demography 48, 69–70, 88, 89, 258, 280, 305

  denarius coin 183, 184

  Denisova Cave, Siberia 7–8, 16, 17

  Denisovans 7–8, 16, 17, 18, 19

  Department of Defense, US 262

  determinism 238–40

  Dickens, Charles 165, 366

  dinar 184

  Dinka people 196

  Diogenes 112

  diprotodon 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 74

  DNA 4, 16, 19, 21, 41, 83, 93, 393–4, 402–3, 409–10

  Dutch West Indies Company (WIC) 322

  dwarfing 7

  East Africa viii, 4, 5–6, 8, 13–14, 15, 20, 48, 77, 290, 296

  East Asia 6, 14, 21, 140, 178, 184, 194, 218, 227, 286, 288, 316

  Easter Island 73

  ecological disasters 65–74, 239, 350–1

  Ecuador 82, 126, 370

  Edward I, King 269–70

  Edward II, King 270

  Egypt 75, 75, 94, 94, 103, 104, 115, 116, 116, 124, 126, 128, 153, 154, 171–2, 183, 194, 201, 202, 203, 215, 217, 241, 266, 281, 284, 326, 376, 384, 385, 385

  Einstein, Albert 22, 38, 254, 338

  Eisenhower, Dwight 260

  El-Asad, Hafez 363

  Eleanor, Queen 269–70

  electricity 249, 338

  elephant bird 72–3

  elephants 4, 5, 7, 22, 158, 213, 224, 350, 402

  elites 34, 79, 101, 102–12, 115, 116, 156, 192, 193, 194, 198, 199, 200, 201, 203, 208, 215, 232, 283, 295, 303, 313, 316, 346, 369, 374, 410

  Elizabeth I, Queen 153

  energy 333, 334–41, 350, 351, 376

  empire:

  capitalism and 315–28

  common culture, spreads 195–203

  cultural assimilation under 198–203

  cycle, imperial 202–3

  ‘evil’ nature of 191–4

  first ix, 103–8

  global 207–8

  language, emergence of and 103–12, 120–2, 126

  majority of cultures as offspring of 188–9

  positive legacies of 193–4, 204–7

  religion and 215–16, 218, 219–20, 222, 238, 241, 242

  modern, collapse of 368–70

  science and 275–304

  as universal order 188–9

  definition 190–1

  Enga 82

  Epicureanism 223

  equality 106–10, 113, 133, 134, 141, 159, 164–5, 202, 203, 204, 231, 233, 282, 303, 409, 410–11

  Euphrates River 101

  Eurasia viii, 6, 14, 67, 280

  Europe viii, ix, 6, 8, 14, 15, 16, 21, 28, 35, 44, 59, 77, 130, 136, 140, 144, 150, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 170, 184, 185, 193, 201, 202, 203, 209, 216, 218, 231, 241, 244, 250, 252, 258, 263, 268, 269, 272, 275, 276, 277, 278–83, 284, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290–1, 294, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 321, 322, 326, 330–1, 332, 333, 341, 348, 354, 362–3, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371, 376, 377, 379, 389, 409

  European Union 363

  evolution viii, 4, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 20, 33, 39, 40, 41, 71, 78–9, 80, 83, 93, 96, 97, 103, 109, 147, 148, 155, 157, 172, 195, 232, 233, 234–5, 236, 242, 243–4, 248, 253, 258, 262, 272, 285, 343–4, 360, 378, 386, 391, 399, 408 see also genetics

  evolutionary humanism 232–6

  evolutionary psychology 40, 41, 343–4

  extinction viii, ix, 17, 18–19, 20, 21, 65–74, 83, 97, 232, 235, 305, 350–1, 402–4

  family and the local community, collapse of 355–64, 382

  famine 51–2, 87, 264, 265, 301–2, 331–2, 378, 379, 415

  fictions, evolution of 24–36, 39, 45, 132, 134, 163 see also myths

  Fiji 73

  fire, domestication of viii, 12–13, 14, 68

  First World War, 1914–18 260–1, 340–1, 365, 374

  fishing villages 48, 64

  Flores Island, Indonesia 7, 19, 63

  food chain, man jumps to top of 11–12, 64–5, 155

  France 1, 29, 30–1, 32, 38, 102, 118, 150, 156, 164, 190, 192, 194, 201, 202, 216, 220, 270, 281, 282, 283, 297, 300, 302, 303, 308, 316, 319–20, 322–5, 326, 340, 363, 364, 365, 366, 369, 370, 371, 373, 377, 388, 389, 399

  Frankenstein 411–14

  Franklin, Benjamin 265, 265

  free market 113, 230, 328–30, 331, 356, 377

  free trade 198, 326

  French Empire 156, 192, 324, 369, 370

  French Revolution, 1789 32, 38, 102, 164, 324, 365, 366, 377, 389

  Front National 303

  Galapagos Islands 74, 252, 284

  game theory 243

  Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand 200–1, 369, 375

  Ganges Valley 211

  Gauls 183, 198, 202, 203, 289, 290

  Gautama, Siddhartha 224–6, 228

  gender 107, 144–59, 150, 151, 303, 407, 413

  genetic programming 408–9

  genetics 4, 7–8, 15–16, 17, 21, 32–6, 43, 45, 83, 84, 90, 109, 120, 140, 232, 238, 258, 267, 270, 274, 315, 380, 385, 386, 389, 398, 401–2, 403, 408–9, 410, 413, 414

  genus viii, 4–5, 8

  Germany 23, 34, 145, 192, 193, 198, 235, 257, 261, 281, 300, 302, 319, 340–1, 354, 362, 363, 364, 371, 405

  Gilgamesh Project 266–71, 410, 414

  global warming 70, 84, 207, 351

  Gnosticism 222

  Göbekli Tepe 89–90, 90, 91, 123

  gold 173–4, 180, 182, 183, 184–6, 187, 209, 244, 297, 313, 316, 317, 319, 330, 338, 340, 372, 373

  Gorbachev, Mikhail 369, 370

  Great Leap Forward, 1958–61 379

  Great Pyramid of Giza 116, 116

  Great Survey of India 297–8

  Greece 146, 153, 183, 188, 190, 191, 199, 213–14, 283, 299, 300, 302, 326–7, 326, 371

  Greek Rebellion, 1821 326–7, 327

  green monkeys 22, 32

  Green, Charles 276

  Gulf War, 1990–1 371

  Gupta Empire 206, 298

  Haber, Fritz 341

  Habsburg Empire 190, 193

  Hadrian, Emperor 200

  Halley, Edmond 257

  Ham, son of Noah 140

  Han Empire ix, 194, 201

  happiness 83, 93, 108, 109, 110, 120, 131, 243, 314, 376–96

  Harlow, Harry 344–6

  Harry Potter 137

  Hawaii 63, 73, 168

  Henry the Navigator, Prince 284

  Hephaestion 146

  hierarchy, principle of 25, 26, 33, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 107–10, 111, 114, 133–48, 155, 210, 241, 303, 342

  hindsight fallacy 237–41

  Hindu religion 43, 127, 130, 135, 138, 139, 143, 151, 205, 206, 214, 227, 230, 273–4, 299, 300, 406

  Hispaniola 71

  history:

  biology and 37–9

  birth of viii, 3, 37–9

  direction of 163–72, 237–44

  hindsight fallacy 237–41

  human well-being and 241–4 see also happiness

  justice in 133–59

  next stage of 413–14

  prediction of 237–41

  timeline of viii–ix

  Hitler, Adolf 234, 235, 236, 365, 374

  Hittite Empire 194

  Holy Grail 164

  home 85–6, 98–9, 100

  Homo denisova 7–8, 16, 17, 18–19

  Homo erectus 6, 8, 12, 14, 33, 77

  Homo ergaster 8, 77

  Homo floresiensis viii, 7

  Homo neanderthalensis see Neanderthals

  Homo rudolfensis 6, 8

  Homo sapien:

  Agricultural Revolution and see Agricultural Revolution

  appearance of in Africa viii, 5, 8, 13–19, 20, 21

  becomes a god 415–16

  Cognitive Revolution and see Cognitive Revolution

  end of 397–416

  global migrations viii, 5–6, 13–19, 15, 20, 21, 48, 77

  other human species and 13–19, 20–36

  Scientific Revolution and see Scientific Revolution

  unification of humankind and
161, 163–244

  as xenophobic creature 195–6

  Homo soloensis 6–7, 18

  Homo: evolution of genus viii, 4, 5 see also human

  Hong Kong 326

  Huitzilopochtli 215, 219

  Human Brain Project 409

  Human Enhancement question 413

  human rights 28, 32, 37, 110, 111, 112, 118, 168, 198, 202, 203, 204, 207, 231, 234, 240, 363, 401, 410

  humanism 230–2, 233, 234, 236, 253

  humans:

  appearance of 3–4, 5–8

  brains of see brain

  common defining characteristics of 8–9

  distinct species of viii, 5–8, 6, 7 see also under individual species name

  fire and cooking, discovery of 12–13

  food chain, jumps to top of 11–12, 64–5, 155

  other apes and viii, 5

  relations between different species of 13–19, 20–36

  spread from Africa to Eurasia viii, 5–6, 13–19, 20, 21, 48, 77

  superhumans see superhumans

  use of tools see tools, first

  walk upright 9–10

  see also under individual species name

  hunter-gatherers/foragers 38, 40–62, 64, 78, 79, 81, 85, 89, 98, 99, 121, 167, 174–5, 211, 272, 376, 377, 378

  Hussein, Saddam 363, 364

  Huxley, Aldous: Brave New World 390

  Iberian peninsula 13, 173, 188, 189, 199, 200

  Ice Age 6, 66, 84, 167

  ignorance, discovery of ix, 247–54

  Iliad 127, 146

  imagined communities 362–4

  imagined orders 102–18, 133–4, 152, 172, 177, 363

  imagined realities 31, 32, 37, 45, 112–18

  Inca Empire 125, 125, 126, 128, 153, 168, 176, 292, 293, 294–6

  Incitatus 95–6

  India ix, 115–16, 130, 135–6, 137, 138–9, 140, 144, 145, 184, 185, 193, 196, 199–200, 202, 203, 204–6, 205, 222, 223, 243, 297–302, 331–2

  individualism 113, 114, 231, 233, 359–60, 392–4

  Indonesia 6–7, 13, 48, 63–4, 169, 207, 286, 290, 291, 321–2, 325, 332, 333

  Indus River/Valley 101, 211, 298

  Industrial Revolution ix, 74, 141, 264, 332, 335, 337, 339, 341, 346, 351, 352, 353, 355–6, 358–9, 363, 376 see also Scientific Revolution

  intelligent design ix, 397–8, 399

  inter-subjectivity 116–18, 152, 177, 363

  Interbreeding Theory 14, 15, 16

  internal combustion engine 315, 338

  internet 365, 407, 408, 413

  Iran 55, 77, 106, 168, 169, 194, 201, 202, 203, 374, 371

  Iraq 106, 184, 194, 363, 364, 366, 370, 371, 373

  Isabella of France, Queen 270

  Islam ix, 172, 201, 202, 203, 209–10, 218, 219, 228, 229, 239, 242, 251, 266, 283, 296, 362, 376, 413

  Israel 47, 60, 168, 217, 371, 374, 387

  Jabl Sahaba, Sudan 60

  Jainism 223

  Japan 209, 227, 261–2, 286, 291, 296, 321, 341, 371, 402, 407

  Jati (Indian caste groupings) 139

  Java, Indonesia 6–7, 332

  Jefferson, Thomas 111, 113

  Jericho 83, 86, 103

  Jerusalem 127, 193

  Jesus of Nazareth 18, 217, 238, 259, 264, 265–6, 308

  Jews 55, 139, 146, 192, 193, 195, 217, 218, 222, 232, 341, 365

  ‘Jim Crow’ laws 142

  Jones, William 299–300, 302, 304

  Jordan 184, 191, 363, 370

  Judaea 193, 195

  Judaism 217, 238

  Ka’aba, Mecca 161, 209–10

  Kac, Eduardo 398–9, 400

  Kahneman, Daniel 390

  Kalahari Desert, Africa 44, 50, 59

  Karaçadag Hills 90

  King, Clennon 142–3

  Kipling, Rudyard 301

  Kshatriyas 135

  Ku Klux Klan 143

  Kublai Khan 209

  Kushan Empire 206

  Kushim 123

  Kuwait 370, 373

  language, evolution of viii, ix, 19, 20–8, 21n, 44, 45, 46, 119–32, 189, 192, 194, 195, 196, 201, 256–9, 280, 298–301, 302 see also under individual language name

  Lascaux Cave 56, 56, 100

  Latin language 4, 6, 30, 31, 54, 81, 124, 126, 166, 189, 199, 202, 250, 299, 300, 302

  Law of Large Numbers 256–7

  Law, John 322–3, 324

  le Pen, Marine 303

  Lebanon 363, 370

  legal fiction 29

  Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich 228, 253, 365

  Leopold II of Belgium, King 332

  Levant 20, 77, 78, 85, 201

  liberal humanism 230–3, 234, 236, 253

  liberalism 198, 203, 228, 229, 230, 235, 271, 303, 392–4

  liberty, concept of 108, 109–10, 111, 120, 133, 134, 165, 230–1

  Libya 32, 200, 370

  life expectancy 50–1, 268–9, 270, 333, 402, 403

  life sciences 236

  life-insurance 256–8

  limited liability companies 29–30, 31, 32, 37, 110, 317–22, 325, 363

  Lind, James 276–7

  linguistics 21n, 23–4, 258, 284, 298–302 see also language

  locked-in syndrome 407

  Louis XIV of France, King 150

  Louis XV of France, King 322–3, 324

  Louis XVI of France, King 111, 264, 324, 389

  luxury trap 84–8

  Lydia 182, 183, 183, 184

  Macedonian Empire 146, 153, 184, 188, 263

  Maclaurin, Colin 256, 257

  Madagascar 63, 72–3, 275, 291

  Magellan, Ferdinand 168, 248, 284

  Majapahit, empire of 290

  Mali 209

  Malthus, Robert 258

  mammoths 5, 48, 56–7, 58, 67, 69, 70, 71, 74, 78, 90, 378, 402

  Mandate of Heaven 196–7, 198, 207

  Manhattan Island 319, 323, 323

  Manhattan Project 261, 263

  Manichaean creed 222, 237, 238, 241 242, 255

  Manus 64

  Maoris 66–7, 201, 277

  maps 286–91, 289

  Mari 127–8

  Marquis Islands 73

  marriage 382, 387–8

  marsupials 65, 66, 67, 68, 69

  Marx, Karl 18, 228, 229, 242, 253, 271, 283, 325

  masculinity 145, 148, 150, 151, 152–3, 155

  mathematics 39, 89, 121, 122, 124–6, 127, 130–2, 251, 254–9, 275, 300

  Mauryan Empire 198, 206, 298

  Mayan Empire 67, 292

  meditation 224, 226, 394, 395

  Mediterranean ix, 35, 73, 102, 103, 184, 185, 188, 191, 194, 223, 238, 279, 280, 340

  Melanesians 16

  memetics 242–4

  Menes 171–2

  Mesoamerican World 168

  Mesopotamia 105, 106–7, 122, 126, 128–9, 167, 181–2, 194, 201, 209

  Mexico 55, 70, 78, 170, 173, 185, 191, 291–6, 374

  microorganisms 248–9, 398

  Middle East viii, 14, 16, 20, 21, 77, 78, 80, 84, 85–6, 88, 103, 140, 145, 192, 222, 240, 279, 298, 299, 303, 330, 363

  military–industrial–scientific complex 260, 280, 281

  Ming Empire 280, 290, 357–8

  Mississippi Bubble 322–5, 329

  Mississippi Delta 70

  Mitchell, Claudia 405, 406

  Modern Times (movie) 353

  Mohenjo-daro 298

  money 172, 173–87 see also capitalism

  Mongol Empire 166, 199, 209, 262, 263, 284, 370

  monogamy 39, 41, 42, 55, 402, 403

  Montezuma II 294–5, 297

  moon, humans land on the, 20th July, 1969 4, 64, 248, 249, 285–6, 287, 304, 376

  Mubarak, Hosni 241, 384, 385

  Mughal Empire 193, 206, 280, 296, 298

  Muslims 43, 144, 153, 165–6, 169, 173–4, 184, 185, 196, 198, 201, 202, 203, 206, 209–10, 222, 223, 237, 242, 281–2, 283, 297, 300, 303, 315, 316, 362, 371

  Mussolini, Benito 261

  mythology
24, 25, 27–8, 32–3, 36, 38, 46, 102–3, 105–6, 108, 109, 111, 113, 114–15, 116, 117, 118, 135, 138, 140, 141, 142, 144, 148–9, 157, 159, 163, 192, 212, 253, 255, 264, 267, 282, 301, 363, 412

  Nader Shah 316, 317

  nanotechnology 262, 270, 315

  Napoleon Bonaparte 156, 284, 325, 389

  Napoleon III of France 340

  nationalism 25, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 228, 230, 240, 243, 271, 325, 326, 359, 362–4, 376–7, 391

  Natufian culture 85, 89, 123

  natural selection ix, 10, 34, 235, 272, 302, 386, 393, 397, 398–9

  Navarino, Battle of, 1827 327, 327

  Nazism 34, 228, 232–6, 253, 274, 331, 354

  Neanderthal Genome Project 402

  Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) viii, 6, 8, 12, 13–18, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 34–5, 36, 38, 61, 69, 77, 103, 123, 232, 398, 402–3, 404, 411, 412

  Netherlands 283, 317–21, 325, 332

  New Amsterdam 322, 323

  New Britain 35, 64

  New Caledonia 73

  New Guinea 35, 78, 82, 82, 94

  New Ireland 35, 64

  New Testament 34, 265

  New Zealand 46, 63, 66–7, 73, 168, 276, 277

  Newton, Isaac 258, 283; The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy 255–6

  Nietzsche, Friedrich 391

  Nile Valley 103, 385

  Nordic gods 214

  North Africa 6, 173, 174, 218, 222, 262, 279

  North America 59, 67, 71, 78, 80, 108, 168, 170, 275, 325

  Nü Wa 135

  nuclear family 39, 41, 42, 45, 55, 56, 360, 362

  nuclear physics/weapons ix, 24, 38, 39, 169, 243, 245, 245, 249, 259, 272–3, 335, 338, 339, 351, 369, 372, 374, 379, 412

  Nuer tribe 95, 196

  Numantia 188–9, 191, 192, 199, 263

  Nurhaci 316, 317

  Obama, Barack 151, 199, 384

  obsidian 35, 36, 174, 211

  Oceanic World 168

  Ofnet Cave, Bavaria 60

  Old Testament 182, 222, 223

  Olympias of Macedon, Queen 146

  Opium War, First, 1840–2 325–6

  Oppenheimer, Robert 245, 372

  organisms, emergence of viii, 3

  Orwell, George: Nineteen Eighty–Four 390

  Ottoman Empire 138, 153, 280, 281, 296, 297, 316, 326, 327, 357, 370

  ‘Outer World’ 63, 66, 279

  Pakistan 221, 243, 371

  patriarchy 5, 152–9, 355

  Patroclus 146

  Paul of Tarsus 217, 218, 393

  peaceful era, modern times as 366–75

  permanent settlements, emergence of viii, 48, 52, 85–6, 87, 98, 103

  Persian Empire ix, 103, 195, 196, 199, 222, 281–2, 283, 290, 298

  personalised medicine 409–10

  Peugeot 28–31, 29, 105, 117–18

  Peugeot, Armand 30, 31

  Philip, Emperor 200

  Philip of Macedon, King 146

  Philippines 284

  physics, beginning of viii, 3, 21

  Pius, Emperor Antonius 200