Megastructure of the Eurasian World through the Prism of Geology, Archaeology, and History

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.

“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

• Foreword: We Are All Children of Planet EarthAcknowledgementsPart One. The Planetary Origins of the Eurasian WorldChapter 1. The Eurasian World in the Formation of the Megastructure1.1. The Formation of Earth1.2. Four Eons in the History of Earth1.3. Three Phanerozoic Eras and the Emergence of the Genus Homo1.4. Geospheres of Planet Earth and Eduard Suess1.5. The Lithosphere and the Formation of Supercontinents in the Phanerozoic1.6. Metamorphoses of the Eurasian and African Littoral Plates1.7. Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic GeosynclineChapter 2. Humans on the Globe in the Pleistocene Era: Geology and Archaeology2.1. What Are Our Origins?2.2. South and East Africa: The Cradle of the Genus Homo2.3. Eurasia in the Pleistocene: The North-South and West-East Dividing Axes2.4. The Two Last Waves of the Great Migration of Peoples in the PaleolithicChapter 3. Eurasia in the Holocene: The North-South Division3.1. Global Metamorphoses in the Holocene3.2. Geomorphological Paradoxes and the Fifth Intercontinental Migration3.3. The Dividing Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic Belt3.4. The Phenomenon of the Steppe BeltChapter 4. The Holocene in Eurasia: Division along the West-East Axis4.1. The “Border” between Europe and Asia4.2. Two Outstanding Figures: Tatishchev and Strahlenberg on the Role of the Urals4.3. The Urals as a “Divider” between the Continents4.4. A Complex Look at the Yenisei River Valley4.5. Gero von Merhart and the Archaeology of the Yenisei River Basin4.6. The Invisible "Vertical" of Division4.7. 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 Han4.8. Two Millennia of Discussions4.9. Discussions ContinueChapter 5. Important Geoareas and Enclaves of the Eurasian World5.1. Sixteen Important Geologo-Geographic Areas in Eurasia5.2. Significant Differences between Eurasian Geoareas5.3. Arabia as Part of the Sub-Saharan Littoral Plate5.4. Hindustan: The Northern Part of the Australo-Hindustan Plate5.5. Chukotka and Kamchatka with the Kuriles: Are Geoareas Alien to Eurasia?Chapter 6. Geoareas and Enclaves: Difficult Problems of Definitions6.1. Defining an Enclave6.2. The Phenomenon of Ethnicity6.3. More on Ethnicity: Paradoxes in the Fate and Work of Sergei Shirokogorov6.4. The Work of S. Shirokogorov on Ethnic Unit and Milieu6.5. The Creativity of S. Shirokogorov in the Ratings of the "Reviewer"Chapter 7. Culture: A Mysterious Phenomenon7.1. Culture and Its Three Basic Facets7.2. The Interrelation and Interdependence of Facets/Blocks of Cultures7.3. In Trying to Understand the Essence and Forms of BeliefChapter 8. Subsistence Systems of Cultures: Geology and Archaeology8.1. Two Basic Subsistence Models8.2. Appropriating Economy8.3. Production Economy8.4. Metallurgical Cultures8.5. From Proto-Metal Age to Metallurgical Provinces8.6. The Carpatho-Balkan Metallurgical Province8.7. The Proto-Circumpontic Metallurgical Province 8.8. The Circumpontic Metallurgical Province8.9. The End of the Early Metal Age: Eight Metallurgical Provinces 8.10. The Iron Age: Apparent Changes in the Eurasian Jigsaw PuzzleChapter 9. Radiocarbon Chronology of "Pre-Written" History in Western Eurasia9.1. Radiocarbon Dating Database9.2. Systematic Analysis of Radiocarbon DatingPart Two. To the Heights of GlobalismPrologue B: From Uncreated Realities to Created OnesChapter 10: Amidst the Relentless Currents of Globalization10.1. Defining Globalism and Globalization10.2. Globalism Supporters10.3. Against Globalism10.4. Globalism and Subglobalism 10.5. The Great Migrations of People and the Globalization of Planet Earth10.6. Global and Subglobal FormationsChapter 11. The Millennial Eve of the New Age: Archaeology and History11.1. Special Worlds of Eurasian Enclaves11.2. Enclave Worlds in Incessant Struggles: The Steppe Belt Is in the Lead11.3. The Western Wave of the Steppe Belt: The Scythian World11.4. The Early Eastern Wave of the Steppe Belt: The Huns11.5. The Second Eastern Wave: Turks and Turkic Khaganates11.6. The Third Eastern Wave: The Mongols and the Genghisid Empire11.7. The Steppe World and the Phenomenon of the Great Wall of China11.8. Waves of the West and East in Archaeological and Written SourcesChapter 12. The Geoarea of Hindustan in paradoxical estimates12.1. Geomorphological Isolation of Hindustan12.2. India/Hindustan in the View of Ctesias of Cnidus12.3. Letters of Alexander the Great to Mother Olympias and Aristotle12.4. Significant Changes in the Tales of Unknown Lands12.5. At the Origins of the Idea of the Chimera of IndiaChapter 13. A Dive into the Fabulous Worlds of Chimeras and Phantasms13.1. Prester John to the Ruler of the Romans13.2. On the Homeland of Prester John13.3. Prester John from Africa or India?Chapter 14. The Counter-Examination in Two Millennia14.1. From Ctesias and Alexander the Great to Christopher Columbus14.2. From Flavius Arrian to the Sixth Great Migration14.3. The Works of the "Realists" Plano Carpini and Wilhelm de Rubruk against the Background of the Book "The Storyteller," by Marco PoloChapter 15. Us and Them: The Eternal and All-Encompassing Dichotomy15.1. Carl Jung and the Role of the Subconscious15.2. Unlimited Self-Admiration, or Social Narcissism15.3. The Dangers of Narcissus Syndrome Chapter 16: Great Geographical Discoveries, the Great Migration, and the Rise of Slavery16.1. Romanus Pontifex of Pope Nicholas V16.2. 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-Doubles16.5. Ideological Divisions amidst GlobalizationPart Three. Reflections on the Essence and Architectonics of the Surrounding WorldChapter 17. Chaos as Progenitor17.1. The Greek "Miracle" by Ernest Renan against the Background of Christianity and Judaism17.2. The Millennial Areopagus of the Greek Sages17.3. From Chaos to the Creation of the Earth and Other Worlds17.4. Prometheus as the Creator of the Homo-Family17.5. Taoism of the Celestial EmpireChapter 18. The Ancient Ecumene and Its Riddles18.1. Pangaea and Hellas in Its Center18.2. An Overview of the Originators of Pangaea Concepts and Their Interpreters18.3. The Question of Europe18.4. The Question of Asia 18.5. The Chimera of Riphei/Ripei18.6. The Chimera of Hyperborea18.7. From the Bowels of the Earth to the Heights of SpaceChapter 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 Things19.3. Moses: The Prophet of Judaism and Deeds19.4. Foreskin Circumcision as Evidence of God's Choice19.5. Solomon Constructs the First Temple19.6. The Construction of the Second Temple19.7. The Phenomenon of Eretz Israel19.8. Hasmoneans in the History of Eretz IsraelChapter 20. Christianity: The Abrahamic Triad in Development20.1. The Early Schism in Abrahamic Monotheism: The Birth of Christianity20.2. Peter and Paul: The First Apostles of Christianity20.3. Execution of the First Apostles of "Shameful Destruction"20.4. The Generation of Hatred in the Ideological Facets of Cultures20.5. Christianity in the Roman Empire: Fundamental Changes20.6. The Great Schism and the "Ship of Salvation" in OrthodoxyChapter 21. Islam: The Final Block of the Abrahamic Triad21.1. The Prophet Muhammad as the Messenger of Allah21.2. The Book of Ibn Ishaq-Ibn Hisham: The Early Days of Muhammad21.3. Muhammad and the Angel Jabrayil21.4. Battles for Islamic Truths with Jewish and Christian Participation21.5. The Great Hijra: Migration from Mecca to Medina21.6. The Prophet in Medina and the Great Victory at Badr21.7. The Section of Extracted Wealth21.8. Endless Battles 21.9. Return to Mecca21.10. The Prophet’s Death and the "Caliph" Title Intrigues: The Heir of the Prophet21.11. The Righteous Caliphs, Victories Islam Ascents, and the Schisms in Teaching21.12. Islam in the Far West of the European EnclaveChapter 22. Christianity and Islam in Battle: Constantinople-Kazan-Moscow22.1. Symbolic and Significant Dates: 1500, 1453, and 155222.2. The Tragic Year 1453 for Orthodox Christians22.3. The Orthodox Crush Kazan and the Kazan Khanate: The Year 155222.4. Kazan Victory and a Monument in Her Honor22.5. Kazan’s Revenge: The Burning of Moscow—Ivan the Terrible, Devlet-Giray, and the Year 1571Chapter 23. Eurasia Ushers in a New Era23.1. 1453–1552: The Landmark Century23.2. European Sailors Embark on Overseas Ventures 23.3. Voyages, Discoveries, and Their Depictions on World Maps23.4. 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 East23.7. Steppe Belt Nomads as Russia’s Eternal EnemiesChapter 24. The Abrahamic "Triad" against Other World Doctrines24.1. Explosive Activity and Spatial Coverage of Christian Cultures24.2. Anomalies and Paradoxes in World Doctrines24.3. Visions of Unity and a Spectrum of Fractured Christian Beliefs24.4. Christianity’s New Crisis: Protestants and CatholicsChapter 25. The Modern Era: Brewing Disagreements25.1. 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 Prophet25.3. The Prophet’s Image through the Eyes of His Supporters25.4. The Prophet and His Colleagues against Catholicism 25.5. The Prophet and the Peasant War25.6. The Prophet on Human Intellect and Advanced Knowledge25.7. Antisemitism and Christianity: Back to Luther25.8. Rumors of Luther's Demise25.9. A Return to the Dream of a Single Universal25.10. Postscript: Insights on CommentatorsChapter 26, Epilogue 1. Questions26.1. Handcrafted and Divine Artworks: Questions and Reflections26.2. Eurasia through the Greek-Jewish Dichotomy26.3. The Chosen People and Their Opponents 26.4. The Sacred Commandments and the 613 Jewish Mitzvot26.5. Ancient Wisdom Regains Power on Earth, a Millennium LaterChapter 27, Epilogue 2: Comprehending the Present and the Future27.1. Inquiry into the Origins of Existence: The Quest of Glupov's Inhabitants27.2. A Dialogue Between an Orthodox Archpriest and Charles Darwin at His Gravesite27.3. Are We the Owners of the Earth?27.4. COVID-19