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Books : reviews

Steven J. Mithen.
Thoughtful Foragers: a study of prehistoric decision making.
CUP. 1990

Thoughtful foragers is about hunter-gatherer decision making. The author explores the implications of the human mind as a product of biological evolution for the way in which humans solve foraging problems. He draws on studies from ethology, psychology, and ethnography prior to turning his attention to prehistoric hunter-gatherers. He attempts to construct explanations for patterns in the archaeological record by an explicit focus on decision making by individuals. His methodological tools are mathematical modelling and computer simulation, and he draws on a rich source of data – from faunal, lithic, and artistic assemblages. While the archaeological material is from prehistoric Europe, the issues tackled, such as the origins of art and of stratified societies, are of much broader significance. Similarly, the theory and methods may also be applied to other data sets.

Thoughtful foragers will appeal to specialists in European prehistory as well as to those interested in archaeological theory and method. It makes some very significant advances, which will be of real importance for the field of evolutionary theory in relation to human evolution and the evaluation of human social systems.

Steven J. Mithen.
The Prehistory of the Mind: a search for the origins of art, religion and science.
Phoenix. 1996

How do our minds work? When did language and religious beliefs first emerge? Why was there a cultural explosion of art and creativity with the arrival of modern humans? This ground-breaking book brings the insight of archaeology to our understanding of the development and history of the human mind, combining them with ideas from evolutionary psychology in a brilliant and provocative synthesis.

Steven J. Mithen.
Hunter-Gatherer Landscape Archaeology vol.1.
McDonald Institute. 2000

Steven J. Mithen.
Hunter-Gatherer Landscape Archaeology vol.2.
McDonald Institute. 2000

Steven J. Mithen.
After the Ice: a global human history 20,000-5000 BC.
Phoenix. 2003

Steven J. Mithen.
The Singing Neanderthals: the origins of music, language, mind and body.
Phoenix. 2005

Steven J. Mithen.
To the Islands.
Two Ravens Press. 2010

Steven J. Mithen, Emily Black.
Water, Life and Civilisation: climate, environment and society in the Jordan Valley.
CUP. 2011

Water, Life and Civilisation provides a unique inter-disciplinary study of the relationships between climate, hydrology and human society from 20,000 years ago to 100 years into the future. At the heart of the book is a series of case studies that integrate climate and hydrological modelling with palaeoenvironmental and archaeological evidence to generate new insights into the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Classical periods in the Jordan Valley. The volume not only develops our understanding of this most critical region, but provides a new approach and new methods that can be utilised for exploring the relationships between climate, hydrology and human society in arid and semi-arid regions throughout the world.

This volume describes how state-of-the-art models can simulate the past, present and future climates of the Near East, reviews and provides new evidence for environmental change from geological deposits, builds hydrological models for the River Jordan and associated wadis and explains how present-day urban and rural communities manage their water supply. It demonstrates how the theories and methods of meteorology, hydrology, geology, human geography and archaeology can be integrated to generate new insights, not only into the past, from the hunter gatherers of the Pleistocene to classical civilisation, but also into the present and future. As such, it is an invaluable reference for researchers and advanced students concerned with the impacts of climate change and hydrology on human society, especially in the Near East.

Steven J. Mithen.
Thirst: water and power in the ancient world.
Phoenix. 2012

The planet faces a twenty-first-century global water crisis – but to what extent is this really new? Past societies and ancient civilisations have always faced climate change and been dependent on their ability to harness and manage a water supply. This has often been a key driver of historical change, leading to some of the most remarkable engineering projects of antiquity.

In Thirst, renowned archaeologist and prehistorian Steven Mithen examines the history of water management in the ancient world. From the first flushing toilets at Knossos on Minoan Crete to the aqueducts of Petra and the Incas, from the bath houses of Rome to the canals of ancient China and the vast reservoirs of the Khmer and Maya civilisations, water management is shown to have been not only essential for human survival but a source of political power. It will remain so as we face global climate change, population growth and mega-urbanisation on a massive scale. So, does the past give us reason for hope or for despair?

Steven J. Mithen.
Land of the Ilich: journeys into Islay's past.
Origin. 2021

Steven Mithen journeys round the Hebridean island of Islay to historic sites and monuments to tell the story of its people, from the earliest Stone Age hunter gatherers to those who lived in townships and in the grandeur of Islay House. He visits the tombs of Neolithic farmers, forts of Iron Age chiefs and castles of medieval warlords; discovers where Bronze Age gold was found and treacherous plots were made against the Scottish crown. He also explores the island of today, which was forged more recently by those who mined for lead, grew flax, fished for herring and distilled whisky – the industry for which Islay is now best known.

Although an island history, this is far from an insular story: Islay has always been at a cultural crossroads, receiving a constant influx of new people and new ideas, making it a microcosm for the story of Scotland, Britain and beyond.

Based on the latest historical and archaeological research, as well as deep personal experience of Islay, this is an accessible and unique view of the island and its people by one of Britain’s most respected archaeologists.