Europe is the smallest of the five continents, only a peninsula of Eurasia in geographical terms. It is not a clearly defined area and open to influences from all directions. There are several different macro-regions, but their boundaries shift with changing climates and modes of production. An unequal distribution of mineral resources, diverse and flexible ecologies, major topographic barriers, and distinct topographic axes of communication add to the diversity and unique aspects of past and present Europe, which is the area with the longest tradition of prehistoric research and the densest network of known sites. This module assesses prehistoric Europe from the first peopling of the continent about 1.2 million years ago until the first century AD when the expanding empire of Rome absorbed parts of the continent into its boundaries. Major topics of the module will be: - the earliest occupation of Europe; - European Neanderthals; - the arrival of modern humans in Europe; - late Pleistocene and early Holocene hunter-gatherers of Europe; - the origins of farming and its spread across Europe; - the emergence and development of social hierarchies and long-distance connections; - the growth of states and urban centres in the Mediterranean and Europe north of the Alps; - the impact of Rome on European societies.