After the Ice: A Global Human History, 20,000-5000 BC

I SO enjoyed reading this book that when it ended, I proceeded to read his detailed footnotes (and continued to take notes!). This is an around-the-world story that takes place as the ice sheets melted. It puts you as an eye-witness to cultures from north of the Arctic Circle to Tasmania. A truly wonderful story--and--it really happened! After this book, I quickly searched for any others he has written, because he is now my favorite author!

You have to give credit to a book that promises in its title to cover 15, 000 years and to do so globally and then delivers on its promise. After the Ice does just that. Skipping from continent to continent, archaeological site to archaeological site, time period to time period, Mithen presents the reader with an eminently readable, understandable overview of human prehistory from the end of the last great ice age to just before the start of the large civilizations. Mithen offers as a guide a fictional guide named after John Lubbock, an English scientist and author of a 19th century history of the Paleolithic/Neolithic eras (terms he coined himself). This version of Lubbock joins in with his human ancestors as they build shelters, hunt, harvest, etc. While this may seem a bit too gimmicky, it mostly works, only falling into the overly cute on rare occasion. Through Lubbock we get a much more full sense of life in those times, "sense" in the literal meaning of the word as well as we see interior decorations, smell human refuse, taste pre-domesticated grains, and so on. Mithen is always aboveboard on what is speculation and what is not as he moves from these narrative descriptions to the more academic "fact-based" descriptions of the excavations that were their sources. Mithen does an excellent job of conveying what the sites reveal in sharp yet concise details, as well as what it's like to actually work such a site. This is no dry recitation of numbers. From a few specific digs he generalizes outward to larger discussion of human development at the time. And though the book is sectioned by continent and within those sections by time period, he is always careful to place new discussions in the context of what the reader has already read, so the details rather than simply piling up mesh neatly into a more comprehensive whole. With his use of Lubbock, he's also able to show us how our views toward prehistory have changed in the past hundred plus years and why. The book is quite up to date, discussing finds from the 90's as well as the use of the most modern technology, so one is never left with the nagging feeling (as happens sometimes with other science popularizations) of "yeah, but is this still true based on what they've found lately?" Mithen also covers the more controversial debates fairly, presenting all views and only sometimes taking sides, and even in those cases doing so modestly. It's hard to imagine a better job being done of this. The book moves along at a good pace, knows when to stop, meshes narrative and fact seamlessly, clearly and concisely explains the material, makes the topic and the means of discovering the topic not just interesting but exciting. Strongly recommended for anyone with an interest in the area.

Various methods are being applied to popularise what science has discovered about Nature, particularly our nature. Paleontologist Steven Mithen utilises a favourite technique of SciFi - time travel - to explain how our ancestors once lived. Although this might be a risky method in the hands of someone less talented, Mithen carries it well as he takes us on a global journey. From Western, Southern and Eastern Asia, through Africa, Europe and the Americas and Australia, he introduces us to the daily activities of those people who moved across the planet as the glaciers retreated. While that sounds highly speculative, Mithen's method is a way of introducing us to the numerous dig sites prehistoric scholars have found and analysed. The evidence for his depictions is laid out and the interpretations arising from the data is carefully presented. Mithen isn't our guide in this tour. He assigns that task to a figure named for a contemporary of Charles Darwin. "Victorian John Lubbock", as Mithen dubs him, wrote one of the earliest paleoanthropological works, "Prehistoric Times" - an attempt to describe what our ancestors were like. Lubbock coined the terms "Palaeolithic" and "Neolithic" to give order to a chaotic scene. In this account, the Time Traveller refers to his namesake's publication for comparison of what has been revealed today by Mithen's digging colleagues. What did your ancestors do during the day? What challenges did they face and how did they overcome them? Time Traveller Lubbock tries to impart these questions and their answers with distant observation and active participation alike. The method, when the releaved evidence is explained, proves an excellent balance. You are there at the time of events and alongside the archaeologists as they sift through artefacts thousands of years old. Human prehistory is probably science's most contentious field. For years, the story of how and when the Western Hemisphere was populated has been a simmering issue. Mithen, although giving passing attention to the "Clovis debate" and other questions relating to the human invasion of the America's, gently disentangles himself from the specifics. Instead, he focusses on how the environment affected the way in which societies formed here. This isn't just an evasion tactic. Mithen is more concerned with how humanity solved various problems facing them as they settled in uncontested lands. What adds to our interest is the comparison of such elements as the domesticating grains and animals here with that of Western Asian populations. Mithen meticulously describes how the genetic patterns of grains and animals alike were changed by human intervention. It's easy to admit to a sense of wonder at reading this book. The scope is vast, fifteen thousand years of time and the entire globe. That one author could accomplish this feat is at least admirable, if not astonishing. Yet, Mithen's own sense of awe is clearly evident, if not infectious. He's not a classroom-boun

This books succeeds on three fronts. First it provides a detailed account of what is known (and importantly HOW it is known) about human prehistory 20 - 5Kyrs ago, second it provides an interesting accound of how our ideas of prehistory have changed during the last century and finally it gives an interesting glimpse into the world of modern archeology (and a miriad of scientific disputes within the field). Even if I was not interested in the subject matter, I would still find it interesting from a science history perspective. Of course the subject matter is fascinating (otherwise I would not have bought it). Its a book that covers many different "stories". Among my favorites are the influence of the Younger Dryas on the emergence of settlements in the Middle East, and (at last! ) a plausible explanation for the megafaunal extinctions in N.America. One thing I especially like is that the author sticks to the facts, and tries to keep his own opinions from dominating the discussion. This way I can draw my own conclusions. The author discusses one region at a time, and as a consequence the reader finds himself jumping back and forth in time, which can be confusing. Here, a detailed graph with timeline of main "events" covered would have been a real bonus. This is one of those books that once read will remain close at hand for use as a reference. It is a book you can learn from. Reading it will leave you in awe that our ancestors managed to survive and (often) prosper despite what to me seems incredible hardship. It also left me with a strong impression of what an amazing species we all belong to.

I found this book in the University of Glasgow library for a paper I was writing on the complexity of early ceramic cultures (Jomon and Eastern Sahara). At first glance, it looked intriguing. At a closer look, it was simply stunning. Simple, yet elegant narrative pulls you into archaeological reference. All his facts are backed up in a smart, organized way - and better yet, are not suggested to be the ONLY thing to think. If any book could so artfully show middle-range theory and analogy in an almost novel-like read, it is this one. Mithen has blown me away.