Ancestral Journeys

The Peopling of Europe from the First Venturers to the Vikings (Revised and Updated Edition)

By: Jean Manco

Narrated by: Corrie James

Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Who are the Europeans? Where did they come from? New research in the fields of archaeology and linguistics, a revolution in the study of genetics, and cutting-edge analysis of ancient DNA are dramatically changing our picture of prehistory, leading us to question what we thought we knew about these ancient peoples.

This paradigm-shifting book paints a spirited portrait of a restless people that challenges our established ways of looking at Europe's past. The story is more complex than at first believed, with new evidence suggesting that the European gene pool was stirred vigorously multiple times. Genetic clues are also enhancing our understanding of European mobility in epochs with written records, including the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, the spread of the Slavs, and the adventures of the Vikings.

Now brought completely up to date with all the latest findings from the fast-moving fields of genetics, DNA, and dating, Jean Manco's highly accessible account weaves multiple strands of evidence into a startling new history of the continent, of interest to anyone who wants to truly understand Europeans' place in the ancient world.

©2013, 2015 Thames & Hudson Ltd. (P)2020 Tantor

Genealogy and genetics provide the key to Europe

Archeology can only guess at reality without having the genetic data as the safeguard to keep them honest. As a life long follower of archeology, I have always taken their findings and theories with a grain of salt. Some things always seemed to make more sense than others - and some just never seemed to pass the smell test. This book takes time, attention to detail and serious focus to keep up. Twelve times listening and I am still learning new things of great value to me. This audio book is absolutely not a "one and done".

this book is very comprehensive

ok.. I struggled with the scientific jargon of DNA .I understand haplogroups but not remember the details from Amy but my own really.
this book talks about that stuff. along with a pretty awesome narrative about a lot of our ancestral history. dating from the being with neanderthals and then homosapiens. I found the information of the movements of people's thru history interesting. they talk about more then DNA.. they talk about language and migration and people/society's absorbing certain people and how they know to put it together as to why we ended up in having DNA from places. and then they tell you the DNA market they tested from those areas..
it's strange.. it was almost a bit too much info from the DNA stuff cause being me to it, I didn't always get it.
it's definitely a smart person who knows their fine science very well.
maybe not a beginner into DNA history. but a very smart book.. that does flow well..
I will read it again when I know more.

Very interesting but complicated

Great detail, very interesting, but messy. The truth about genetic migrations is far more complicated than the ancestry tests make it sound. Many maps would help!

Beyond fabulous superbly narrated

I loved it, but it is a bit academic. I like that because it is pinpoint accurate withith verifiable facts. And it it makes me review my almost forgotten science classes.

Good story but difficult to rate

A lot of ground is covered so the book moves fast. It probably is a great reference book. The listener needs to be familiar with Eurasian geography and an array of ancient peoples in order to follow the narrative.
The tale does shed new light on ancient history and that alone makes it a good read.
It does not answer my questions. I am R1B1A2 which is mentioned several times. What does that mean?
Comparison with ancient DNA puts me at 47% Paleo Hunter-Gatherer; 43% Neolithic Farmer; 9% Bronze Age Nomad How did that happen? How did my ancestors end up in Ireland?
In other words how do I fit into this more informed view of history?
Still I think it provides a valuable perspective on human history.

A little tough to process with only audio

The material in this book is fascinating, and the reader does an excellent job with it, but it is difficult to keep track of all the genetic designations when you can’t see them or look at the charts, and it would really help to have maps. I ended up getting a copy of the book I could look at in order to process the information better.

SIMPLY STELLAR. HAVE ALREADY LISTENED OVER 20 TIMES

SO MUCH IS PACKED INTO THIS.BOOK…

DARE to listen at night as you sleep, and you will want to listen again & again & again.

Rarely has learning about such new & esoteric subject as genetic marker tracing been SO engaging - THIS is why you keep listening multiple times.

And the narrator was nothing short of masterful! Truly understanding both her topic & her audience. Her grandkids must look forward to her every visit.

This the quality of book which finds one asking “What ELSE have these two (author & narrator) produced?’…

MUST READ.

Mark Vogt, Data Scientist, North Aurora IL USA

Needs pictures.

I kept going back and re-listening to parts trying to grasp it. Hard to follow without graphics. I would recommend the print version.

Wonderful for some…

Not the final word as advances are being constantly made, but a very wonderful, detailed account of where we were in 2015. I stress detailed as that may turn off some but will be welcomed and treasured by many.

Who was this book written for?

I suspect that this book is not academic enough for those in academia and too academic for those not in academia. I just about quit listening several times. The author sets forth voluminous citations of gene types by their alpha numeric designation. This makes the story dull and means nothing to the layman. As a result of this approach, I got the feeling that we were failing to see the forest for the trees or maybe even for the leaves.