The Dawn of Everything
A New History of Humanity
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The Dawn of Everything
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Narrated by:
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Malk Williams
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike - either free and equal, or thuggish and warlike. Civilisation, we are told, could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or, alternatively, by taming our baser instincts. David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the 18th century as a reaction to Indigenous critiques of European society and why they are wrong. In doing so, they overturn our view of human history, including the origins of farming, property, cities, democracy, slavery and civilisation itself.
Drawing on path-breaking research in archaeology and anthropology, the authors show how history becomes a far more interesting place once we begin to see what's really there. If humans did not spend 95 per cent of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers, what were they doing all that time? If agriculture, and cities, did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination, then what kinds of social and economic organisation did they lead to? The answers are often unexpected and suggest that the course of history may be less set in stone and more full of playful possibilities than we tend to assume.
The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path towards imagining new forms of freedom, new ways of organising society. This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range, animated by curiosity, moral vision and faith in the power of direct action.
©2021 David Graeber, David Wengrow (P)2021 Penguin AudioCritic Reviews
"Pacey and potentially revolutionary." (Sunday Times)
"Iconoclastic and irreverent...an exhilarating read." (Guardian)
"Boldly ambitious, entertaining and thought-provoking." (Observer)
What listeners say about The Dawn of Everything
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Paul Wendelborn
- 22-11-2023
Enlightened view of History
Enlightened and practical view of History and humanity. Once understood things make more sense. Great book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sarah Beattie-Smith
- 11-11-2021
essential reading
bloody brilliant book. turns our ideas of the origins of 'civilisation' on their head. excellent
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 19-02-2022
Flips the narrative of destiny and doom
Loved it. Turns the regurgiated revisions of the history of humans on their head and gives hope that change is possible.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 21-12-2021
Different take on early civilisations
Great the have a well researched book on how ancient people lived.
Throws a different light on just linear
evolution. Really we tried different things & mixed & matched, and just lived in a way that suited the population & the environment. The reader was a little monotone so needed a break occasionally.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Someone from Sydney
- 05-07-2023
listen to this. I recommend it
this is a stunningly original view of history. I learnt a great deal. some of the US centric information is a bit tedious but overall it's really amazing.
treat yourself to a scholarly and human view of our world.
can't recommend it highly enough.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Red Skippy
- 22-05-2022
a fantastic look at early communist societies
great, thorough yet playful study of early history and prehistoric archaeology and sociology. my only criticism is that they dismiss Marx without seeming to have read him, or Engels in his origin of the family. class matters and that's why anarchists have failed to return to Eden in our capitalist era
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Thomas Carson
- 01-12-2021
Everything we know is wrong.
This is probably one of the most significant pieces of literature published in the last 50 years. it directly challenges with substantial amount of evidence many of the assumptions about how societies develop
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Douglas
- 13-01-2022
Illuminating!
Couldn’t put it down, illuminating and ultimately offers hope that the situation we have put the world in, could have been, and indeed still can be very different!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. Clifford M. Ashford
- 20-01-2023
a fascinating and optimistic book
A challenging the simplistic status quo regarding the formation of human societies and true inevitability of democratic capitalism
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- Paul R Harmon
- 23-11-2021
A Must read for All
Few individuals have the ability to reorganise our understanding of ourselves beyond the paths that are set in our deterministic lives. I'm grateful for them to share their insights to help us grow and develop and aim to always keep trying to ask better questions.
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