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WHAT IS BIG HISTORY? Big History looks at the past on all time scales, from the Big Bang to Modernity , seeking out common Theme s and Pattern s. It uses a multi-disciplinary approach from the latest findings in Biology , Astronomy , Archeology , Anthropology , etc. Big History arose from a desire to go beyond the specialized and self-contained fields that emerged in the 20th Century and grasp history as a whole, looking for common themes across the entire time scale of history. The study of history is typically limited to the written word, yet this only encompasses the past 5,000 years or so and leaves out the vast majority of history. Big History examines the links among different fields of study and weaves a common narrative along thematic lines. HISTORIOGRAPHY The first courses in Big History were experimental ones taught in the late 1980s by John Mears at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas) and by David Christian at Macquarie University (Australia), and more recently at San Diego State University . Since then, a number of other universities have offered similar courses. The first book in Big History was published in 1996 by Fred Spier : ''The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today'', which offers an ambitious defense of the project and constructs a unified account of history across all time scales. As of 2005, the essential text in Big History is David Christian's ''Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History'', which explores history from the first micro-seconds of the Big Bang and the creation of the solar system, to the origins of life on earth, the evolution of humans, the agricultural revolution, modernity, and the 20th century. Christian examines large-scale patterns and themes, and provides perspective of time scales. SEE ALSO
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