Collaborators through Time: How Humans Partnered with Nature, Technology, and Each Other

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R. Alexander Bentley (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) Michael J. O'Brien (Texas A&M University–San Antonio)

Collaborators through Time

Name: Collaborators through Time
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ISBN: 9781538197707

How Humans Partnered with Nature, Technology, and Each Other

R. Alexander Bentley (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), Michael J. O'Brien (Texas A&M University–San Antonio)

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Hardback

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English

Rowman & Littlefield
19 February 2026

Archaeology; Social & cultural anthropology; Inventions & inventors

Spanning 2 million years, this book examines how humans partnered with nature, technology, and each other to shape their world, from evolutionary origins and ancient innovations to the rise of artificial intelligence.

This book examines how humans collaborated with other entities, expanding in scale from individuals to other species of Homo, and further to the formation of groups, interactions with organisms, connections with past generations, and the transformative role of technology. Through dozens of vivid examples –from the lives of Neanderthals to the origins of agriculture, the impact of ancient diseases, the practices of shamans, Bronze Age innovations, global trade routes, and the products of the world’s first cities – this narrative illuminates the intricate web of partnerships that defined human history. The final chapter delves into artificial intelligence, illustrating how its evolution mirrors the co-evolution of humans with technologies.

AI’s rapid development of learning and collaborative abilities echoes humanity’s own adaptive journey, albeit at an accelerated pace. Richly illustrated with over 50 full-color figures, this book offers a visually engaging and intellectually stimulating journey through the partnerships that have shaped our world, from the dawn of prehistory to the cutting edge of AI.

By: R. Alexander Bentley (University of Tennessee Knoxville), Michael J. O'Brien (Texas A&M University–San Antonio)
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 232mm, Width: 158mm, Spine: 12mm
Weight: 420g
ISBN: 9781538197707
ISBN 10: 1538197707
Pages: 160
Publication Date: 19 February 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Alex Bentley is a professor of anthropology and director of the Computational Social Sciences program at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, USA. Michael J. O’Brien is a professor of history and psychology at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, USA.

Reviews for Collaborators through Time: How Humans Partnered with Nature, Technology, and Each Other

Collaborators through Time uses the rich and often surprising evidence of archaeology to give us a fresh perspective on human culture and the future of our species; moving back and forth across the millennia, its chapters are consistently thought-provoking, while avoiding the kind of platitudes that plague most books of this genre. -- David Wengrow, Professor of Comparative Archaeology at University College London and co-author of The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity