generally agree that even those with only a fraction of European ancestry can trace their roots back to Charlemagne , the Holy Roman emperor who died in 812 AD . This is because all European royal families can count him as an ancestor , and all Europeans can in turn trace their ancestry back to some royal lineage .
Similarly , many of us are , with high probability , descendants of some of the giants of antiquity , from Nebuchadnezzar and King Solomon to the first pharaoh of Egypt or the first emperor of China . And given that Homo sapiens were confined to Africa around 70 000 years ago , with a population of just a few tens of thousands , our common ancestor likely lived not much longer than 80 000 years ago .
But before we get too excited about having the wisdom of Solomon , know that the chances of any of us having any of Solomon ’ s or Charlemagne ’ s DNA are almost zero . Every time an individual has a child , exactly half of their DNA is copied . But which half ? For a grandchild , the figure becomes
“ Most of us are , with almost 100 % probability , descendants of many giants of antiquity , from Nebuchadnezzar and King Solomon to the first pharaoh of Egypt or the first emperor of China .
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statistical ; it could be more or less than a quarter passed on . As Charlemagne lived over 40 generations ago , the likelihood of any of us inheriting his genes is extremely low , the reciprocal of two to the power of 40 , which is nearly zero . While I am ignoring intermarriage here , it will not significantly alter the calculations . Alas , as we know , wisdom is very unevenly distributed !
The agricultural revolution around 12 000 years ago shifted societies from hunter-gatherers to settled lifestyles , supporting larger populations and specialisation , but also brought about new conflicts and the challenges of communal living . It kick-started human prosperity , but it did not necessarily increase human happiness .
Fast forward 12 000 odd years and we have modern society where our labour is extremely specialised ( think of all the different professions ) and we are extremely dependent on each other . Adam Smith ’ s insights in “ An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations ” ( 1776 ) resonate . Smith ’ s example of pin manufacturing ( how one person can hardly make a single pin a day , but ten , by dividing and specialising the tasks between them , could make upwards of 48 000 pins a day ) illustrates how division of labour and mechanisation have exponentially increased productivity .
In today ’ s diverse professions , we contribute significantly more than individuals could in the past , exemplifying the enduring impact of the evolution of technology and human productivity .
The super-specialisation of modern professions also has negative consequences . One is purpose : we might lose the connection of our little contribution to the bigger goal . We are also super-dependent on
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