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12th out of 187 books
—
59 voters
After the Ice: A Global Human History 20,000-5000 BC
20,000 B.C., the peak of the last ice age--the atmosphere is heavy with dust, deserts, and glaciers span vast regions, and people, if they survive at all, exist in small, mobile groups, facing the threat of extinction.
But these people live on the brink of seismic change--10,000 years of climate shifts culminating in abrupt global warming that will usher in a fundamentally...more
But these people live on the brink of seismic change--10,000 years of climate shifts culminating in abrupt global warming that will usher in a fundamentally...more
Paperback, 622 pages
Published
April 1st 2006
by Harvard University Press
(first published 2003)
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102nd out of 104 books
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17 voters
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Review of hardback edition, originally published on my blog here in October 2004.
In the last few years, the understanding that professional archaeologists have of life in the prehistoric world has advanced rapidly, but the new ideas have generally been quite slow to filter through to the level of the interested amateur, apart from the odd newspaper article when a particularly sensational story has been unearthed, such as the disproving of the "Clovis first" theory about the earliest inhabitants...more
In the last few years, the understanding that professional archaeologists have of life in the prehistoric world has advanced rapidly, but the new ideas have generally been quite slow to filter through to the level of the interested amateur, apart from the odd newspaper article when a particularly sensational story has been unearthed, such as the disproving of the "Clovis first" theory about the earliest inhabitants...more
An amazing look, and in some ways, seminal look into the very earliest parts of human history. Mithen's work is oddly presented in the form of a journey through time by a fictional character, but the meat of the scholarship is found in the author-asides that explain how the fictional scenes were extrapolated from the very real archaeological evidence from the various sites. The book is daring in its scale, not many authors would be brave enough to try and cover fifteen thousand years of history...more
This book could have been far better than it turned out. The topic is hugely interesting and is constantly in flux, as new archaeological discoveries enter the field of knowledge. But the text is fatally flawed by a few poor decisions.
First among these is the choice to inject a fictional, 20th century, character into the mix, apparently as a way to describe Pleistocene/Holocene society in a relatable fashion. It ends up being incredibly distracting, repetitive, and (for me) a constant reminder...more
First among these is the choice to inject a fictional, 20th century, character into the mix, apparently as a way to describe Pleistocene/Holocene society in a relatable fashion. It ends up being incredibly distracting, repetitive, and (for me) a constant reminder...more
A book that takes you to the time it describes: the European Mesolithic, a period where everything merged: culture, Hunting, gathering and farming, the first ceramics and the cultivation of plants and the taming of animals. A fascinating time in human history and the author is able to give you the impression that you are a part of it.
As an arcaheologist, I got a perfect overview of this period, learning a lot of details even about my own region, South America. And I will never forget the moment...more
As an arcaheologist, I got a perfect overview of this period, learning a lot of details even about my own region, South America. And I will never forget the moment...more
20,000 B.C., the peak of the last ice age--the atmosphere is heavy with dust, deserts, and glaciers span vast regions, and people, if they survive at all, exist in small, mobile groups, facing the threat of extinction.
But these people live on the brink of seismic change--10,000 years of climate shifts culminating in abrupt global warming that will usher in a fundamentally changed human world. "After the Ice" is the story of this momentous period--one in which a seemingly minor alteration in temp...more
But these people live on the brink of seismic change--10,000 years of climate shifts culminating in abrupt global warming that will usher in a fundamentally changed human world. "After the Ice" is the story of this momentous period--one in which a seemingly minor alteration in temp...more
This is a great book! It covers the period of between 20,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE all over the world. The author uses stories of individuals to give life to the artifacts that have been found. He takes you around the world and you really get a feel for the commonalities and yet beautiful uniqueness of the cultures visited. This book is very well researched and at the end of each story the author goes over the artifacts and explains in layman's terms the detail over each one. This would be a fantast...more
Not what I was looking for: instead of list of events, causes and effects it sounds as an attempt to write fiction story somewhat supported by archeological findings, but assumptions scream at you. Very annoying.
The facts are interesting, extensive time coverage - I like it, but in form of one hundred pages summary without drifting out all the time.
Real pity, not many books cover such period range at advanced level, beyond oversimplifying for popularization and being overly scholarly for speci...more
The facts are interesting, extensive time coverage - I like it, but in form of one hundred pages summary without drifting out all the time.
Real pity, not many books cover such period range at advanced level, beyond oversimplifying for popularization and being overly scholarly for speci...more
I must admit that when I first started reading this book I was put off by the manner in which Mithen provided information. The insertion of a fictional character with the same name as a Victorian age author who published a book about early archeology and sociology was hard to place within the well-researched and insightful history. Even now I find myself tempted to discuss this abstraction rather than the meat of the book, though I must admit that it accomplishes his desire to both show how view...more
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This is Mithen at his very best! I would say that "After the Ice" is rather an encyclopedia than a book, particularly if one also studies the many pages of endnotes.
We travel with Mithen and and the invisible John Lubbock who only shares the name with the real Victorian John Lubbock around the world and witness the great changes that occurred from the last glacial maximum of c. 20,000 BCE with perhaps a world population of about one million and the soon following dramatic climatic fluctuations...more
We travel with Mithen and and the invisible John Lubbock who only shares the name with the real Victorian John Lubbock around the world and witness the great changes that occurred from the last glacial maximum of c. 20,000 BCE with perhaps a world population of about one million and the soon following dramatic climatic fluctuations...more
Interesting information (how climatic pressure as the last ice age receded affected human development), but not good reading. Withen puts an invisible modern man at the various archeological sites to observe the then-action that paleoanthropologists hypothesize from whatever remains after 20000 years (phytoliths: people are clever). To flesh out humanity from charcoal, pollen, and stone flakes is a fine idea but Mithen fumbles the narrative technique. Jared Diamond he is not.
Published in 2003, this book covers the period from 20,000-5,000 BCE. Mithen uses a device of "taking" a man modelled on "John Lubbock, namesafe of the great Victorian polymath and author of Prehistoric Times,"
back through the sites he wrote about earlier. Mithen describes each of these sites and historical developments across sites from current day archeological, paleontological, genetics, geological, botanical, etc., tools and discoveries. I learned a good bit through the device, but would h...more
back through the sites he wrote about earlier. Mithen describes each of these sites and historical developments across sites from current day archeological, paleontological, genetics, geological, botanical, etc., tools and discoveries. I learned a good bit through the device, but would h...more
Fascinating book, sweeping in scope, well worth reading. Lubbock didn't feel gimmicky, even though he sometimes was. The balance between human narrative and archaeological discovery was well-struck, though I might have preferred a stronger lean toward the former. Covers some of the same ground as Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies but looks more for details than general trends. A good base for figuring out which prehistorical societies are most interesting. Wealth of story idea...more
Read most of this book a few months ago but just finished it. The interruption was not due to lack of interest; it's a good read. Draws on archaeology, paleoanthropology, population genetics, and climatology to paint a picture of the emergence of early modern human cultures around the world in the wake of the last glaciation.
Mithen ties the far-ranging story together with an unusual device: an imaginary time-and-space traveling scientist named John Lubbock, a descendant of the Victorian of the...more
Mithen ties the far-ranging story together with an unusual device: an imaginary time-and-space traveling scientist named John Lubbock, a descendant of the Victorian of the...more
I typically like this type of book - perhaps dry to others- but not this one. I am still trying to figure out the author's motive in creating the time traveler who goes back in time to experience BC life. It made the book twice as long as it should have been and added NOTHING to an otherwise interesting treatment of how archeaologists know what they know about pre-recorded history.
Habia leido muy poco de esta parte de nuestra historia, asi que ha sido muy instructivo. Mihen describe la historia valiendose de un explorador virtual, por lo cual el relato se hace ameno y el libro que es ambicioso por los tiempos y la geografia que trata, no se hace pesado.
Como es que pasamos de ser cazadores nomadas a agricultores sedentarios ?, como afecto la vida en Europa la ultima glaciación ?, como podemos saber como fue el clima y la vida en esa epoca ?, porque murio la megafauna que e...more
Como es que pasamos de ser cazadores nomadas a agricultores sedentarios ?, como afecto la vida en Europa la ultima glaciación ?, como podemos saber como fue el clima y la vida en esa epoca ?, porque murio la megafauna que e...more
An outstanding evocation of the variety of ice-age life and settlement, based on facts but with many informed and imaginative reconstructions. The scientific need to go through every example does sometimes pall the pleasure of reading for the reader, but in general the bulk of this is a fascinating tour through the human ice-age. Unique, and worth reading.
Unusual approach to communicating a sense of wonder and curiosity about the generations that came and went before recorded history - the author balances descriptions of past cultures around the world in the period following the last glacial maximum as witnessed by a time traveling alter-ego with detailed explanations of the archaeological evidence underlying the vignettes. Surprisingly readable given the depth of the scientific research he covers, and the breadth - human activity on every inhabi...more
One thing about this book i find odd is a fictional character called John Lubbock, named after a real person, who 'visits' each of the archeological sites. There's some speculation about what this "John" actually observes, since Mithen doesn't have a time machine to actually see it. I don't know if I really like this device, sometimes it's nice, but at the same time, I'm thinking, this is pure speculation, Mithen doesn't actually know, and it kinda unnecessarily taints the description of each si...more
Kind of dry. I was hoping there would be more known about lifestyles and culture. Really is only archaeological info though
A superbly constructed excursion into humanity's Neolithic past. Mithen, an archaeologist, uses an unusual narrative device, a first person omniscient point of view, to convey a more or less direct impression of the worldwide human odyssey from 20k to 5k BC. Much attention is given to the influence of climate change in the development of culture. I came away with the impression that we are still very much adventurerous hunter-gatherers in mind and spirit. If there is a weakness in the narrative,...more
This a very good story of the development of the human race from 20,000 years ago at the peak of ice age.
This is a fantastic account of early homo sapien history starting with the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) 20,000 BCE progressing through to 5,000 BCE. The author creates a fictional modern man who wanders the globe during the time span noted above "observing" humanity and its early progression from nomadic hunter/gatherers to early civilization and villages and back to the nomadic wanderers as the planets climate swings back and forth and humanity learns to domesticate crops and animals....more
This a particularly informative history of humanity before history really began. The author uses an interesting conceit to tell his story--transporting a modern human through time to observe the people he's writing about. This can be a little jarring at times, particularly whenever he steals a canoe he just happens upon. I really lost track of how many canoes he stole from the people he was studying. Otherwise, it is an effective tactic for telling the reader what the archeology says.
This book contained a pretty thorough review of archaeological sites dating between 20,000 and 5,000 B.C., but I was very glad when I actually reached the end of the book and was able to move onto something else. The book would have been much more engaging if the author simply told the tale of human history and our archaeological evidence of human history from 20,000 B.C. to 5,000 B.C. in chronological order instead of beginning the story anew with each continent.
I really want this book now, because reading it once is not reading at all because of the amount of information that is very interesting to me. I think the most fun I had with Pushkari - who lived on territory of Ukraine when I was born.
A staggering work, exploring humanity from the end of the ice age to the beginning of recorded history. Fascinating, absorbing, tremendously ambitious... Overall, Mithen succeeds, but the book is really too heavy, ponderous, over-reaching in its onslaught of information, as well as overly given to conjecturing in the author's fanciful written reconstruction of prehistoric life at various locations. Read this book, but take it with a grain of salt.
I enjoyed this book, although after about 30 or 40 archeological sites (each chapter discusses a particular site) it got a little tiresome reading about yet another lithic site.
I liked the use of having an imaginary vistor witness the site as it was in the past. It was a nice way to envision the site. Something that you don't always get from just reading what was found.
I liked the use of having an imaginary vistor witness the site as it was in the past. It was a nice way to envision the site. Something that you don't always get from just reading what was found.
I just could not get into this book. Which is sad; it seemed like it would be very interesting. Maybe I'll pick it up again in the future, when my head is in the right place to read it.
This is a sweeping overview of the latest ideas and former ideas that archeologists have held about pre-history and human habitation of the globe. Very entertaining and easy to read.
Feb 26, 2008
Surly Sue
is currently reading it
Just started reading...I'll let you know how it goes
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Dec 19, 2012 11:26am