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The Tale of the Axe
How the Neolithic Revolution Transformed Britain
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The Tale of the Axe
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
An ambitious yet accessible account of Britain’s Neolithic Revolution that examines how the early agricultural settlers on our island shaped their landscape – and thus our own.
'A powerful testimony to the value of archaeology in today's world' Brian Fagan
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Description
Focusing on the British Isles, the author explores a period of huge societal change—the Neolithic, or 'New Stone Age'—through the most iconic artefact of its time: the polished stone axe. Using an ancient stone axe-head brought to him by a local quarry worker, the book provides a guide to the revolution that changed the world.
These formidable creations were not only crucial tools that enabled the first farmers to clear the forests but also objects of great symbolic importance, signifying status and power, interwoven with expressions of religion and politics. Mixing anecdote, ethnography, and archaeological analysis, the author vividly demonstrates how the archaeology on the ground reveals the evolving worldview of a species increasingly altering their own landscape; settling down together, investing in agricultural plots, and collectively erecting massive ceremonial monuments to cement new communal identities.
As a direct result of the invention and intensification of agriculture, the planet entered the Anthropocene, or the current 'age of humanity': an era in which we are changing the world around us in significant, accelerating, and often unpredictable ways. As the author poignantly concludes, our ancestors set us on the path to the modern world we live in; now seven billion humans must face the challenges that presents.
The Tale of the Axe is enriched with 76 illustrations, 24 in colour.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The Tale of the Axe is praised for its engaging and colourful writing, offering a richly layered and moving portrait of prehistoric life at a pivotal cultural moment. Reviewers highlight its personable and humane scholarship, alongside the author's amiable style and attention to detail. The book offers thoughtful insights into prehistory, enhancing its appeal even to those outside the scholarly community.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780500293874
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 13 May 2021
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Thames & Hudson Ltd
Illustration: 52 Illustrations, black and white; 24 Illustrations, color
Audience: Tertiary education
DIMENSIONS
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 400g
Pages: 448
About the Author
David Miles was the Director of the Oxford Archaeological Unit for many years, and worked on projects in Britain, France, Greece and the West Indies. In 1999 he became Chief Archaeologist at English Heritage, where he developed a maritime archaeology unit and a project to study the impact of slavery in England. He has written many books on archaeology, particularly on the Roman and Migration periods in Britain, and one on the origins of the British, The Tribes of Britain.
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