This collective work unfolds the origins, wealth, and dynamics of human ingenuity. It is a continuous journey, a voyage through space and time, richly illustrated, spanning 2.5 million years. This journey continues to the present day, making Archaeology a science that contributes to the understanding of the present.

A team of 24 distinguished researchers offers a scientific and updated account of global prehistory. The pages reveal the impressive diversity of human culture, from the making of the first "simple" tools of the Lower Paleolithic to the emergence of the first states with complex, hierarchical organization and impressive artifacts and architectures.

In the first part (chapters 2-5), the study focuses on human origins and developments until the end of the last glacial period—an era known as the Paleolithic. In the second and larger part (chapters 6-19), the post-glacial period, the Holocene, is covered, from 11,600 years ago to recent times.

• Chris Scarre is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Durham.

• Sultana-Maria Valamoti is a Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Director of the Plant Cult Lab at KEDC-AUTH.