What if the commonly accepted narratives about the foundation of civilization are all wrong? What if the pre-historic world as we imagine it today looked absolutely differently? What if our assumptions on the development of our society are just misconceptions?

On Wednesday, 13 September, in the Aula of the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism at Adam Mickiewicz University students from the II bilingual grade listened to a lecture by professor David Wengrow from University College London. In his talk, drawing on groundbreaking research, the professor was attempting to fill in some blanks in our knowledge and to build a virtual model of societies around the world from the times of hunter-gatherers or forages. The students had a unique opportunity to learn from a renowned scientist first-hand and ask him questions in the discussion panel at the end of the meeting.

David Wengrow (born 25 July 1972) is a British archaeologist and Professor of Comparative Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. He co-authored the international bestseller The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity which was a finalist for the Orwell Prize in 2022. He has contributed essays on topics such as social inequality and climate change to The Guardian and The New York Times. As an archaeologist, David Wengrow challenges traditional thinking about the social evolution of humanity -- from the invention of agriculture to the formation of cities and class systems -- and explains how rethinking history can radically change our perspective on inequality and modern life.