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Blackwell History of the World
The Origins of Human Society
The Origins of Human Society traces the development of human culture from its origins over 2 million years ago to the emergence of literate civilization. In addition to a global coverage of prehistoric life, the book pays specific attention to the origins and dispersal of anatomically-modern humans, the development of symbolic expression, the transition from mobile foraging bands to sedentary households, early agriculture and its consequences, the emergence of social differentiation and hereditary ranking, and the prehistoric roots of ancient states and empires.
The Blackwell History of the World Series The goal of this ambitious series is to provide an accessible source of knowledge about the entire human past, for every curious person in every part of the world. It will comprise some two dozen volumes, of which some provide synoptic views of the history of particular regions while others consider the world as a whole during a particular period of time. The volumes are narrative in form, giving balanced attention to social and cultural history (in the broadest sense) as well as to institutional development and political change. Each provides a systematic account of a very large subject, but they are also both imaginative and interpretative. The Series is intended to be accessible to the widest possible readership, and the accessibility of its volumes is matched by the style of presentation and production.
The Blackwell History of the World Series The goal of this ambitious series is to provide an accessible source of knowledge about the entire human past, for every curious person in every part of the world. It will comprise some two dozen volumes, of which some provide synoptic views of the history of particular regions while others consider the world as a whole during a particular period of time. The volumes are narrative in form, giving balanced attention to social and cultural history (in the broadest sense) as well as to institutional development and political change. Each provides a systematic account of a very large subject, but they are also both imaginative and interpretative. The Series is intended to be accessible to the widest possible readership, and the accessibility of its volumes is matched by the style of presentation and production.
496 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 19, 2021
Though published in 1999, this book is still very much worth reading for those who want to understand what archaeology is and how it has explored human prehistory. He explicitly articulates the conceptual frameworks by which archaeologists conduct their their studies, which is extremely helpful for readers coming from other disciplines. Bogucki reckons with how many (most?) archaeologists regard their subjects of study as cultures that respond and adapt to changes that are largely outside their direct control (for instance, climate changes). From this vantage point, human are largely reactive creatures, pushed to change by the drumbeat of earth's natural history. Bogucki pushed back and asks us to consider that while external forces certainly bear on human decision making, some changes are a result of the imagination, desires, and goals of the humans themselves. A full understanding of human history must consider both the external and internal circumstances of a given people.
Regarding the pivotal transition of humans from mobile to sedentary, Bogucki thinks it is insufficient to posit that propitious climate and subsequent population growth after the last ice age was sufficient to push people to become full-time sedentary agriculturalists. He thinks that certain social features must have come come into existence for people to "want" to do the hard work of intensive farming. He proposes that a shift in the primary social unit from "bands" to "proto-households", made possible by the domestic architecture of early settlements, may have led to the transformation. Settlement is separate from plant and animal domestication, and for Bogucki, settlement created a new social structure in which it made the arduous labor of agriculture an attractive option.
I find this to be an intriguing hypothesis, and I'm curious what the last 20 years of archeological research has born out to support or undercut this interpretation. It also makes me think that settlement had probably been tried many times before, as had agriculture, but it didn't stick until the Neolithic in which there was a unique combination of natural and social factors in a few discrete places on the earth. Once it developed to a certain degree, it became an unstoppable force. Over time, foraging societies would have to adapt or give way to the agriculturalists.
Regarding the pivotal transition of humans from mobile to sedentary, Bogucki thinks it is insufficient to posit that propitious climate and subsequent population growth after the last ice age was sufficient to push people to become full-time sedentary agriculturalists. He thinks that certain social features must have come come into existence for people to "want" to do the hard work of intensive farming. He proposes that a shift in the primary social unit from "bands" to "proto-households", made possible by the domestic architecture of early settlements, may have led to the transformation. Settlement is separate from plant and animal domestication, and for Bogucki, settlement created a new social structure in which it made the arduous labor of agriculture an attractive option.
I find this to be an intriguing hypothesis, and I'm curious what the last 20 years of archeological research has born out to support or undercut this interpretation. It also makes me think that settlement had probably been tried many times before, as had agriculture, but it didn't stick until the Neolithic in which there was a unique combination of natural and social factors in a few discrete places on the earth. Once it developed to a certain degree, it became an unstoppable force. Over time, foraging societies would have to adapt or give way to the agriculturalists.
December 29, 2023
Whether you like this book will depend on why you pick it up. This book details the emergence of homo sapiens and what can be told of their/our development through prehistory. Bogucki also explains how we know what we know; in other words, how archeology is pushed as a discipline. However, the book does read like the textbook it basically is. If you are after the information, you won't be disappointed. If you are after great prose, you won't be satisfied.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews