Maps of Time
Subtitle: an introduction to big history
By: David Christian
Contributors: ebrary, Inc
Edition: 2011 ed.
Series: California world history library -- 2
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Berkeley, Calif; London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 642
ISBN-13: 9780520271449; 9780520950672
Subjects: Civilization; World history; Philosophy; Human evolution
Notes: Reprint. Originally published: 2004. With a new preface.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 513-594) and index.
Table of contents: title: pt. 1: The inanimate universe. The first 300,000 years : origins of the universe, time, and space; title: Origins of the galaxies and stars : the beginnings of complexity; title: Origins and history of the Earth; title: pt. 2: Life on Earth. The origins of life and the theory of evolution; title: The evolution of life and the biosphere; title: pt. 3: Early human history : many worlds. The evolution of humans; title: The beginnings of human history; title: pt. 4: The Holocene : few worlds. Intensification and the origins of agriculture; title: From power over nature to power over people : cities, states, and "civilizations"; title: Long trends in the era of agrarian "civilizations"; title: pt. 5: The modern era : one world. Approaching modernity; title: Globalization, commercialization, and innovation; title: Birth of the modern world; title: The great acceleration of the twentieth century; title: pt. 6: Perspectives on the future. Futures; title: Appendix 1: Dating techniques, chronologies, and timelines; title: Appendix 2: Chaos and order.