
Cro-Magnon
How the Ice Age Gave Birth to the First Modern Humans
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Narrated by:
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James Langton
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By:
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Brian Fagan
Best-selling author Brian Fagan brings early humans out of the deep freeze with his trademark mix of erudition, cutting-edge science, and vivid storytelling.
Cro-Magnon reveals human society in its infancy, facing enormous environmental challenges - including a rival species of humans, the Neanderthals. For ten millennia, Cro-Magnons lived side by side with Neanderthals, an encounter that Fagan fills with drama. Using their superior intellects and tools, these ingenious problem solvers survived harsh conditions that eventually extinguished their Neanderthal cousins.
Cro-Magnon captures the indomitable adaptability that has made Homo sapiens an unmatched success as a species. Living on a frozen continent with only the most basic tools, Ice Age humans survived and thrived.
©2010 Brian Fagan (P)2010 TantorListeners also enjoyed...




















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I'm an archaeology geek, didn't know much about this period, and found the topic engrossing. It's popular science writing at its best--clear, interesting, and accessible without being condescending.
The narrator is also excellent, with a very pleasant British accent and flawless pronounciation of the many French and German terms in the book, not to mention the occasional Hebrew or !Kung word.
A comprehensive overview of the Ice Age
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I know in many of the reviews people criticized the speculative narrative that the author has put together on what life was like for these groups of individuals. The narrative added to my personal enjoyment of this book. I think anyone reading this realizes that we can only speculate by filling in the missing pieces with the hard evidence that archaeological finds provide.
I thought the narration of this book was excellent.
The author provided a narrative that kept me interested balanced with providing evidence to support the author story.
One interesting comment; I think the author gives a the benefit of the doubt to our ancestors regarding the now extinct Neanderthals. Any casual study of human nature and its brutality would definitely indicate that there probably was significant conflict between humans and Neanderthals that led to their extinction. I did like the authors less heavy-handed take that it's possible these two groups live side-by-side even if it was cautiously with little interaction.
If you're interested in the topic of evolution or the history of early man. I highly recommend this book!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
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I've been a vegetarian for almost 30 years, and one thing that I learned in reading this book, was that people have eaten meat (probably through scavenging carcasses that were left behind by predators and animals dying via natural death and accidents) from almost the beginning of time when they could first catch an animal, it is the actual agricultural cultivation of plants and vegetables that began about 10,000 years ago.
I would highly recommend this excellent book!
Ah Ha... So That's How We All Started Out!!!
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An amazing description of our species' history!
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Perhaps others will disagree and find the dense discussion more accessible than I did. However, I don't consider myself a complete neophyte on the subject: I took a graduate level course on ancient technology that covered flintknapping and other technologies. As an art instructor, I am familar with Lascaux and Chauvet and the Venus of Willendorf among others.
There were several times when I wanted the author to just skip the correct terminology and jump to the part where he tells us what it means. There were several other times when I felt a little confused about whether the evidence he'd just outlined supported or refuted the claim he had made at the beginning of the thought. And at least once I wondered why he said that "obviously" wasn't correct. Why was it obvious? Why not remind us? This is a long detailed history, why skip a little "obvious" bit like that?
I listened to this book in my studio while working on several projects. It was a good mellow story, interesting enough to give my mind something to do without being a distraction. I do not recommend listening to this book while driving. The author's voice lulls you into a sleepy state.
Dense
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So much information. Must listen to more than once
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Very Fine Writing
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The speculation as to the daily lives of the people was as interesting as the facts - with carbon-dating, geological surveys, archaeological digs, current (or relatively recent) practices of Arctic, African and Aboriginal dwellers, all contributing.
Enjoyed and wished for more
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Outdated and biased
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Very interesting
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