Before Civilization: The Radiocarbon Revolution And Prehistoric Europe
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good to fair. Jacket: good, worn/faded (refer to image). Page Condition: Good - possible tanning. Markings: possible previous owner inscription.
Long before the pyramids rose from the Egyptian sands, prehistoric Europe was home to megalithic monuments, complex societies, and sophisticated cultures that predate the civilizations of the ancient Near East by millennia — a truth that Colin Renfrew's groundbreaking work brings into startling focus. Before Civilization chronicles the seismic shift in our understanding of European prehistory triggered by the radiocarbon revolution, a scientific breakthrough that dismantled the long-held theory of cultural diffusion — the assumption that all great advances in prehistoric Europe were borrowed from the more advanced East. Renfrew presents the compelling case that prehistoric Europeans were independent innovators, builders, and thinkers in their own right, with Stonehenge and the megalithic tombs of Western Europe predating their supposed Eastern inspirations by centuries. A titan of archaeological scholarship, Renfrew writes with the authority of a scientist and the clarity of a master communicator, making dense chronological argument accessible without sacrificing intellectual rigor. The work stands as a landmark text in the history of archaeology, fundamentally reshaping how scholars interpret the prehistoric past and challenging readers to reconsider the very roots of Western civilization. For anyone who has ever gazed upon a standing stone and wondered who built it — and why — this book offers the most compelling answer yet found.
Author: Colin Renfrew
Format: Hardback
Genre: Ancient history
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good to fair. Jacket: good, worn/faded (refer to image). Page Condition: Good - possible tanning. Markings: possible previous owner inscription.
Long before the pyramids rose from the Egyptian sands, prehistoric Europe was home to megalithic monuments, complex societies, and sophisticated cultures that predate the civilizations of the ancient Near East by millennia — a truth that Colin Renfrew's groundbreaking work brings into startling focus. Before Civilization chronicles the seismic shift in our understanding of European prehistory triggered by the radiocarbon revolution, a scientific breakthrough that dismantled the long-held theory of cultural diffusion — the assumption that all great advances in prehistoric Europe were borrowed from the more advanced East. Renfrew presents the compelling case that prehistoric Europeans were independent innovators, builders, and thinkers in their own right, with Stonehenge and the megalithic tombs of Western Europe predating their supposed Eastern inspirations by centuries. A titan of archaeological scholarship, Renfrew writes with the authority of a scientist and the clarity of a master communicator, making dense chronological argument accessible without sacrificing intellectual rigor. The work stands as a landmark text in the history of archaeology, fundamentally reshaping how scholars interpret the prehistoric past and challenging readers to reconsider the very roots of Western civilization. For anyone who has ever gazed upon a standing stone and wondered who built it — and why — this book offers the most compelling answer yet found.