Historical contact linguistics have a long tradition in the comparative linguistic science. As past human landscapes become increasingly illuminated through new methods and data from ancient genetics and archaeology, it is time to integrate the wealth of information from historical linguistics in a consistent manner. The book introduces the science of historical contact linguistics through the works of a new generation of scholars with rich perspectives from across the world. Through the exploration of several case studies, the volume offers both theoretical and methodological discussion and proposes a framework for the continued exploration of the dynamics of human interaction beyond recorded history.