The origin of species… and singing

Two books on our origins – one on the emergence of the modern mind, one on life itself – make for absorbing reading. OXeN delves into the swampy mire of our human past…

Of all the new books that have passed over the desks of the Oxbow staff this month, these, for whatever reason, are the ones that grabbed their attention.

New Releases

Aeschylus: Prometheus Bound
Edited with an Introduction, Translation and Commentary by A.J. Podlecki
Paperback. GB £18.00
Hardback. GB £40.00

In this new edition of Aeschylus' play Prometheus, the Greek text is accompanied by an introduction, an English translation and explanatory notes. In the Introduction, Podlecki discusses the background and cultural significance of the Prometheus myth, together with illustrative material from ancient Greek art. An attempt is made to assess the influence of the story upon later European literature and thought, with a side-glance at equivalent myths in other, non-European cultures.

The zooarchaeology of fats, oils, milk and dairying
Mulville, Jacqui
Hardback. GB £50.00

Fat has been cast as a villain in our modern, Western society, but for many economies, past and present, the availability of foods rich in fat could mean the difference between life and death. But fat has more to offer than nutrition; fats can be used in waterproofing, as lubrication, and as a base for other items such as perfumes and cosmetics. This variety of use means that fats have been a valuable trading commodity for thousands of years. The various ways in which fats can be utilised has important implications for the archaeological record. The physical method(s) of extracting the fat from a dead animal will leave differing signs on the carcass, while the removal of fats while an animal is alive (such as milking) has been the focus of much ethnographic research. Then there is the matter of how the fats are stored...and so on. The zooarchaeological study of fats is a complex, interdisciplinary area of archaeology. The nineteen papers in this volume represent a firm foundation for further research into the past exploitation of this heroic substance.

Archaeomalacology
Bar-Yosef, D
Hardback. GB £45.00

Molluscs are the most common invertebrate remains found at archaeological sites, but archaeomalacology (the study of molluscs in archaeological contexts) is a relatively new archaeological discipline and the field of zooarchaeology is seen by many as one mainly focused on the remains of vertebrates. The papers in this volume hope to redress this balance, bringing molluscan studies into mainstream zooarchaeological and archaeological debate, and resulting in a monograph with a truly international flavour.

The First Steps of Animal Domestication: New Archaeological Approaches
by J D Vigne, J Peters, D Helmer

It is no exaggeration to suggest that the domestication of animals was perhaps one of the most important developments in human history. It is a phenomenon that has transformed human life over the last 15,000 years, with the term 'domestic animal' being a familiar one to every person on the planet. And yet this fundamental state is still poorly understood in terms of its basic definitions and the processes that occurred to bring this state about, being seen by many simply as a 'state of being'. Given the central role of domestication in zooarchaeological research, it is no surprise that one of the major sessions at the ICAZ meting in Durham, 2002 was devoted to this issue.

Pasamonte's Life
by Robin Chapman
Hardback. GB £12.00

When Don Quixote frees a gang of convicted criminals, he encounters Ginés de Pasamonte, a rogue and a chancer. Pasamonte has written his autobiography, but left it in pawn in a bookshop in Barcelona, to buy himself better treatment on the galleys in which he serves. Once set free, Pasamonte encourages his fellow convicts to maltreat Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza - even stealing Sancho's donkey. Sadly, neither Cervantes nor Pasamonte ever found time to complete this story ... which Robin Chapman now does, in a most inventive and amusing way.