Patterns of Prehistory is a comprehensive survey of world prehistory, from the origins of early hominids several million years ago to the evolution of the first great states and civilizations, focusing on the problem of formulating scientific explanations of the great cultural transformations of the past. In this fourth edition, Wenke has completely updated the text to incorporate recent archaeological discoveries and to address the insights and limitations of the new wave
of "post-processual" or "cognitive" archaeology.