author : Peter Bellwood

Drawing on a wide variety of data from archaeology, evolutionary biology, human genetics, and comparative linguistics, the book’s central argument posits that migration has always been a fundamental imperative in human affairs. Bellwood argues that human diversity is not just the result of purely local processes, but that significant migrations have always occurred, and identifies the development of agriculture as a critical element in recent human prehistory. The analysis provided in these pages is informed by the latest research and is well-illustrated with detailed maps.

Over the course of five million years, our primate ancestors evolved from a modest population of sub-Saharan apes into the globally dominant species Homo sapiens. Along the way, humans became incredibly diverse in appearance, language, and culture. How did all of this happen? Peter Bellwood synthesizes research from archaeology, biology, anthropology, and linguistics to immerse us in the saga of human evolution, from the earliest traces of our hominin forebears in Africa, through waves of human expansion across the continents, to the rise of agriculture and explosive demographic growth around the world. The Five-Million-Year Odyssey tells the fascinating origin story of our varied human existence, one that underscores the importance of recognizing our shared genetic heritage to appreciate what makes us so diverse.