Apocalypse

A richly imagined new view on the great human tradition of apocalypse, from the rise of Homo sapiens in our deep past to the climate instability of our present, and a look at how the new tools of archaeology reveal these upheavals as moments that created the world we live in, and continue to offer surprising opportunities for radical change. A drought lasts for decades, a disease rips through a city, a civilization collapses. When we finally uncover the ruins, we ask: what happened? And so Apocalypse begins by traveling deep into the past, to when Homo sapiens went from being one of many to the only human species on the planet--the apocalypse of extinction that in some ways started it all. We''ll watch global sea levels rise with devastating speed, and natural disasters shape the landscape in new ways. You''ve heard of some of the apocalypses that come next: the end of Old Kingdom Egypt, the collapse of the Classic Maya, the Black Death. The good news is: We''ve been here before. History is long, and people have already confronted just about every apocalypse we''re facing today. But these days, archaeologists are getting better at seeing stories of survival, transformation, and even progress hidden within those histories of collapse and destruction. Apocalypse offers a new way of understanding human history, reframing it as a series of crises and cataclysms that we survived, moments of choice in an evolution of humanity that has never been predetermined or even linear. Defying conventional wisdom and long-held stories about our deep past, Lizzie Wade uses new archaeological evidence to reveal how cataclysmic events are not irrevocable endings, but transformations: Apocalypses do not destroy, but create, new worlds. Apocalypse reckons with these events, how people have survived them, and what legacies they''ve imprinted upon our cultures and our psyches. The more we learn about apocalypses past, the more hope we have that we will survive our own. It won''t be pleasant. It won''t be fair. The world will be different on the other side, and our cultures and communities--perhaps even our species--will be different too. Apocalypse is illustrated throughout with informative maps. ...

Über den Autor / die Autorin

Lizzie Wade is an award-winning journalist and correspondent for the prestigious journal Science. She covers archaeology, anthropology, and Latin America for the magazine’s print and online news sections. Her work has also appeared in Wired, The Atlantic, Slate, the New York Times, Aeon, Smithsonian, and  Archaeology, among other publications. She lives in Mexico City.

Zusammenfassung

A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read Book of May 2025 • A Publishers Weekly Most Anticipated History Book of the Year • A The Millions Most Anticipated Spring Book of the Year
A richly imagined new view on the great human tradition of apocalypse, from the rise of Homo sapiens to the climate instability of our present, that defies conventional wisdom and long-held stories about our deep past to reveal how cataclysmic events are not irrevocable endings, but transformations. Perfect for fans of Sapiens or The Dawn of Everything.
A drought lasts for decades, a disease rips through a city, a civilization collapses. When we finally uncover the ruins, we ask: What happened? The good news is, we’ve been here before. History is long, and people have already confronted just about every apocalypse we’re facing today. But these days, archaeologists are getting better at seeing stories of survival, transformation, and even progress hidden within those histories of collapse and destruction. Perhaps, we begin to see, apocalypses do not destroy worlds, but create them anew.
Apocalypse offers a new way of understanding human history, reframing it as a series of crises and cataclysms that we survived, moments of choice in an evolution of humanity that has never been predetermined or even linear. Here Lizzie Wade asks us to reckon with our long-held narratives of these events, from the end of Old Kingdom Egypt, the collapse of the Classic Maya, to the Black Death, and shows us how people lived through and beyond them—and even considered what a new world could look like in their wake.
The more we learn about apocalypses past, the more hope we have that we will survive our own. It won’t be pleasant. It won’t be fair. The world will be different on the other side, and our cultures and communities—perhaps even our species—will be different too.
"Lizzie Wade is an exceptional journalist and a master storyteller. She reminds us that survival always has been, and still is, possible, and that our world always has been, and still is, a choice." –Ed Yong, author of An Immense World
“This book upended my understanding of the ancient world. Wade renders our deep past in vivid prose, showing us that times of great rupture also bring great possibilities for new ways of living, if we let them. Apocalypse is the best kind of history book: vibrant and vital.” —Zoë Schlanger, author of The Light Eaters

Bericht

"In this surprisingly hopeful book, Wade reports on what archaeologists see when they look at sites of upheaval and invites us to look at the past-and our own troubled time-in a new way." - MIT Review
"An inspiring book for challenging times and . . . a rewarding read for everyone intrigued by archaeological discovery and the deep history of human social change." - Science
"Lizzie Wade's vivid descriptions bring the latest archaeological research to life in this fascinating and timely book. Despite its sobering subject matter, Apocalypse is ultimately an inspiring read, revealing how lessons from past crises can help us survive the looming apocalypse, which is likely to be the greatest challenge our species has ever encountered." - Jonathan Kennedy, author of Pathogenesis
"A sobering look..." - Kirkus
"Written amid one of the world's worst pandemics in a century and published in the wake of catastrophic California wildfires, journalist Lizzie Wade's Apocalypse widens the lens to describe vividly how multiple societies have experienced massive upheavals and have emerged altered in sometimes unexpected ways. Combining extensive research and reporting with some speculative digressions, Wade travels from prehistoric Europe to the contemporary West for stories of extreme hardship and humankind's response to it. . . . [and] has done an impressive job recounting some of these stories." - Shelf Awareness
"This book tells the grim story of how our species has bounced from one apocalypse to the next. The good news is that, through human ingenuity, we survived-and there is much we can learn from how our ancestors managed these natural catastrophes." - Robin Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary Psychology, University of Oxford
" . . . a deep dive into archaeology and history, [and] a fast-moving account, leaping across time (right back to the Neanderthals) and across the planet, from Spain to Pakistan, Mexico to the UK, combining scientific evidence, facts and theories with imaginative storytelling to bring different case studies to life. . . . [and offers] an opportunity to think about the future hopefully, not just fearfully." - Geographical Magazine (UK)
"A richly imagined new view on the great human tradition of apocalypse that defies conventional wisdom and long-held stories about our deep past to reveal how cataclysmic events are not irrevocable endings, but transformations." - The Next Big Idea Club, "May 2025 Must-Read Books"
"A fascinating dive into the tragedies-and comebacks-of those that came before us. Apocalypse shows us the strength of human ingenuity, which we shouldn't just admire but learn from, so that we can stand up to the problems we face today." - Hannah Ritchie, author of Not the End of the World
"A timely examination of catastrophes that humanity has faced through history. There are lessons, warnings, and solace to be drawn from this deep-time perspective on the existential challenges facing us today." - Alice Roberts, author of Ancestors
"This book upended my understanding of the ancient world. Wade renders our deep past in vivid prose, showing us that times of great rupture also bring great possibilities for new ways of living, if we let them. Apocalypse is the best kind of history book: vibrant and vital." - Zo Schlanger, author of The Light Eaters

Produktdetails

• Autoren: Lizzie Wade
• Verlag: Harper Collins Usa
• Sprache: Englisch
• Produktform: Fester Einband
• Erschienen: 09.04.2025
• EAN: 9780063097308
• ISBN: 978-0-06-309730-8
• Seiten: 336
• Abmessung: 152 mm x 229 mm x 26 mm
• Themen: Geisteswissenschaften, Kunst, Musik > Geschichte > Vor- und Frühgeschichte; Sachbuch; HISTORY / Civilization, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Philosophy of Science, Social forecasting, future studies, History of Science, Archaeology, Social and cultural history, Social and cultural anthropology, Impact of science and technology on society, HISTORY: Civilization, ARCHEOLOGY: GENERAL, SOCIAL SCIENCE: Archaeology, SOCIOLOGY: CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIAL SCIENCE: Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Sociology / Cultural Anthropology, Archeology / General