5. Continental fusion—connections across Europe, Asia, and Africa

We think of globalization as a new process, but long-distance connections are basic to being human. ‘Continental fusion—connections across Europe, Asia, and Africa’ sketches regional histories, considering the Neolithic history of metallurgy, pottery, burial practices, the prehistory of languages, and art styles. It is now possible to see the depth and importance of connections across this huge region from the Neolithic onwards. Materials, such as bronze, and complex art styles linked to shared cosmologies and practices helped set up and maintain connections that all areas participated in and benefitted from. Connections did not produce similarities of culture, however, and regional differences increase from the Bronze Age onwards.