This is a brief and stimulating outline of the prehistory of the whole world and the development of the human race in each part of the globe, until the stage of detailed records from which history may be written. It starts at the very beginning, with the first recognizable men living their simple existence in a climate and environment almost unimaginably different from that of the present day. It follows the vast spread and slow progress of human settlement, the growth of civilization, and the beginnings of technology in the various parts of the earth; a development so uneven that in some countries Professor Clark’s story ends thousands of years ago, while in others we still find "prehistoric" peoples.

          Professor Clark believes that a grasp of the unwritten past of the unique animal man is essential to any educated person. A world society, transcending national cultures, is rapidly evolving; members of that society should be aware of the common stem from which the great literate traditions have branched.

          This book provides a unified framework to which the bits and pieces of popular archaeological information can be referred. It can be read by any intelligent reader, whether he is an undergraduate about to start the formal study of archaeology, or an educated man simply looking for an unusually interesting book.