"sulmaryof human hor hat can be accounted, forthe time being, ~arwinian in ts authority” —Thomas M. Disch, New Leader “A wonderfully engrosing book. ... Jared Diamond takes us on an ‘ahilarting world tour of history that makes us rethink all ou idews ‘out ourelves and othe peoples and our places in the overll scheme > things.” —Chistopher Ehret, Profesor of Afican Himory, UCLA “lated Diamond masterfully draws together recent discoveries in elds of ‘aur as diverse as archaeology and epidemiology, at he illuminates Jom and why the human societies of different continents followed widely ‘vergent pathways of development over the past 13,000 year ™ Bruce D, Smith, Director, Archacobiology Program, Smithsonian Inetiteion {The quextion, "Why did human societies have such diverse fates?” has ‘ually received racist answers. Mastering information from many difer ‘nt lds, Jared Diamond convincingly demonstrates that head stars and ‘cal conditions can explain much of the course of human history His ‘npresive account will appeal ro avast readership.” Lea Cavali-Sfores, Professor of Genetics, Stanford University (944 THE FATES OF HUMAN socrETiEs Jared Diamond Ba W. W. Norton & Company New York” LondonYALI'S QUESTION teeny for peoples from erent pat ofthe abe: Inthe 11,000 yar wince the end ofthe lt oe Age some parts ofthe werd evoped Inert ndasia societies with ea ols, othe pars deve ped only oalerate farming societies, and wil bers ened socies ‘tht gatherers with tone os Thon hina nequales havc Jong shidows on the modern word, Beau the Irate sien with seta tole have congured or exterminated the ether soit. Whe thew difrncs conse the on bate fat of werd sry the tons fr tom renuin uncetain sd controversial Thi purg qenicn ofthe orgie was pond ome 5 years ag in «ingle, perso frm. In ly 197 ws wali logs beach o the opal nd of New Gines,whee at + olga {dy bird evolution. {had already beard shout remarkable ol policae named Ya, who wa touring the ‘ottthe,By chance, Yl ed wer wallingin the ve deena on at {ay and he ovenook me We walled together for an hou, talking arg the whole ine ‘Yat radiared charms and energy Hi ys Aad in 2 memeriing sway Herald confident about imal bah alo ake oe of probing, "eeton and atened ney Or convertion began with ais thesSc whe, Yel rune the conversion ad began to qué me. He Sahin 76 he sake me, “Why iit det you whe pope Sree ‘mach arg and brought ito New Guinea, but we bsck people bet oc, ‘ews simple qution that weno the hear of ie a Ya experienced ‘You thre il hge dees bees te Heme oe nn, New Guinea ad that ofthe average European oc America, Comparable erences separate the itstyes of eher peoples ofthe world oe welt ‘Thon huge disartin must have potent cause that one nigh teak woul be obvious Ye Yal's appre smple question i dificult one to awe. dda ‘have an answer then. Profesional horns sll dare abou the sal ‘ns mon are no lnger evn asking the question. Inthe years sce Ya sd Thad that coovenatio, Ihave stdied and writen about other copes ‘of human evoluioe, itor, ad language. This book, writen any foe years late, tempest annwes Yai European colonia. = ‘This, question abostinequaliy inthe modern world can be efor luted as follows. Why did welth and power hecome died sey ‘ow arate than in sme other way For insanc, why wee Nemec ‘Aescany Afncans and Aboriginal Ausra the one wh cine, ‘ubjgnted,o enerminted European and Anne? ‘We can canly poh tht quenton back one wep. As ofthe year A 1500, when Europe's workwide coloial cxpanion was ju bepaning, Peoples on diferent continents alteady dire greatly in technology and Pottial organization. Much of Europe, Asa and North Aen the ‘st of metal-equipped sates or empises, ome of them onthe theo of ‘ndasiaizason, Two Native American people the Ars andthe lnc, ruled ovr empires with stone took. Pas of tb-Saharan Aca wor ‘vided among small aes or chef with ro tool Mowe eter pos lo-inidig all howe of Ausra and New Gainca, many Picsoo cee islands, much ofthe Americas and small pars of mb Saharan Abia lived a farming tres or even il at hunter-gatherer bande wing ome tele. ‘Of coun, that technologial nd political differences a of 4. 1500 ‘were the immediate cause of he modern words inegalie. Epics with ‘el weapon were able fo conqueror exemminate mbes with weapon of sone and wood. How, though did the word ge tobe the way i was in no. 1500? ‘Once again, we can eu pas his question back one ep frie, by eawing on wate histones and archaeological dacovere. Ua he end C ofthe att Ar, around 11,000, al roles on alloca were Hil hunter gatherers. Different cates of development on diferent con ‘ent, frm 11,000 mA. 1500, were what ed to the chlo ‘td poical neque of 0, 1500, While Aboriginal Auaraliane ad many Native Americans remained huorer-gacheres, most of Eurasia and ‘much of the Americas and ab Sabaran Alea gradually developed 4 , Sill thi tye of answer to Ya invokes the supposed imponnc of own river valley indy climates, wher highly prodactne peas Yas question + 25 However, decled archaeological suis have shown sha copier ‘ation tine dd not accompny there of centralized bureaucracies et ‘While some progres has ben made indenting thos hime causes inthe ae of Europe’ congue ofthe New Worl, Afca rein ig Dut. Ac isthe continent where protahumans eee forthe ecg ine, where anatomically modern humane may slo have aro et where nacve cass ke malar and yellow fever kiled aropese ‘enor. Is lng lead ware coun for anything. why dat pee nadsteel aise stn Aca, permiing Aare and thir gems o congue rope? And what acoumea forte fare of Aboriginal Auaralians to fas beyond the sae of hunter gatherers with stone rol? “Qocwions that emer from workwie comparsons of human saceet fonmely seraced mach attention fom btorians and geographers. The ‘bv known modern example of such am effort wat Amold Toynbee’ 12: ‘ue Sd of History. Toyabee was pecially irerested in the inernal Uymamis of 23 advanced cirkzasons,of which 22 were Inerte and 19 ‘tore Earsian. He was le nerd in pehisrory andi simpler, noi Trae soictie, Yet the ror of nequlyin the made word i far back {i prchinoy, Hence Toynbee hd nor pose Yas question, nor did he come to gripe with what Lace as histoys broadest pater. Ober avaiable ‘books on word hiory similarly end ro fort on advanced erate Ear asian ciation ofthe ls 5,00 year they havea very bre retest ‘fyee-Columbian Native Ameccancizatons and an evn briefer i ‘Suan ofthe rex ofthe wold except for recent interactions wih Eut- Sinn clzaons. Since. Toynbee atempt, worldwide syntheses of hata causuon have fallen ino dfavr among moxt historias posing a paren ieracable problem. Special from several daciplines have provided global eychses of ‘hei sbjecs. Especially wtf conebutions have been made by eclop fal grographer, calural aehopolops, bogies studying plant and tinal domestication, and scholar concerned with the impact of nic: ‘Sou diseases on history. These ies have called arention ro pars of the pe but they provide only pieces ofthe needed broad sos hat tat ben missing. “Too, there i 90 generally accepted anewer to Yali's question. On the cone hand, the provinate expansion are clear: some peoples developed tnt, prem, el and other factor conferring poll and economic power before others dds and some peoples never developed thee power Ezra all Othe other band, he uma explanaion-—for example svi bromae ool appeared eat a pas of Eurasia late and only lly Inthe New Worl and never in Aborgmal Australia~remai une. ‘Our presen lack of rach aint explanations leaves big itelecrat tap since the broaden parser of hoy ths remain unexplained. Much trove seis though the oral gp let ule fix perfect obvious {orcverone, whether am overt ac oF 8t tha diferent peoples have fared difeety im hiry. The modern United States is & Emopean: vaurs question #25 molded! sci, occupying lands conquered from Native Americans and incorporating the dexcndans of millon of sub-Saharan black Africans Trough o Aiea a aver, Modern Europes not = sciety molded by sub Sohare black African who Broghemallions of Native Americans slave. “These rere ae completely lopied: ie was not the case that 51 pe cent ofthe Americas, Anieraia and Afica was conquered by Europeans, ‘whe 49 percent of Europe war conquered by Native Americas, Aborigi tal Acsalians or Aftcans. The whole moder word has bea shaped by lopsided outcomes Hence they must have inexorable explanations nes ‘more asc than mere deals concerning who happened to winsome bale ‘or develo some invention on one cczasion a few thousand years apo. 1 aos legal to roppose that history’ pater reflect innate dif: ences among people themacves- Ofcourse, we're wught thai no polite to sy son pli We ead of wechnieal roi claiming to demonstrate inbocndiferenee and we also read seburals claiming tht thesis safle from echnical ie, We seen ou daily ives that some ofthe con (quer peoples coetinue to form an underclas, cen afer the on (quer or lve impor took plce. Wer tld that this too is 10 be {enbuted oot any bolo shoncomings bu oscil duadvancages td ke opportunites. ‘Nevers, we veto wonder We keep serng al howe lasing per sistem differences in peoples’ sas. We're assured thatthe seemingly ‘eanspren biological explanation forthe world’s lnqualiies as of A. 1500 i wrong br we're ot tld what the corer explanation it, Uni we have some Convincing detailed preed-spon explanation fr the broad [panera of history, mon people wil cominue to uapect thatthe racist bio Topcal explanation in coret feral. That sees me the strongest ae men for wring ti book Aornons ane necotants asked by journals osummariea long, ‘ook in one setece. Foc this book, hee i ch a seatence: “History followed diferent couse for ferent peoples because of dferences mong pope exvronments, no because fbiokogial derences among ‘peoples hemacves™ "Narra te notion that enviconmentl geography and biogecezsphy inlonced societal development an ol iden. Nowadays, thowphy he‘an account for history’ road paren The tne ls now ripe fora fresh look at these questions, becaue of Rey information from seni dcipines seemingly semore om hease aory. Those dace include, abore al, groeic, molar Molocy ‘and biogeography as applied to rope and teu wid anor te ee ‘cilne pas behavioral ecology, at applied 10 dome srams apd {ei wild anor molecular tology of man gem ad elated gon of gna epidemilogy of human dea; aan pec npc tcl fecause of my fathers example, | went though schal eopentng oo {come a physician. ha lo become fanatical bird wench tops of seven. twas hut an easy stp, nny ast undergradane ere oie "9% 10 shi from my inital gal of medicine ro the goal of bso rocarch, However, thoughout my school and undergraduate yeas, my "aning wat main angags histor, ad wing Evens cdo ‘Sice completing my PRD. in 1961, 1 have divided wy scenic ‘search for herwen two fel molecular physiology om te coe hon, ‘rouionary biology and biogeography on the other hand. Asan afore ‘een ona for the purpose ofthis bok, evolutionary clay nt haere cal sence fred to ane methods deren from thee ofthe lborneey ‘eine, Tha experience hat made the dificult i devising « sce ‘wie ange of human soxitien My odie in South Americ, south ‘species in nery 100 of thone New Guine langoags Out ofall hose inter grew my moet eet book, nontechnical ‘ecoont of human vohtin ended The Th Chinporare I Chop 14, called “Accidental Conqueror,” sought to undersand the curse of the encounter beeween Europeans and Native Arcane. Ac I hed ome tht book | rele that other modo, a well ss pecine, counters between people ried smulatquenons I uaw tha the pon ‘ion with which had wrested in that Chapter 14 wasn nsemes the sere ‘om Yal hed asked me in 1972, merely trated wo 4 diferea pa ofthe work. And at ast, with the help f many friend sal temp 10 cnty Vals cuiury—and my own, Tais soox's cnarrens ae divided ito four pars. Part 1 ented From Eden wo Cajamarca,” consin of hve chapter. Caper ¥ provides 1 whinhwiad tour of human evlusion and hiory, extending fom our ‘dcagence rom ape, round 7 lion years 2g, util te end ofthe lst Ice Age, around 13000 year ago- We shall ac the spead of ancestral trmuang rom our orgie in Aca to ce other continents, inorder to dewtaad the ate of he world just before the evens often amped ito the term "re of lization” began I warns ot that human developnent ‘some continents gor ahead wari ne over developments on oer Chapter 2 prepares for explcig ef of continental environments mhistory over the pat 1,000 yer, by ri exainng fern of sland Chvronecns on hatry over smaertime scales and areas. When ance ial Polyesans spread ito the Pace around 3.200 years ago, they Encountered lands differing geal in thes environmen. Wichin a fw tives islands a ange of diverse dante societies, fom unter gather {resto prococmptes, That radiation can serve a 2 model forthe longer, Llrgevacale, and let undertod radiation of societies on diferent con ems since the end of the lat ce Ag, to become vas huer-axteres tres ad empies, "The third chap introdaces wo callsions been pope rom di {ecem coninens, by feeling through comtemporary eyewhes c06n ‘hemor deumape sch encounter in istry the eprare ofthe at inde pendent aca emperor, Mahal athe presence of hi whol ry. bY Francie Parr and his tay band of conquisadore, atthe erwin ity tf Cajrara, We can dnt the chin of proximate factors tht enabled Paro to eapere Aabullp, and that operated in European conus ‘ther Nave Arvercan octet wel. Those factor ince Spanish te horse, irae, pica organization, and technology (esesly [hiprand weapons), That analy of proximate case ithe easy par of ‘hr books he hard pres iden he lamar aus leading then nd othe actual come, rater than othe oppose pombe otcome ‘St Asha coming to Madrid and caparng King Cares | of Spin Par 2, eniled "The Rie and Spend of Food Produc and con siting of Chapters 4-10, is devoted to what I ble wo be the most Imporantcontelation of wumate user. Chapter 4 sketches how fod production chat de growing food by apicultue or ering, instead (Of the hunting od pathering of wid fods—alkimatl led to the ined te factor permiting Paro’ tiamph. Bat che rs of fond production ‘arid around the lobe. As we sal sein Chape 5, peoples in some ‘ars ofthe work developed food production by themselves some eter proves acqicd it in ptehimorc times frm shove independent centers {il eters peter developed nor acquired food producon phir Cally but remained buntergateren anal modems tines. Chapter 6 eslors the mumeous factors driving the sift fom the hunter gaheret let toward food production x vmeatess but tin others. “Chapers 7 yan 9 then how bow cope and lieock amen pehis toric ie tobe domenicated from ancesal wid plant and animals, by {ncpen farmer ad herders whe could have had 9 vison ofthe out Come, Geogapcdifrences in the local ies of wid pune and animal tail for domenicaton goa Tong way toward explaining why only 2 few areas became independent centers of fod production, and why it ose carer in ome of thou area han in cer. From thos few cee ‘of origin, fod prodcton spread mich more rapidly eo sme ares than te eer A mj factor comeing 0 howe difering aes of spread fuens oot have ben the erento ofthe coins’ axes: predomi tly wet es for Earaia, predominantly nord-south fo he Ameriess tnd Afnes (Chap 10, "Thus, Chae 3 sketched the immeiae factors bend Europe’ con- ues of Natine American, and Chap 4 the development of thas fa tors fom the linate aut of food prodacion. In Pat 3 (“From Food to Gane, Germs, and Str” Capers 11-14) the connections from uk tate to pronimate cae are raced indi, begining withthe evluion (of eons charac of dense human populsons (Chapter 18). Fa trove Native American and other son-Euratian peoples were ied by ‘Eurasian ge than by Euraian puns or scl weapons. Conversely few ‘or no datntve eh ers swated would-be Baropean conqueror in ‘the New Wri. Why war he germ exchange 0 wequal? Hee the resus tof recent meleclr bla mdi ae dluminatng i king germs 10 the ris of food precio, a area mach more than nthe Amerie "Another cain of causation lel rom fod production wig, pss ly the mont important singe invention ofthe last few shouand yearsJe + rrotocue oni the epetve regions. ll other socees that hve keto lane et so bythe dftsion of wig peo ofthe ies of renege eof hoe few rimary center: Het, foc the tude of word, the phenomenon of wring is pariclaty weal fr esplonag anon ‘mportant sooscllation of cave: gopaphy® effet on the eis wah Which ideas and ventions speed st holds for writing als hls or ecology (Chap 13) A crv ‘lal uetion is wheter ecological innovation is 0 dependent on soe Besides ssetining scribe and inventors fod prediction lo enabled farmer to apport plas (Chapc 14), Mobile bande of emer ae [New Guinea became fod producer Chapers 16 and 17 integrate developments in Australia and New (inca int the perspective of the whole repon encmpasing the Eee ‘Asian mainland and Paci ands constellations of eavismmenet fc The ris of food production in China tr thatbeeve provide» tre pareofthe answer to Yas quetion, Recogiio of tho factors emphases ‘he uenplained residue, whose tndertandig wil be task for the fora “The Epilogue emiled "The Faure of Haman Hiory a »Siece” lays out some pieces ofthe rvidue, iachding the problem af the die ‘ces beween diferent pare of Eurasia, the ole of cla factors unre {ard o environment and the role of dividuals. chap the bint of these unsolved probleme io enblsh human history at « historia 1 face, oa pat ih recognized bitoni sciences such a8 crolconary thology voy aod climaraogy The toy of human history dors pose teal dieu, br chose rcopiaed histone eines encounter some of {he ame challenges, Hence the methods developed in some of hese ober cds may also prove taf i the eld of han history “Aleady though, hope to have convinced you, the reader, ha itory ln not “jn one damn fact aer another.” a cynic pt. There relly fre broad paners to history and he search for their explanation is at prodacive a cis fascinating