A clearly written, accessible and comprehensive text that tells the story of man's journey from the time of the first hominids to the present. Sections include: Ancient World, 10,000 to 500BC, Classical World, 500 BC to AD500, Medieval World, AD500 to 1500, Early Modern World, 1500-1783, 19th Century, the Modern World from 1914 to the first decade of the 21st century. This book tells the story of how we got to where we are today - through conflict and intrigue, power won and lost, and great empires built and destroyed.