As a young man, this was one of the first books that started me on my journey to better understand the history of Africa and its people. Cheikh Anta Diop led the charge in his claim that the source of cultural development in the Western world began in Africa. For its time, this was not only a bold assertion, it was unprecedented. Using historical, archaeological, and anthropological evidence to support his theories, Diop transformed the study of the African continent.