All comments appreciated.

First Week Readings

Europe vs. California

I have no expert knowledge of paleolithic times, but do know of some situations that are oversights by Strayer regarding man during this time. Namely, there is little to celebrate or romanticize about man's egalitarian existence in Paleolithic Europe versus the Chumash in California, for whom he ascribed regular outbreaks of violence regarding trade and position.


In Trier, archaeologist friends of mine are working on paleolithic digs that contain the sad unifying feature of all human cultures over time -- large pits of human bones that are the mass graves of conquered or competing peoples, with most murdered by some type of blunt force trauma. These are mostly of men and boys, as its seems the females were taken into sexual bondage. Most of this is unpublished, so I will not say any more. Sadly, we have such developments close to our times (Cambodia, the Ukraine, the former Yugoslavia) but with evidence and the addition of high velocity projectile wounds. Progress.

Pacific Travels

I have traveled in South East Asia a lot by ship and ferry, and the thought of travelling by canoe in any expanse of open water, no matter how well designed the craft, is an extreme situation. Travelling from Cebu to Manila or Cagayan de Oro to Davao in the Philippines as I have done on a modern ferry is already quite an adventure in itself.  I was aware of the long journeys made by these people and their excellent navigation skills, but I feel deprived for having never heard of the "Kelp Highway."

Maize (Corn) in Europe

Not mentioned, but corn has migrated also to Northern Europe, areas where cobs do not develop. It is harvested as silage. 

The Size of Human Developments

In his series Cosmos, Astronomer Carl Sagan lamented, much as Strayer, the fact that more advanced societies and developments could sometimes come with the peril of dehumanizing the inhabitants. Strayer seems especially prone to giving into this line of reasoning, without accepting as heartily as Sagan the most fundamental benefit Sagan happens to promote: Through history, whether through war or peaceful assimilation, humankind tends to associate in ever larger groups and associations -- Sagan believed there is great hope in that observation, as do I.