The mysteries of creation—that is, of the Earth’s formation and the emergence of humans—have perplexed humanity for a long time. This book explores the profound transformations of Earth's geological and ecological structures and their lasting impact on human societies. These geocosmic shifts from the Pleistocene to the Holocene have shaped the different regions of Eurasia, influencing the cultural worldviews of their inhabitants as seen through archaeology and history. Originally published in Russian in 2020, this book offers a thought-provoking analysis of the Earth’s evolution and its role in the development of civilizations.
Table of Contents:
Foreword: We Are All Children of Planet Earth
Acknowledgements
Part One. The Planetary Origins of the Eurasian World
Chapter 1. The Eurasian World in the Formation of the Megastructure
1.1. The Formation of Earth
1.2. Four Eons in the History of Earth
1.3. Three Phanerozoic Eras and the Emergence of the Genus Homo
1.4. Geospheres of Planet Earth and Eduard Suess
1.5. The Lithosphere and the Formation of Supercontinents in the Phanerozoic
1.6. Metamorphoses of the Eurasian and African Littoral Plates
1.7. Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic Geosyncline
Chapter 2. Humans on the Globe in the Pleistocene Era: Geology and Archaeology
2.1. What Are Our Origins?
2.2. South and East Africa: The Cradle of the Genus Homo
2.3. Eurasia in the Pleistocene: The North-South and West-East Dividing Axes
2.4. The Two Last Waves of the Great Migration of Peoples in the Paleolithic
Chapter 3. Eurasia in the Holocene: The North-South Division
3.1. Global Metamorphoses in the Holocene
3.2. Geomorphological Paradoxes and the Fifth Intercontinental Migration
3.3. The Dividing Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic Belt
3.4. The Phenomenon of the Steppe Belt
Chapter 4. The Holocene in Eurasia: Division along the West-East Axis
4.1. The “Border” between Europe and Asia
4.2. Two Outstanding Figures: Tatishchev and Strahlenberg on the Role of the Urals
4.3. The Urals as a “Divider” between the Continents
4.4. A Complex Look at the Yenisei River Valley
4.5. Gero von Merhart and the Archaeology of the Yenisei River Basin
4.6. The Invisible "Vertical" of Division
4.7. The Indus River and Yenisei: From Ocean to Ocean
4.6. The European Mega-Peninsula Is Europe Proper?
4.7. The Great Chinese Plain and the Han
4.8. Two Millennia of Discussions
4.9. Discussions Continue
Chapter 5. Important Geoareas and Enclaves of the Eurasian World
5.1. Sixteen Important Geologo-Geographic Areas in Eurasia
5.2. Significant Differences between Eurasian Geoareas
5.3. Arabia as Part of the Sub-Saharan Littoral Plate
5.4. Hindustan: The Northern Part of the Australo-Hindustan Plate
5.5. Chukotka and Kamchatka with the Kuriles: Are Geoareas Alien to Eurasia?
Chapter 6. Geoareas and Enclaves: Difficult Problems of Definitions
6.1. Defining an Enclave
6.2. The Phenomenon of Ethnicity
6.3. More on Ethnicity: Paradoxes in the Fate and Work of Sergei Shirokogorov
6.4. The Work of S. Shirokogorov on Ethnic Unit and Milieu
6.5. The Creativity of S. Shirokogorov in the Ratings of the "Reviewer"
Chapter 7. Culture: A Mysterious Phenomenon
7.1. Culture and Its Three Basic Facets
7.2. The Interrelation and Interdependence of Facets/Blocks of Cultures
7.3. In Trying to Understand the Essence and Forms of Belief
Chapter 8. Subsistence Systems of Cultures: Geology and Archaeology
8.1. Two Basic Subsistence Models
8.2. Appropriating Economy
8.3. Production Economy
8.4. Metallurgical Cultures
8.5. From Proto-Metal Age to Metallurgical Provinces
8.6. The Carpatho-Balkan Metallurgical Province
8.7. The Proto-Circumpontic Metallurgical Province
8.8. The Circumpontic Metallurgical Province
8.9. The End of the Early Metal Age: Eight Metallurgical Provinces
8.10. The Iron Age: Apparent Changes in the Eurasian Jigsaw Puzzle
Chapter 9. Radiocarbon Chronology of "Pre-Written" History in Western Eurasia
9.1. Radiocarbon Dating Database
9.2. Systematic Analysis of Radiocarbon Dating
Part Two. To the Heights of Globalism
Prologue B: From Uncreated Realities to Created Ones
Chapter 10: Amidst the Relentless Currents of Globalization
10.1. Defining Globalism and Globalization
10.2. Globalism Supporters
10.3. Against Globalism
10.4. Globalism and Subglobalism
10.5. The Great Migrations of People and the Globalization of Planet Earth
10.6. Global and Subglobal Formations
Chapter 11. The Millennial Eve of the New Age: Archaeology and History
11.1. Special Worlds of Eurasian Enclaves
11.2. Enclave Worlds in Incessant Struggles: The Steppe Belt Is in the Lead
11.3. The Western Wave of the Steppe Belt: The Scythian World
11.4. The Early Eastern Wave of the Steppe Belt: The Huns
11.5. The Second Eastern Wave: Turks and Turkic Khaganates
11.6. The Third Eastern Wave: The Mongols and the Genghisid Empire
11.7. The Steppe World and the Phenomenon of the Great Wall of China
11.8. Waves of the West and East in Archaeological and Written Sources
Chapter 12. The Geoarea of Hindustan in paradoxical estimates
12.1. Geomorphological Isolation of Hindustan
12.2. India/Hindustan in the View of Ctesias of Cnidus
12.3. Letters of Alexander the Great to Mother Olympias and Aristotle
12.4. Significant Changes in the Tales of Unknown Lands
12.5. At the Origins of the Idea of the Chimera of India
Chapter 13. A Dive into the Fabulous Worlds of Chimeras and Phantasms
13.1. Prester John to the Ruler of the Romans
13.2. On the Homeland of Prester John
13.3. Prester John from Africa or India?
Chapter 14. The Counter-Examination in Two Millennia
14.1. From Ctesias and Alexander the Great to Christopher Columbus
14.2. From Flavius Arrian to the Sixth Great Migration
14.3. The Works of the "Realists" Plano Carpini and Wilhelm de Rubruk against the Background of the Book "The Storyteller," by Marco Polo
Chapter 15. Us and Them: The Eternal and All-Encompassing Dichotomy
15.1. Carl Jung and the Role of the Subconscious
15.2. Unlimited Self-Admiration, or Social Narcissism
15.3. The Dangers of Narcissus Syndrome
Chapter 16: Great Geographical Discoveries, the Great Migration, and the Rise of Slavery
16.1. Romanus Pontifex of Pope Nicholas V
16.2. Amerigo Vespucci and the Great Geographical Discoveries
16.3. Us and Them in the Context of Globalization and Colonization
16.4. Russia amidst Globalization and Psychological Counter-Doubles
16.5. Ideological Divisions amidst Globalization
Part Three. Reflections on the Essence and Architectonics of the Surrounding World
Chapter 17. Chaos as Progenitor
17.1. The Greek "Miracle" by Ernest Renan against the Background of Christianity and Judaism
17.2. The Millennial Areopagus of the Greek Sages
17.3. From Chaos to the Creation of the Earth and Other Worlds
17.4. Prometheus as the Creator of the Homo-Family
17.5. Taoism of the Celestial Empire
Chapter 18. The Ancient Ecumene and Its Riddles
18.1. Pangaea and Hellas in Its Center
18.2. An Overview of the Originators of Pangaea Concepts and Their Interpreters
18.3. The Question of Europe
18.4. The Question of Asia
18.5. The Chimera of Riphei/Ripei
18.6. The Chimera of Hyperborea
18.7. From the Bowels of the Earth to the Heights of Space
Chapter 19. Judaism: Tracing the Origins of the Abrahamic Trio of Faiths
19.1. Judaism as the Origin of Monotheism
19.2. Hexameron at the Origins of All Things
19.3. Moses: The Prophet of Judaism and Deeds
19.4. Foreskin Circumcision as Evidence of God's Choice
19.5. Solomon Constructs the First Temple
19.6. The Construction of the Second Temple
19.7. The Phenomenon of Eretz Israel
19.8. Hasmoneans in the History of Eretz Israel
Chapter 20. Christianity: The Abrahamic Triad in Development
20.1. The Early Schism in Abrahamic Monotheism: The Birth of Christianity
20.2. Peter and Paul: The First Apostles of Christianity
20.3. Execution of the First Apostles of "Shameful Destruction"
20.4. The Generation of Hatred in the Ideological Facets of Cultures
20.5. Christianity in the Roman Empire: Fundamental Changes
20.6. The Great Schism and the "Ship of Salvation" in Orthodoxy
Chapter 21. Islam: The Final Block of the Abrahamic Triad
21.1. The Prophet Muhammad as the Messenger of Allah
21.2. The Book of Ibn Ishaq-Ibn Hisham: The Early Days of Muhammad
21.3. Muhammad and the Angel Jabrayil
21.4. Battles for Islamic Truths with Jewish and Christian Participation
21.5. The Great Hijra: Migration from Mecca to Medina
21.6. The Prophet in Medina and the Great Victory at Badr
21.7. The Section of Extracted Wealth
21.8. Endless Battles
21.9. Return to Mecca
21.10. The Prophet’s Death and the "Caliph" Title Intrigues: The Heir of the Prophet
21.11. The Righteous Caliphs, Victories Islam Ascents, and the Schisms in Teaching
21.12. Islam in the Far West of the European Enclave
Chapter 22. Christianity and Islam in Battle: Constantinople-Kazan-Moscow
22.1. Symbolic and Significant Dates: 1500, 1453, and 1552
22.2. The Tragic Year 1453 for Orthodox Christians
22.3. The Orthodox Crush Kazan and the Kazan Khanate: The Year 1552
22.4. Kazan Victory and a Monument in Her Honor
22.5. Kazan’s Revenge: The Burning of Moscow—Ivan the Terrible, Devlet-Giray, and the Year 1571
Chapter 23. Eurasia Ushers in a New Era
23.1. 1453–1552: The Landmark Century
23.2. European Sailors Embark on Overseas Ventures
23.3. Voyages, Discoveries, and Their Depictions on World Maps
23.4. Giacomo Gastaldi and Sigismund Herberstein: What Is Muscovy?
23.5. Abel Tasman and Semyon Dezhnev: The Invisible Pioneer Duo
23.6. Chukotka and Kamchatka: The Russian Breakthrough to the North and East
23.7. Steppe Belt Nomads as Russia’s Eternal Enemies
Chapter 24. The Abrahamic "Triad" against Other World Doctrines
24.1. Explosive Activity and Spatial Coverage of Christian Cultures
24.2. Anomalies and Paradoxes in World Doctrines
24.3. Visions of Unity and a Spectrum of Fractured Christian Beliefs
24.4. Christianity’s New Crisis: Protestants and Catholics
Chapter 25. The Modern Era: Brewing Disagreements
25.1. Martin Luther as Prophet of the New Doctrine: His Monologues and Dialogues
25.2. The Swift Rise of the Protestant Church and the Words of Its Prophet
25.3. The Prophet’s Image through the Eyes of His Supporters
25.4. The Prophet and His Colleagues against Catholicism
25.5. The Prophet and the Peasant War
25.6. The Prophet on Human Intellect and Advanced Knowledge
25.7. Antisemitism and Christianity: Back to Luther
25.8. Rumors of Luther's Demise
25.9. A Return to the Dream of a Single Universal
25.10. Postscript: Insights on Commentators
Chapter 26, Epilogue 1. Questions
26.1. Handcrafted and Divine Artworks: Questions and Reflections
26.2. Eurasia through the Greek-Jewish Dichotomy
26.3. The Chosen People and Their Opponents
26.4. The Sacred Commandments and the 613 Jewish Mitzvot
26.5. Ancient Wisdom Regains Power on Earth, a Millennium Later
Chapter 27, Epilogue 2: Comprehending the Present and the Future
27.1. Inquiry into the Origins of Existence: The Quest of Glupov's Inhabitants
27.2. A Dialogue Between an Orthodox Archpriest and Charles Darwin at His Gravesite
27.3. Are We the Owners of the Earth?
27.4. COVID-19
About the Author :
Born in 1935, Evgenij Chernykh has led the laboratory for scientific methods in archaeological research at the Institute of Archaeology in Moscow from the 1960s until recently. Over the course of his scholarly career, he has authored more than 600 academic articles published internationally and has written over 20 monographs, published in Russian, English, French, and Chinese.
Review :
“Spanning geological deep time and the full sweep of human prehistory and history, this monumental work offers a unique panoramic understanding of Eurasia—not merely as a geographical landmass, but as a dynamic cultural, ecological, and ideological system in perpetual transformation. In the era of climate crises, resurgent nationalism, and contested pasts, this work offers a timely reminder of the deep interconnections between humans and the planetary forces that have shaped them. This is a rare book—scholarly yet readable, expansive yet detailed, provocative yet grounded. It will undoubtedly become a touchstone for future generations of archaeologists, historians, and earth scientists. I recommend it with enthusiasm and admiration.” — Miljana Radivojević, Associate Professor in Archaeological Science, UCL Institute of Archaeology
“If anything characterises the historical development of the Earth, it is the emergence of humanity, a concept associated with human beings capable of thinking, feeling and acting with foresight. In this book, Evgenij Chernykh, from the privileged vantage point of his many years of archaeological research in Central Eurasia, invites us on a fascinating journey through the history of the formation of the planet, a journey that is essential for understanding and situating the birth of the genus Homo, its evolution and its continental expansion which generated the cultural diversity we know, today. ” — Salvador Rovira Llorens, retired head of conservation at the National Archeological Museum of Spain
“An impressive panorama of shifts and breakthroughs in the history of Eurasia and an unconventional perspective on how this series of challenges—shaped by both human nature and the nature of the continent—have been overcome.” — Olga Korochkova, Professor of Archaeology and Ethnology, Ural Federal University
