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A review by ashlle1
They Were Here Before Us: Stories from the First Million Years by Eyal Halfon, Ran Barkai
4.0
3.5 stars rounded to 4.
"They Were Here Before Us" takes a look at human evolution through the lens of several different archaeological sites, emphasizing the skill, intelligence, community, and humanity of our ancient ancestors. Hand axes, elephants, rock quarrying - clever prehistoric humans had their fingers in all of it.
The book is written in friendly everyday language, making this one very approachable for the non-science reader; it also appears well-referenced for anyone interested in diving deeper into the primary sources. Readers who regularly watch the PBS series NOVA or other similar archaeological television will find this book to be familiar ground.
As another reviewer noted, this book appears to have been translated from the original Hebrew, so the localization of the political/historical references may be unfamiliar for some readers. Additionally, I felt like many of the individuals discussed blended together, and would've liked to see more distinctions established between the main "characters". Though a few images were included, the addition of even more visual elements throughout would go far in improving the connection readers feel with the story.
Overall, "They Were Here Before Us" was an enjoyable read for anyone interested in a the story of human evolution, and contains something new for even the most well-learned couch archaeologist to read and discover.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for honest review.
"They Were Here Before Us" takes a look at human evolution through the lens of several different archaeological sites, emphasizing the skill, intelligence, community, and humanity of our ancient ancestors. Hand axes, elephants, rock quarrying - clever prehistoric humans had their fingers in all of it.
The book is written in friendly everyday language, making this one very approachable for the non-science reader; it also appears well-referenced for anyone interested in diving deeper into the primary sources. Readers who regularly watch the PBS series NOVA or other similar archaeological television will find this book to be familiar ground.
As another reviewer noted, this book appears to have been translated from the original Hebrew, so the localization of the political/historical references may be unfamiliar for some readers. Additionally, I felt like many of the individuals discussed blended together, and would've liked to see more distinctions established between the main "characters". Though a few images were included, the addition of even more visual elements throughout would go far in improving the connection readers feel with the story.
Overall, "They Were Here Before Us" was an enjoyable read for anyone interested in a the story of human evolution, and contains something new for even the most well-learned couch archaeologist to read and discover.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for honest review.