Prof. Craig Benjamin

Craig Benjamin is a Professor of History at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, where he teaches big history and ancient Eurasian history. Craig is a frequent guest presenter at conferences worldwide, and the author of several books and numerous chapters and articles on ancient world history

Craig Benjamin is a Professor of History at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, where he teaches big history and ancient Eurasian history.  Craig is a frequent guest presenter at conferences worldwide, and the author of several books and numerous chapters and articles on ancient world history. Recent books include Big History: Between Nothing and Everything (McGraw-Hill, 2014); Volume 4 of the Cambridge History of the World (Cambridge University Press, 2015); Empires of Ancient Eurasia. The First Silk Roads Era 100 BCE – 250 CE (CUP, 2018); The Routledge Companion to Big History (Routledge, 2019); and Traditions and Encounters. A Global Perspective on the Past (McGraw-Hill 2020).

Craig has recorded programs and courses for the History Channel and Discovery Channel, and three courses for the Great Courses company – Foundations of Eastern Civilization, Big History of Civilization, and the Mongol Empire. He has also lectured on cruises for Scientific American and New York Times Journeys, and on numerous land tours to China, Mongolia and Central Asia for Archaeological Tours and Andante Tours. Craig is a Past-President of the World History Association, and served as an executive officer on the Board of the International Big History Association from 2011 to 2018. Before becoming an historian, Craig was a professional jazz musician in his native Australia for 25 years. Craig has also been an adventurer for much of his life and has trekked and climbed in most of the great mountain ranges on the planet. Craig is an experienced and dynamic lecturer who specializes in placing local and regional events and material cultures into the broader context of Inner Eurasian history.