Recent archaeological discoveries from China and central Asia have changed our understanding of how human civilization developed in the period of some 4 million years before the start of written history. In this new edition of his Very Short Introduction, Chris Gosden explores the current theories on the ebb and flow of human cultural variety.

Contains alphabetically arranged entries, from adornment to crime and punishment, that provide information about culture and society in the ancient world and includes photographs and maps.

Culture and personality are deeply related. Gerard Saucier articulates their interface, and new insights regarding the psychology of religion and spirituality. Rather than making assumptions of cultural homogeneity that promote stereotyping, Gerard Saucier applies a distributive model of culture which assumes heterogeneity, linking the otherwise separate compartments of culture and personality. Personality variation maps cultural non-uniformity, but variation in mindset (attitudes, beliefs, values) does so more directly. Studies of isms concepts embedded in natural language demonstrate that matters of religion and spirituality make up a substantial fraction of culture-relevant mindset, and empirical evidence shows these have a large effect-size contribution to cultural differences between nations around the globe. This book will be of much interest to specialists and (post-graduate) graduate students interested in culture, personality, and religion or spirituality.