A reconstruction of European history as it relates to archaeogenetics.

The author is recording the work and heritage of his mentor and the new field of archaeogenetics.  He begins with his work in decoding the DNA of the first discovered Denisovan bone.  From there the story is primarily focused on what we deem pre-history, exploring what genetics ancient and modern can tell us about how Europe was populated over time.  

The story is a new one with some unexpected twists.  Europe is inhabited and "de-inhabited" during more expansive ice age times.  He speaks of the intermingling of modern humans with Neanderthals and Denisovans.  Much is made of the Mal'ta man whose genetics are associated with certain Europeans and Native Americans.  The first farmers came from Anatolia and lived near, but did not intermingle much with, more "native" hunter-gatherers.  A few still have that heritage, but most ended up getting wiped out, possibly by plague, and definitely by the incoming Yamnaya culture.  

By the time one gets to the Bronze Age the authors turn to focus on pandemic disease and how it can be traced in the archaeogenetic record.  The book concludes with what seems to be its purpose: to use archaeogenetics to demonstrate how mankind has been peripatetic and has moved around a lot while also spreading disease and supplanting previous populations in the process.  Thus, everyone in the immigration arguments of the age have something they can grab a hold of in order to justify their viewpoint.  

A good way to get some decent information about where archaeogenetics is at in terms of the European populations.

I enjoyed this book. It struck a great balance between giving me enough detail to help me understand and not too much that I got lost in the minutiae. A similar book where I did get lost in the minutiae is “Kindred” by Rebecca Wragg Sykes. The book by Krause and Trappe was much more fun to read. It includes Krause’s personal journey and is written with a sense of humor and a certain lightness. Although written about Europe, I feel that the general principles are applicable elsewhere. I recommend it for anyone interested in the history of humanity.  
Disclosure: I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.