his colleagues discovered， we also share DNA with a newly uncovered human form， the Denisovans。 We know now that a wave of farmers from Anatolia migrated into Europe 8，000 years ago， essentially displacing the dark-skinned， blue-eyed hunter-gatherers who preceded them。 The farmer DNA is one of the core genetic components of contemporary Europeans and European Americans。 Though the first people to cross into North and South America have long been assumed to be primarily of East Asian descent， we now know that they also share DNA with contemporary Europeans and European Americans。 Genetics has an unfortunate history of smuggling in racist ideologies， but our most cutting-edge science tells us that genetic categories in no way reflect national borders。
Krause vividly introduces us to prehistoric cultures such as the Aurignacians， innovative artisans who carved animals， people， and even flutes from bird bones more than 40，000 years ago; the Varna， who buried their loved ones with gold long before the Pharaohs of Egypt; and the Gravettians， big-game hunters who were Europe's most successful early settlers until they perished in the ice age。 This informed retelling of the human epic confirms that immigration and genetic mingling have always defined our species and that who we are is a question of culture not genetics。
Reviews
Rob
，
Title is a misnomer， a Short History of Europeans would be far more accurate given the euro-centric narrative。 Migrations unrelated to European history are sidelined， if even mentioned。 This erked me a bit， but overall it's a great look into how Europeans came to be who they are and the authors do a great job of relating it to current political and social affairs。 Examining the relationships between disease and migration in light of COVID-19 was particularly interesting。 Also， its very easy to f Title is a misnomer， a Short History of Europeans would be far more accurate given the euro-centric narrative。 Migrations unrelated to European history are sidelined， if even mentioned。 This erked me a bit， but overall it's a great look into how Europeans came to be who they are and the authors do a great job of relating it to current political and social affairs。 Examining the relationships between disease and migration in light of COVID-19 was particularly interesting。 Also， its very easy to follow for lay readers like myself， with no background in archeology or genetics。 。。。more
Cat
，
Interesting read！ I definitely didn't know I was picking up a book about genetics， and it's definitely a subject I know very little about， but it was not a regrettable read in the slightest。 Sometimes I found it hard to keep up with the technical language， especially in the chapter About language， but other than that it was pretty easy to follow/understand for someone without any prior knowledge。 The most frustrating part for me was the amount of times that 'genetic mysteries' were introduced on Interesting read！ I definitely didn't know I was picking up a book about genetics， and it's definitely a subject I know very little about， but it was not a regrettable read in the slightest。 Sometimes I found it hard to keep up with the technical language， especially in the chapter About language， but other than that it was pretty easy to follow/understand for someone without any prior knowledge。 The most frustrating part for me was the amount of times that 'genetic mysteries' were introduced only to be followed with "but we still don't really know。"I guess that's just a part of the field though， so much is largely in the unknown。 At times， it was humorous， which I personally very appreciated。 The chapters on the futility of nationality/ race wars I loved reading in particular。 。。。more
Johanna
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Ich finde es ist ein sehr interessantes Buch mit sehr vielen interessanten Informationen。 Auch wenn es viele zahlen gibt ist es überhaupt nicht langweilig， sondern sehr spannend die Entwicklubgsstufen des Menschens anhand von Archäologischen Funden zu erleben。
Ben
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This covers similar ground to David Reich's "Who we are and how we got here？" Both are good， but Reich's is less focused on Europe。 This covers similar ground to David Reich's "Who we are and how we got here？" Both are good， but Reich's is less focused on Europe。 。。。more
Marks54
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So what happens when you take the archeological approach to human origins and add to it the analysis of the DNA found in ancient human bones？ The result is a startling augmentation of what we can say about our ancestors - much richer than the accounts I had read before。。 Archeogenetics is apparently a new area and I look forward to reading more about it。“A Short History of Humanity” is a new translation of a 2019 German book。 It is well written and accessible to non-scientists。 I cannot recall t So what happens when you take the archeological approach to human origins and add to it the analysis of the DNA found in ancient human bones？ The result is a startling augmentation of what we can say about our ancestors - much richer than the accounts I had read before。。 Archeogenetics is apparently a new area and I look forward to reading more about it。“A Short History of Humanity” is a new translation of a 2019 German book。 It is well written and accessible to non-scientists。 I cannot recall the last social science/history book where I did not want to give away spoilers， but there are a few in here。Why a “4” instead of a “5”？ I struggled on this， but it’s the first I read in this new field and is a general introduction。 I wanted to leave room for comparisons。I strongly recommend the book。 。。。more
Rafe
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Maybe not groundbreaking position， but nevertheless an interesting read about human history as species from genetic perspective。 Surely more engaging than many school history classes， deepens understanding of who we are and how we get here in this form。
Richard
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A little Euro-centric， but enlightening non the less。
Rachel
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The title of this book is unfortunate， as it ignores the fact that its focus is Europe and not “Humanity” as a whole。 The subtitle clarifies， but most of the world is left out of the category of humanity。 But if you’re interested in the ancient migration into Europe， this is a solid， if broad explanation of archeogenetics。 I wish the authors had been clear about when they were talking about autosomal DNA admixtures instead of just having that be the default for “DNA，” as it seemed they did。 Ther The title of this book is unfortunate， as it ignores the fact that its focus is Europe and not “Humanity” as a whole。 The subtitle clarifies， but most of the world is left out of the category of humanity。 But if you’re interested in the ancient migration into Europe， this is a solid， if broad explanation of archeogenetics。 I wish the authors had been clear about when they were talking about autosomal DNA admixtures instead of just having that be the default for “DNA，” as it seemed they did。 There was little discussion of Y-DNA， very disappointing for me， since it’s my area of study。 Overall， a good non-technical book for the scientifically curious， although likely not detailed enough for those who are involved in genetic genealogy。 。。。more
Marianne Villanueva
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A few chapters were amazing。 They do know how to tell a story。 Chapter 8， about the Black Death， was absolutely riveting。 Underlying every plague statistic is the awareness of covid， covid， covid。The last chapter （Chapter 9） was pretty anti-climactic。 The authors say migration is good？Since returning the book to the library， I have talked up this book high and low。 So many ramifications for our present。 So maybe it's more of a 4。5 stars than just 4。In an early chapter， they point out that our hu A few chapters were amazing。 They do know how to tell a story。 Chapter 8， about the Black Death， was absolutely riveting。 Underlying every plague statistic is the awareness of covid， covid， covid。The last chapter （Chapter 9） was pretty anti-climactic。 The authors say migration is good？Since returning the book to the library， I have talked up this book high and low。 So many ramifications for our present。 So maybe it's more of a 4。5 stars than just 4。In an early chapter， they point out that our human ancestors did overlap with another form of human， and that these two species were able to reproduce successfully。 Which meant they were sub-species， not species species。 Or something like that （I am not a scientist， obv）。 Also， evidence that these "encounters" were often violent。 Oopsie。 Also， that the last great migration into Central Europe happened just before the last Great Ice Age。 And subsequently， no humans existed in Central Europe "for 6000 years。" （Small groups of survivors made it， obv， or we wouldn't be here。 But to imagine a Central Europe with no people for 6000 years was really something） 。。。more
Jeanette
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Overall this is an excellent book for the lay person who has not had particular study in human forensics or anthropology or any science that includes biologic or earth history of homo forms and distributions over masses of time。 It's not perfect but for the length it is apt。 Longer and it would have had to include all kinds of historic and nomenclature data of particulars （like the exact origin group or individual for a language or a migration origin etc。）。 Doing all of that designating to exact Overall this is an excellent book for the lay person who has not had particular study in human forensics or anthropology or any science that includes biologic or earth history of homo forms and distributions over masses of time。 It's not perfect but for the length it is apt。 Longer and it would have had to include all kinds of historic and nomenclature data of particulars （like the exact origin group or individual for a language or a migration origin etc。）。 Doing all of that designating to exact degree would have made the book nearly unreadable， and certainly less understandable to those whose do not know much base information upon the overall subject。 Because it cores on the Old Europe origins of humans who resided in that particular location， it is even more narrowed to a scale that can be more easily digested and also frames the larger continental pictures。 This was a great way to access information for various lines of homo that were never included in other studies that I myself have had in former schooling of other decades。 And I must add， that some of this （probably more than 1/2） is NOT what was taught to us or understood as possible either back in the 1960's or 1980's。 Not even in the years up to 2000。 The entire field "eyes" have changed。 Because climate changes， geography changes， access to continents and plains change。 And also because what is "true" about Homo Sapiens observing today was and is not always the case for a hunter gather vs Neolithic farmer scenario。 The language chapter was beyond my comprehension， I don't know enough about the originals， the intermediates， or any of the existing oddballs today。 But other than that I could with a very slow read understand most of this。 And also why so many "true" absolutes of my youth and middle age science are virtually just NOT。 I almost gave it 3 stars for his assumptions in the last 20 pages of the book。 Some of them were absurd and he should NOT interpret the politico。 Neither author should。 Their German European cognition is showing and holds a more than miniscule set of "knowing what they know"。 When at times they just don't have a clue about what they don't know。I would recommend this book if you ever had interest in different homo forms or you are well into interest for the various DNA of past ancestry that can be now evaluated as these authors did。 Excellently too。 Using various degrees of gene sequence and other newer methods of comparing same to same or differences or with huge input from the mitrochondrial DNA portions that have come down from millennia maternal lines。 Also interesting to those who study and interpret patriarchy？ The DNA tells the tale。 Almost all men stayed in one locale and almost all women married or were sent "out" to other locales。 A lot of your perceived cultural differences are seated in the biology of not only the farming or "stay put" life either。 Usually I disapprove of taking such a wide non-fiction subject into a single study volume。 But this one is defined and exceptional for its organization to fields of comparison/competition （like bacteria and virus developing at the same times）。 And I do disagree with the other reviews which say that more specific tribal names， origin places or exact designation to type should have been listed if known and proven already in 2020。 That would have made this overview nearly impossible to digest。 So many people， so many diseases， so many entire populations decimations。 Don't think this is going to be a cheery human dominance story in any regard。 Humans of every earth age and variety are strong for a lot of very valid reasons。 Because of what they have faced is no small part of that perservance。 Archeo-genetics in nearly all regards is endlessly enthralling。 。。。more
Suzanne Esen
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amazing book so informative in an easy to read style that brings a comprehensive understanding to an interesting and complex issue。 It makes the story of the movement of people in Europe come alive in a way that is fascinating
Grzegorz Chrupała
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This book gives a concise layman's introduction to archaeogenetics， or the use of ancient DNA to answer questions about history and prehistory。 It focuses especially on findings related to migrations and infectious disease with the goal of linking these to current events。 Compared to David Reich's book "Who We Are and How We Got Here" it's written in a more journalistic style， and it doesn't stray far from Europe。 Which brings me to the fact that it really should not be titled "A Short History o This book gives a concise layman's introduction to archaeogenetics， or the use of ancient DNA to answer questions about history and prehistory。 It focuses especially on findings related to migrations and infectious disease with the goal of linking these to current events。 Compared to David Reich's book "Who We Are and How We Got Here" it's written in a more journalistic style， and it doesn't stray far from Europe。 Which brings me to the fact that it really should not be titled "A Short History of Humanity"。 The subtitle is much more accurate。 。。。more
Barbara
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This is a fascinating summary of current knowledge on archaeogenetics， the study of genes through time。 It is very recent: it was first published in German in 2019， but has clearly been amended before it was translated into English in 2021， as it does include references to Covid-19。 The book covers a very broad range of time and topics。 It starts by looking at hominins and their genetic relationships to each other: Johannes Krause is one of the geneticists involved in the discovery of the Deniso This is a fascinating summary of current knowledge on archaeogenetics， the study of genes through time。 It is very recent: it was first published in German in 2019， but has clearly been amended before it was translated into English in 2021， as it does include references to Covid-19。 The book covers a very broad range of time and topics。 It starts by looking at hominins and their genetic relationships to each other: Johannes Krause is one of the geneticists involved in the discovery of the Denisovans， so is particularly well-informed on that subject。 It then looks at the migration of modern humans throughout the world， concentrating mainly on Europe， but also looking at the rest of the world。 The authors use genetic distributions and linguistics to throw light on the change from hunter gatherers to farmers， and then the partial replacement of both by nomadic populations from the steppes （introducing the Yamnaya！）。 They then go on to look at disease distributions and origins。 At this point lots of the information is really very new， or at any rate makes it possible to come down in favour of certain hypotheses because of the new ability to find ancient disease DNA from ancient bodies as well as the DNA of the owners of the bodies。 This produces some interesting surprises - who knew that the pre-conquest tuberculosis in South America swam there from Africa， transported by seals！ - and allows them to come down on one side in longstanding puzzles such as on which side of the Atlantic syphilis originated。I enjoyed the book very much， but there were a few slight flaws。 Just occasionally the translation was phrased in a way that made me have to stop and think before I was sure what was intended， usually as a result of somewhat idiosyncratic word order。 One example from page 122: "Drawing on DNA as well as language trees， we can now explain quite better when and how modern-day languages spread across Europe and Asia。 Steppe migrants brought likely a new family of languages to Europe - languages that were the predecessors of nearly everything people speak on the continent today。" It's really more that I tripped up long enough to break the flow rather than that there is any real difficulty understanding what is intended。 The other thing that occasionally slowed me down was the maps。 It's great that there are maps， but sometimes there are two maps in different chapters covering the same time period but looking at different things。 It would be lovely if this was pointed out when you got to the second map， preferably with the page number for the first map！ 。。。more
Alana
，
First of all， when I read a book about history， especially prehistory and ancient history， I don't expect the author to express （although implicitly） his political views on current affairs。This is indeed a very very short and basic book。 The topics are broad but a lot of important points are omitted。 Just to give a few examples:When the author talks about Indo-Iranian languages he does not even mention a word of Sintashta culture， which is currently most widely accepted as the origin of Indo-Ira First of all， when I read a book about history， especially prehistory and ancient history， I don't expect the author to express （although implicitly） his political views on current affairs。This is indeed a very very short and basic book。 The topics are broad but a lot of important points are omitted。 Just to give a few examples:When the author talks about Indo-Iranian languages he does not even mention a word of Sintashta culture， which is currently most widely accepted as the origin of Indo-Iranian languages。 When the author talks about Copper Age of Europe he does not even mention a word of Vinča culture， which is considered the beginning place of Copper Age of Europe。 He says "Balkans" though， but why not go one more tiny step and say explicitly the name of that culture？When the author talks about the origin of the bacteria of Black Death， there are actually published papers on the place of origin of that strand of the bacteria， the author does not cite or paraphrase their results。 Same for the Justinian Plague。 It is surprising that he spends a section on the origin of the bacteria while not mentioning these important and relevant works。In short， this is a very introductory book， not for people who already have some knowledges about the topics。 。。。more
Arkadiusz Ciosek
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Many interesting news about human origins， genetics and anthropology
Pollerspöck Jürgen
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Spannende Zusammenhänge， interessant und informativ geschrieben
Ethan
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A reconstruction of European history as it relates to archaeogenetics。The author is recording the work and heritage of his mentor and the new field of archaeogenetics。 He begins with his work in decoding the DNA of the first discovered Denisovan bone。 From there the story is primarily focused on what we deem pre-history， exploring what genetics ancient and modern can tell us about how Europe was populated over time。 The story is a new one with some unexpected twists。 Europe is inhabited and "de- A reconstruction of European history as it relates to archaeogenetics。The author is recording the work and heritage of his mentor and the new field of archaeogenetics。 He begins with his work in decoding the DNA of the first discovered Denisovan bone。 From there the story is primarily focused on what we deem pre-history， exploring what genetics ancient and modern can tell us about how Europe was populated over time。 The story is a new one with some unexpected twists。 Europe is inhabited and "de-inhabited" during more expansive ice age times。 He speaks of the intermingling of modern humans with Neanderthals and Denisovans。 Much is made of the Mal'ta man whose genetics are associated with certain Europeans and Native Americans。 The first farmers came from Anatolia and lived near， but did not intermingle much with， more "native" hunter-gatherers。 A few still have that heritage， but most ended up getting wiped out， possibly by plague， and definitely by the incoming Yamnaya culture。 By the time one gets to the Bronze Age the authors turn to focus on pandemic disease and how it can be traced in the archaeogenetic record。 The book concludes with what seems to be its purpose: to use archaeogenetics to demonstrate how mankind has been peripatetic and has moved around a lot while also spreading disease and supplanting previous populations in the process。 Thus， everyone in the immigration arguments of the age have something they can grab a hold of in order to justify their viewpoint。 A good way to get some decent information about where archaeogenetics is at in terms of the European populations。**- galley received as part of early review program 。。。more
Rudi
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Goed geschreven boek met wat allerhande informatie， een bacterie die de maag van een vlo blokkeert， ik heb wat zaken bijgeleerd ， Onderhoudend geschreven
Thomas
，
Ich wusste zu Beginn gar nicht was micht mit diesem Buch erwarten würde。 Insgesamt muss ich sagen， bin ich positiv überrascht。 Auch wenn es sich viel mehr um ein fachliches Buch handelt als um einen Roman oder zumindest eine fiktive Geschichte， so schafft es der Autor die Reise unserer Gene als interessante und fesselnde Geschichte rüberzubringen。Das Buch war sehr bereichernd und ich habe sehr viel lernen können。 Ich kann dieses Buch jeder Person empfehlen。 Gerade Leserinnen und Leser， die zum B Ich wusste zu Beginn gar nicht was micht mit diesem Buch erwarten würde。 Insgesamt muss ich sagen， bin ich positiv überrascht。 Auch wenn es sich viel mehr um ein fachliches Buch handelt als um einen Roman oder zumindest eine fiktive Geschichte， so schafft es der Autor die Reise unserer Gene als interessante und fesselnde Geschichte rüberzubringen。Das Buch war sehr bereichernd und ich habe sehr viel lernen können。 Ich kann dieses Buch jeder Person empfehlen。 Gerade Leserinnen und Leser， die zum Beispiel Sapiens von Harari genossen haben， werden auch dieses Buch mögen。 。。。more
Steve
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I enjoyed this book。 It struck a great balance between giving me enough detail to help me understand and not too much that I got lost in the minutiae。 A similar book where I did get lost in the minutiae is “Kindred” by Rebecca Wragg Sykes。 The book by Krause and Trappe was much more fun to read。 It includes Krause’s personal journey and is written with a sense of humor and a certain lightness。 Although written about Europe， I feel that the general principles are applicable elsewhere。 I recommend I enjoyed this book。 It struck a great balance between giving me enough detail to help me understand and not too much that I got lost in the minutiae。 A similar book where I did get lost in the minutiae is “Kindred” by Rebecca Wragg Sykes。 The book by Krause and Trappe was much more fun to read。 It includes Krause’s personal journey and is written with a sense of humor and a certain lightness。 Although written about Europe， I feel that the general principles are applicable elsewhere。 I recommend it for anyone interested in the history of humanity。 Disclosure: I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes。 。。。more
Mia
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Super interesting。 Would definitely recommend it。
Marc
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Over the past weeks， I have read numerous books on archeo-genetics， a new scientific domain that uses genetic research to get a picture of the earliest human history。 Initially， this was done through the analysis of the DNA of current populations， and by focusing on the mutations in them， one could look back in time， albeit with very rough margins。 By studying the human fossils themselves and extracting DNA from them， one succeeds in digging much deeper and making more precise connections。 Johan Over the past weeks， I have read numerous books on archeo-genetics， a new scientific domain that uses genetic research to get a picture of the earliest human history。 Initially， this was done through the analysis of the DNA of current populations， and by focusing on the mutations in them， one could look back in time， albeit with very rough margins。 By studying the human fossils themselves and extracting DNA from them， one succeeds in digging much deeper and making more precise connections。 Johannes Krause （° 1980） is head of research departments in Jena and Leipzig （Germany） and has definitely earned his spurs in this field。 Fortunately， he called on the publicist Thomas Trappe for this book， making it much more readable than Harvard professor David Reich's Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past。 For those who follow this rapidly evolving domain of archeo-genetics， Krause's book offers some new elements， but it is especially valuable because of the handsome overview of the early human history （more specific in Europe）。 Krause is also much more realistic about the possibilities and limitations of archeo-genetics than Reich。 Definitely recommended as an introduction。 More about the content in my review on my History account on Goodreads: https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。。 。。。more
Sense of History
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This book on paleo-genetics is less detailed and less technical than David Reich's， Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past， who is the absolute authority in this new field。 But Krause's book gives a better overview and is a lot more readable。 It gives the state of the art in research on ancient human and pre-human fossils， as of 2019。 That's almost 2 years more recent than that of Reich and that is absolutely relevant in this enormously rapidly evolving This book on paleo-genetics is less detailed and less technical than David Reich's， Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past， who is the absolute authority in this new field。 But Krause's book gives a better overview and is a lot more readable。 It gives the state of the art in research on ancient human and pre-human fossils， as of 2019。 That's almost 2 years more recent than that of Reich and that is absolutely relevant in this enormously rapidly evolving field。 For example， Krause can pay more attention to the revolutionary discovery of the 'Denisova'， an extinct human species whose traces can be found mainly in East Asia and Oceania。 Denisova lived at about the same time as the well-known Neanderthal and perhaps just as its congener came to an end with the advent of our species， the Homo Sapiens。 However， I should point out here that Krause's book， unlike that of Reich， is much more limited to Europe。The middle part of the book discusses the state of affairs in the research into the various waves of migration in Europe over the last 100，000 years。 Krause uses the genetic research here almost exclusively in addition to that of classic archeology。 But in the last third of his book， he dives into his specialty: genetic research into diseases and epidemics。 This is of course particularly interesting in the light of the current Covid19 pandemic。 For example， he formulates the theory that the nomadic population from Southern Russia and Central Asia that flooded Europe some 5，000 years ago may have been able to do so because merchants had just brought the plague bacteria to Europe from the steppe， thereby decimating the population there。 It explains why the genetic material of those nomads still dominates the European population。 And there are many other interesting titbits to read in this chapter。Krause's book confirms the view that the new field of paleo-genetics offers many interesting additions and corrections to the classical archaeological picture we have of the earliest human history。 But at the same time， it should be approached with the necessary caution and always seen in a broader context （I wrote more on that in my review on David Reich's book）。 。。。more
Erik
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Great overview of how homo erectus and humanity did spread across the globe and all factual based on gene patterns and evolution。 Also additional insights in how language and virus and bacteria probably did evolve， spread and impacted history。
Paul Reef
，
Insightful overview of how digital genetic reseatch has changed the history of humanity， including the discovery of the Denisova human， although this book mainly covers the prehistoric migrations which shook up Europe's genetic makeup。 The focus predominantly lies on the history of Neanderthals， Denisovan humans and homo sapiens， neolithic migrations towards Europe ca 8000 years ago from Anatolia， the migration wave of steppe inhabitants ca 5000 years ago， and the genetically traceable spread of Insightful overview of how digital genetic reseatch has changed the history of humanity， including the discovery of the Denisova human， although this book mainly covers the prehistoric migrations which shook up Europe's genetic makeup。 The focus predominantly lies on the history of Neanderthals， Denisovan humans and homo sapiens， neolithic migrations towards Europe ca 8000 years ago from Anatolia， the migration wave of steppe inhabitants ca 5000 years ago， and the genetically traceable spread of diseases， such as syphilis， the plague， and tubercolisis。 The strength of the analysis lies in the fact that it is embedded in decades of archaeological， linguistic and historical research， which are explained in a clear and comprehensivle way， with room for doubt and venues for future research。Two main take aways。 Firstly， concerning the two key migration waves。 The genetic record shows that the genes of Anatolian farmers became almost entirely dominant in most of mainland Europe， suggesting that hunter gatherers were both outnumbered and outcompeted （with the exception of Scandinavia and despite some evidence of coexistence）。 Agriculture was spread by migration， not by cultural exchange。 The migration wave of steppe inhabitants was most likely preceded by a devastating plague （coming from the steppes） which enabled their massive spread across the continent， aided by horses， husbandry and bronze weapons。 Secondly， the main genetic makeup of Europe has not changed substantially since these waves of migration。 In fact， it made Europeans "whiter" （as the Anatolian agrarians needed tl be paler to receive as much vitamin D as hunter gatherers） Despite the rise of for example the Roman Empire， cultural or linguistic diversity did not alter genetic diversity on a noticeable scale。The authors show how previous theories of migration or genetics were embedded within nationalist history writing， and racist or even Nazi ideologies， but also how genetics complements existing theories of the spread of Indo European languages。 A weakness of the book is its predominant focus on both Germany and German archeology。 Still， the message that genetically speaking， Europeans are less different from East Asians than West Africans from South Africans， and that even then， these genetic differences result in minute social differences， is perhaps more important to be spread than ever in an age of growing nativism and gross misunderstanding of "racial" genetics， despite ever diminishing overall genetic differences。 The book's warning of the danger of diseases and pandemics （written in 2019） has turned out to be very timely indeed。 。。。more
Alex Knipping
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Een boek dat onbedoeld twee zeer actuele thema’s aansnijdt: 1） het Corona-virus en waarom dit soort epidemieën ons regelmatig zal ‘plagen’ en 2） waarom racisme getuigt van domme vooroordelen （iets waarvan we als mensheid ook al heel lang last hebben en waarschijnlijk blijven houden）。 Maar dat zijn zijlijnen en slotopmerkingen bij het hoofdthema van dit boek。 Het gaat vooral om de vraag ‘wie zijn we eigenlijk， hoe is dat gekomen en wat kan DNA-onderzoek toevoegen aan de kennis die we al hebben？’ Een boek dat onbedoeld twee zeer actuele thema’s aansnijdt: 1） het Corona-virus en waarom dit soort epidemieën ons regelmatig zal ‘plagen’ en 2） waarom racisme getuigt van domme vooroordelen （iets waarvan we als mensheid ook al heel lang last hebben en waarschijnlijk blijven houden）。 Maar dat zijn zijlijnen en slotopmerkingen bij het hoofdthema van dit boek。 Het gaat vooral om de vraag ‘wie zijn we eigenlijk， hoe is dat gekomen en wat kan DNA-onderzoek toevoegen aan de kennis die we al hebben？’ In een aantal gevallen is het zelfs zo dat deze nieuwe manier van geschiedkundig onderzoek oude kennis totaal op z’n kop zet。 Dat leidt tot interessante invalshoeken en conclusies zoals hierboven beschreven。 In elk geval zijn nu een paar dingen duidelijk geworden。 De ‘moderne mens’ is erin geslaagd om in de naweeën van de ijstijd Europa binnen te dringen。 Dat ging niet in één invasie， maar in diverse， waarschijnlijk aarzelende pogingen。 De Neanderthalers in het zuidwesten van Europa moesten geleidelijk aan het veld ruimen en datzelfde gold voor de Denisovamens in het oosten van Europa en in Azië。 Toch verdwenen ze niet helemaal， want er vond vermenging plaats en hun genen zijn nog altijd in ons （de huidige mens） aanwezig。 Vervolgens werden de jager-verzamelaars， de nieuwkomers， weer naar de uithoeken van de leefbare wereld verdreven toen vanuit Anatolië de eerste boeren （landbouwers） de vruchtbare gronden in bezit namen。 Daar was geen vooropgezet plan voor nodig en dat kon in die tijd ook helemaal niet。 De groepen landbouwers konden meer kinderen voeden， waren talrijker en daarmee uiteindelijk machtiger en sterker。 De jager-verzamelaars hadden waarschijnlijk ook helemaal geen behoefte aan strijd om land。 Ze gingen gewoon ergens anders heen， maar ze werden op die manier letterlijk gemarginaliseerd。 Ook de nieuwe bewoners van Europa hielden geen stand。 Mogelijk waren hun aantallen al gedecimeerd door een ziekte （vanaf een bepaalde periode raakte een groot deel van Europa vrij plotseling dunbevolkt， mogelijk door de pest）。 Een nieuwe invasie kwam， nu door een herdersvolk dat met paarden vanuit de Pontische steppen westwaarts en oostwaarts trok。 De oorspronkelijke theorie dat nieuwe culturen door de oorspronkelijke bevolking werd overgenomen vanuit het Midden-Oosten klopt dus niet。 De ene cultuur verdrong de andere en ook hier gebeurde dat op veel plaatsen met het nodige geweld。 Vrijwel overal vond ook weer genetische uitwisseling plaats （vast niet altijd vrijwillig helaas） en dat heeft ons in genetisch opzicht gemaakt tot wie we zijn。 Wie dus bang is voor verlies van eigenheid van een volk door import van buitenlanders verloochent zijn eigen afkomst， al dan niet bewust。 Iets voor Geert Wilders en Thierry Baudet om over na te denken。 。。。more
Arzu
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Das Buch gibt einen spannenden Einblick in die Archäogenetik und die bisherigen Erkenntnisse hinsichtlich der Herkunft der "Europäer"。 Sehr sachlich， rational geschrieben - was mir persönlich gefallen hat。 Das Buch gibt einen spannenden Einblick in die Archäogenetik und die bisherigen Erkenntnisse hinsichtlich der Herkunft der "Europäer"。 Sehr sachlich， rational geschrieben - was mir persönlich gefallen hat。 。。。more
Kyle Oswald
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Gutes Buch mit mehr Themenbereichen als man bei dem Titel annimmt。 Allgemein gutes Buch zur Genetik
Marc ZEIMET
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Ein Buch das Wissen aus einer anderen， neuen Welt eröffnet， jenes der Genomik， Genforschung und Genanalyse。 Im ersten Teil wird dargestellt was die Archäogenomik anhand von Gendaten über die Entstehung des Menschen， sodann die Völkerwanderungen herausgefunden hat。 Konkret wird aufgezeigt wie die Geschichte der Menschheit auf der Ebene von Migrationen über Kontinente hinweg nachvollzogen werden kann。 Im letzten Teil des Buches geht es um die Gene von Krankheitserregern welche Seuchen und Pandemie Ein Buch das Wissen aus einer anderen， neuen Welt eröffnet， jenes der Genomik， Genforschung und Genanalyse。 Im ersten Teil wird dargestellt was die Archäogenomik anhand von Gendaten über die Entstehung des Menschen， sodann die Völkerwanderungen herausgefunden hat。 Konkret wird aufgezeigt wie die Geschichte der Menschheit auf der Ebene von Migrationen über Kontinente hinweg nachvollzogen werden kann。 Im letzten Teil des Buches geht es um die Gene von Krankheitserregern welche Seuchen und Pandemien hervorriefen und Impakte auf den Verlauf der Geschichte von Völkern hatte。 Ein lesenswertes， wissenschaftlich fundiertes Sachbuch， das neue Sichtweisen einfordert， und vorallem viele Dogmata über den Haufen wirft。 Persönlich berührend sind die Plädoyers des Autors， der sich nicht scheut aufgrund der bislang erarbeiteten Erkenntnisse aus der Archeo-Genomik die Trends für die Zukunft aufzuzeigen。 Nach der Lektüre dieses empfehlenswerten Buches ist eines sicher: Die Entwicklung der Welt und der Menschheit wird spannend bleiben。 Es ist allemal von Vorteil zu wissen， wohin die Reise gehen kann。 。。。more
Taniplea
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