Archeology is a field of study that includes the scientific and social-scientific study of both artifacts (the physical remains of material culture) and ecofacts (the physical remains of biological material). Archeologists study these remains in a historical context and reconstruct the past through their analysis. Harari synthesizes ancient archeological findings, like studies of the remains of Neanderthals and Floresians or archeological analysis of cave art, to reconstruct humanity’s prehistory and tell the story of human evolution.

Creationism is a form of religious belief, most commonly held by some sects of the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religions. Creationism asserts that the universe was created by God in its current form and refutes modern evolutionary science. It holds that the Old Testament story of the creation in the Book of Genesis, in which God created the universe in seven days, is literal truth. This narrative presents mankind as God’s last and best creation, separate from animals and with a special religious and moral purpose. 

Until the scientific advances of the 1800s, creationism was the most commonly held theory of human origins, supported by religious teachings and prevalent ideas of human exceptionalism and superiority over the natural world.