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Volume I of the History of Civilizations of Central Asia traces the history of man in this vast region from the Palaeolithic beginnings to circa 700 B.C. when the foundations for the formation of the great Achaemenian Empire were laid. The earliest history of man is evidenced by the discovery of Stone Age tools which are presented as part of the background of Peking Man, while the stage of food production is now abundantly represented from Turkmenistan and Tajikstan to the Indus Valley. Above all, the great civilization of the Bronze Age speaks of the first process of urbanization from the Indus to the Oxus and betokens intensive trading between the different areas. No less important is the story of the nomadic pastoral tribes, such as those of the Aryans, whose history can for the first time be seen in proper perspective on account of the archaeological evidence now available. Bringing forth new evidence and resolutely brushing aside redundant ideas, this volume skilfully presents the dawn of civilization in Central Asia.