Prehistoric History

With intelligence and wit, author Jonathan Clements blends documentary and storytelling styles to connect the past, present, and future of Japan, and in broad yet detailed strokes reveals a country of paradoxes: a modern nation steeped in ancient traditions; a democracy with an emperor as head of state; a famously safe society built on 108 volcanoes resting on the world's most active earthquake zone; a fast-paced urban and technologically advanced country whose land consists predominantly of mountains and forests.

Have you ever wondered how we got here? From hunting mammoths, to flying to the moon? It is because we are unstoppable. But what made us so? Well, we have the most amazing superpower: the ability to tell stories. Fairy tales have led us from imagining ghosts and spirits to being able to create money (yes, really!). And this has made us very powerful...but very deadly. Nothing stands in our way, and we always want more. So get ready for the most amazing story there ever was—the incredible true tale of the Unstoppables. 

Have you ever wondered how we got here? From gathering berries and hunting mammoths, to shopping at supermarkets and letting people tell us what to do? You might hear a lot of people say 'the world isn't fair'. But why isn't it? And how did it become so? In Unstoppable Us: Volume 1, we learned how humans told stories to become rulers of the world - for good and bad. Now, in this next chapter of the incredible true tale of the Unstoppables, find out how we learned to control animals like dogs, chicken and cows.

Half the world's population speaks a language that has evolved from a single prehistoric mother tongue. First spoken in Stone Age times on the steppes of central Eurasia 6,500 years ago, this mother tongue spread from the shores of the Black Sea across almost all of Europe and much of Asia. It is the genetic basis of everything we speak and write today - the DNA of language.

In this compact yet comprehensive history of ancient Greece, Thomas R. Martin brings alive Greek civilization from its Stone Age roots to the fourth century BC. Focusing on the development of the Greek city-state and the society, culture, and architecture of Athens in its Golden Age, Martin integrates political, military, social, and cultural history in a book that will appeal to students and general audiences alike. Now in its second edition, this classic work now features updates throughout.

Uncovering compelling new evidence, Egyptologist Robert Bauval and astrophysicist Thomas Brophy present the anthropological, climatological, archaeological, geological, and genetic research supporting a hugely debated theory of the Black African origin of Egyptian civilization. Building upon extensive studies from the past four decades and their own archaeoastronomical and hieroglyphic research, the authors show how the early Black culture known as the Cattle People not only domesticated cattle but were also an advanced civilization.

Over more than 25 years of teaching and research, Christine Desdemaines-Hugon has become an unrivaled expert in the cave art and artists of the Dordogne region. In Stepping-Stones she combines her expertise in both art and archaeology to convey an intimate understanding of the "cave experience." Her keen insights communicate not only the incomparable artistic value of these works but also the near-spiritual impact of viewing them for oneself.

From Graham Hancock, best-selling author of Fingerprints of the Gods, comes a mesmerizing book that takes us on a captivating underwater voyage to find the ruins of a lost civilization that's been hidden for thousands of years beneath the world's oceans. While Graham Hancock is no stranger to stirring up heated controversy among scientific experts, his books and television documentaries have intrigued millions of people around the world and influenced many to rethink their views about the origins of human civilization.

Learn how fossils teach us about dinosaurs. 

Ankylosaurus and other armored dinosaurs were the tanks of the prehistoric world. Sharp spikes and rock-hard plates protected these plant eaters from dangerous predators. 

Raptors like Velociraptors were small, deadly dinosaurs. These carnivores and omnivores may have looked like birds, but they couldn't get off the ground. Go back to a time when these deadly hunters walked the earth. 

Tyrannosaurus rex and its relatives were fearsome meat eaters and deadly predators. Their strong teeth and jaws could crush bone. Go back to a time when these mighty carnivores walked the earth. 

Dinosaurs such as Triceratops had deadly horns, bony frills, and sharp beaks. Some of these powerful plant eaters were so strong, they could knock down trees.   

Dinosaurs like Stegosaurus had stiff plates on their bodies. Some used their plates to heat themselves up or cool themselves off. This book takes listeners back to a time when these scaly herbivores walked the earth. 

Bird-footed dinosaurs like Iguanodon were plant-eaters that could walk on two legs. Many of the dinosaurs in this group could run away from hungry predators. Others traveled in large herds to stay safe. 

Long-necked dinosaurs like Brachiosaurus looked down on the earth from above the treetops. These mighty plant eaters had long tails, necks, and bodies.

Odd meat-eaters like Carnotaurus were quick and deadly hunters. They had sharp teeth, good eyesight, and could run on two strong legs.

Edmontosaurus and other duckbilled dinosaurs had beaks and strong teeth to eat tough plants. Many of these plant-eaters could communicate with other dinosaurs using the crests on their heads.

Allosaurus and its relatives were fierce and dangerous predators. Dinosaurs in this group had deadly claws and razor-sharp teeth.

A companion book for young listeners based on 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, the groundbreaking best seller by Charles C. Mann.