Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Yale University Press (2008), Hardcover, 480 pages
Description
By the fifteenth century Europe was a driving world force, but the origins of its success have until now remained obscured in prehistory. In this book, distinguished archaeologist Barry Cunliffe views Europe not in terms of states and shifting political land boundaries but as a geographical niche particularly favored in facing many seas. These seas, and Europe's great transpeninsular rivers, ensured a rich diversity of natural resources while also encouraging the dynamic interaction of peoples across networks of communication and exchange. The development of these early Europeans is rooted in complex interplays, shifting balances, and geographic and demographic fluidity.
User reviews
LibraryThing member drneutron
Early European history is a hobby of mine, and the period from 9000 BCE to about 1000 BCE is one of my favorite periods to learn about. Cunliffe's Europe Between The Oceans offers a good introduction to Europe and the Mediterranean regions of Africa and Asia Minor, not so much in the historical
So what did I get out of this? First, that Europe was much more connected earlier than I thought. The record clearly indicates that people traveled and that goods were traded from the very start and that this flow affected nearly every culture and group. Also, people seem to have many of the same motivators today that they had then - exploration, prestige and influence over others, the desire to improve their situation for example. and how population and food production drove much of the push into new territories and much of the technological innovation.
All in all, this is a pretty good book. It's at what I consider an introductory level - which means that it's well outside my areas of expertise and I was still able to follow just fine. I did get a little mixed up with the dating terminology and some of the cultural names, but Cunliffe was able to keep me straight. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to get a sense of the state of the art in European archaeological thinking.
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sense of studying individuals and particular events, but on a grander scale. The role of geography and climate, the mass movements of people and goods, and adaptations of cultures as they learned from others are the themes here. I especially liked the many maps showing pretty much every aspect of Cunliffe's discussion, especially distribution of archaeological finds, etc.So what did I get out of this? First, that Europe was much more connected earlier than I thought. The record clearly indicates that people traveled and that goods were traded from the very start and that this flow affected nearly every culture and group. Also, people seem to have many of the same motivators today that they had then - exploration, prestige and influence over others, the desire to improve their situation for example. and how population and food production drove much of the push into new territories and much of the technological innovation.
All in all, this is a pretty good book. It's at what I consider an introductory level - which means that it's well outside my areas of expertise and I was still able to follow just fine. I did get a little mixed up with the dating terminology and some of the cultural names, but Cunliffe was able to keep me straight. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to get a sense of the state of the art in European archaeological thinking.
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LibraryThing member Stbalbach
I'm not an expert on prehistory but for the layman this is probably the definitive book on European history from 10,000 BC to about 2,000 BC. It's a period I knew almost nothing about, and even thought there wasn't much to know. The Germanic "barbarians" before the Romans were a mystery that was
Cunlife looks at big common themes reoccurring through the millennium driven by geography, themes as common today as they were in 6000 BC, and will be in the future. The different zones of culture, the axis of communication and movement of goods (north-south and east-west), the axis of movements of people. Rivers and mountains, oceans and peninsula's carve and divide Europe, along and around which flow people and goods, creating cognitive geographies that further shape culture.
As I was nearing the end of the book, events felt strangely repetitive. By the time written history begins, the patterns of the modern world had already solidified. This perspective is very different from the traditional view of early history as the "new" and beginning, not towards the end of something larger that came before. The book opens new perspectives on the development of civilization in Europe. A wonderful book that has greatly peaked my interest in the "prehistory" of Europe, but also changed my perspective on Europe as a whole.
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forever lost. But the amount of detail we know through archaeological evidence is amazing, it's not at all a dark period, it's a huge stretch of history that is beginning to open up and become more clear.Cunlife looks at big common themes reoccurring through the millennium driven by geography, themes as common today as they were in 6000 BC, and will be in the future. The different zones of culture, the axis of communication and movement of goods (north-south and east-west), the axis of movements of people. Rivers and mountains, oceans and peninsula's carve and divide Europe, along and around which flow people and goods, creating cognitive geographies that further shape culture.
As I was nearing the end of the book, events felt strangely repetitive. By the time written history begins, the patterns of the modern world had already solidified. This perspective is very different from the traditional view of early history as the "new" and beginning, not towards the end of something larger that came before. The book opens new perspectives on the development of civilization in Europe. A wonderful book that has greatly peaked my interest in the "prehistory" of Europe, but also changed my perspective on Europe as a whole.
Show Less
LibraryThing member stillatim
I'm glad this book exists--it fills a much unwanted gap, inasmuch as it's a reasonably approachable introduction to prehistoric Europe and the way it developed into historical Europe. For the first few chapters I was riveted. For the middle half dozen, I was aflame with the thirst for knowledge:
Perversely, once he gets to the 'easy' stuff (i.e., the Greeks and after), the book becomes as insipid as dishwater. I suppose if you know nothing about ancient, late ancient and early medieval Europe you'll learn a few things, but it's hard to believe that anyone would pick this up unless they knew something about early historical periods. All the interesting stuff is replaced by thumbnail sketches of battles and kings and so on, which is all well and good, but much better done by others. Had Cunliffe stuck to prehistory, this would have been amazing. As it is, the last quarter is a real let down.
Also, if you're going to orient everything to rivers, you should include an easily accessible map that plainly names all of those rivers. It's my fault for not knowing the geography of Europe well enough, I suppose, but it's still frustrating to be told that so and so did such and such at between the Danube and Don and to have literally no idea what that might mean.
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Cunliffe describes thousands of years worth of broad historical trends in a fascinating way, never downplaying the difficulty of actually knowing about the distant past, and somehow manages to make archaeology-based economic history fascinating. Perversely, once he gets to the 'easy' stuff (i.e., the Greeks and after), the book becomes as insipid as dishwater. I suppose if you know nothing about ancient, late ancient and early medieval Europe you'll learn a few things, but it's hard to believe that anyone would pick this up unless they knew something about early historical periods. All the interesting stuff is replaced by thumbnail sketches of battles and kings and so on, which is all well and good, but much better done by others. Had Cunliffe stuck to prehistory, this would have been amazing. As it is, the last quarter is a real let down.
Also, if you're going to orient everything to rivers, you should include an easily accessible map that plainly names all of those rivers. It's my fault for not knowing the geography of Europe well enough, I suppose, but it's still frustrating to be told that so and so did such and such at between the Danube and Don and to have literally no idea what that might mean.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ben_h
Cunliffe does geographical anthropology, looking at how land and water shaped European civilization. Fascinating, and definitely accessible to the non-specialist (e.g., me).
LibraryThing member yarb
This is an excellent overview of European cultural movements from 10,000 BCE to 1,000 CE. I don't know much about ancient history but to my ear, at least, this book didn't seem to push any particular agenda or theory to the exclusion of others. The author of course has a position wherever the facts
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(or their interpretation) are in doubt but he's not evangelical. The maps, charts and illustrations are really well thought out and the narrative is well balanced geographically and across time periods. The slightly awkward title doesn't really do justice to Cunliffe's steady emphasis of geography - coasts, rivers and mountains - as the driver of many of the major twists in the European story. The other constant factor is trade, and what surprised me most was the evidence for wide-ranging trade contacts and networks throughout European prehistory, the Vikings hardly being more active in this regard than their forebears of ten millenia earlier. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
PROSE Award (Winner — 2008)
Language
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
480 p.; 9.8 inches
ISBN
0300119232 / 9780300119237
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