Life As Told by a Sapiens to a Neanderthal
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Prehistory is all around us. We just need to know where to look.
Juan José Millás has always felt like he doesn’t quite fit into human society. Sometimes he wonders if he is even a Homo sapiens at all, or something simpler. Perhaps he is a Neanderthal who somehow survived? So he turns to Juan Luis Arsuaga, one of the world’s leading palaeontologists and a super-smart sapiens, to explain why we are the way we are and where we come from.
Over the course of many months, the two visit different places, many of them common scenes of our daily lives, and others unique archaeological sites. Arsuaga tries to teach the Neanderthal how to think like a sapiens and, above all, that prehistory is not a thing of the past: that traces of humanity through the millennia can be found anywhere, from a cave or a landscape to a children’s playground or a toy shop.
Millás and Arsuaga invite you on a journey of wonder which unites scientific discovery with the greatest human invention of all: the art of storytelling.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Novelist Millás (From the Shadows) and paleontologist Arsuaga combine forces in this introspective and playful exploration of human prehistory and evolution. Millás, the "Neanderthal" of the title, provides the humor, scene-setting, and wordplay, while "Sapiens" Arsuaga, the director of the Museum of Human Evolution, details such complex evolutionary concepts as bipedal locomotion, dietary adaptation, domestication, and social complexity. On their travels through Spain, the pair uncover living connections between past and present and explore what defines humanity. A trip to a Madrid playground, for example, leads to a discussion of 16th-century anatomist Andreas Vesalius and the "utter marvel that is bipedalism," while a visit to see a 14,000-year-old cave painting reveals how "clever" and "incredibly vain" prehistoric humans were: "They spent the whole day painting their bodies, decorating themselves to look good," says Arsuaga. "To my mind, this represents a collective mood; if people are depressed, they let themselves go." Attention is also paid to local cuisine and landmarks, adding to the book's travelogue feel. Erudite yet fun, this is an illuminating trip into the past.
