As human beings, our bodies tell of our past as forest and savanna-dwelling primates. However, when living in a modern, industrial society, some of us spend an astonishingly small part of our lives in natural settings, and most of us do so only on weekends for leisure. How did this state come about? One of the most important steps in this direction was the neolithic revolution, the change of human lifestyle away from hunter-gathering towards farming, domesticating plants and animals and living in permanent settlements. How this change came about is the topic of Steven Mithen's book.
In science, there are proven facts and educated speculation. No one can say for sure how the inhabitants of post ice-age Europe acted when they sat around their campfires and how they spent their days. There is, however, archaeological evidence which can allow us educated guesses. Mithen uses a hypothetical time-traveler in order to narrate his educated guesses. He names this time-traveler "John Lubbock", after the Victorian scientists and progressive member of parliament who authored an early book on prehistory. This makes Mithen's book quite entertaining and readable, while it is academically sound at the same time. I can't judge how complete and up-to date his review of meso- and neolithic archeology is, but he makes sure to give room to the arguments of both sides in the case of controversies before he presents his own conclusion on the matter. The book covers the preceding mesolithic times and the neolithic revolution in the middle East, Europe, Asia, greater Australia and Africa. The development, or lack thereof, of agricultural civilizations followed a unique course in all of these places. Sedentaryness, plant and animal domestication and farming did not always occur coincidentally and were by no means irreversible processes. Climate changes were always very important in determining which human lifestyles were possible. With this in mind, Mithen warns of the likely consequences of our current, man-made increase in global temperature.
We are usually first presented with hard evidence from archaeological digs, such as the bones, tools and food scraps found. Then, he lets Lubbock hike around the area at the time of the lives of the people who left these remains. Often Lubbock joins the neolithic men for a meal or an evening around a campfire and observes their health, eating habits and cults. Mithen believes, rightfully so, that archeology should be more than a cataloging of the items found at a site, but a multi-disciplinary attempt at reconstructing early man's life. He describes a lot of fascinating multi-disciplinary science, with archaeologists cooperating with biologists and geologists, in order to gain answers about the biotic and abiotic environment of meso- and neolithic times. He also takes the time to describe what the area where the prehistoric settlements were found looks like, what it feels like to hike around there and how the view enthralled him and likely impressed prehistoric man as well.
Two issues I found particularly interesting: One is the human role in the extinction of large land-mammals such as mammoths - Mithen thinks that although we did not barbecue every single one of them, human hunting together with worsening environmental conditions lead to their demise. The other is the human settlement of the Americas - Mithen first introduces the reader to the Clovis culture and after carefully surveying the evidence concludes that the Clovis people were in fact not the first Americans.
An intellectually enjoyable description of a fascinating and important area at the doorstep of historic times!
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