Scribe
Advertisement
IN THE Spanish city of Burgos, a towering 13th-century Gothic cathedral stands opposite the Museum of Human Evolution. Built 800 years apart, these buildings are both dedicated to finding meaning and exploring human origins, but the bones in the museum are 1000 times older than the cathedral, and its “high priest” is Juan Luis Arsuaga, a palaeoanthropologist.
´ˇ°ů˛őłÜ˛ą˛µ˛ąâ€™s work at the Atapuerca archaeological site, near Burgos, has helped shed light on Europe’s first humans. His ability to nimbly move from fossils and artefacts to scientific theories and philosophical ideas will now gain a wider audience with the UK publication of the Spanish bestseller Life As Told By a Sapiens to a Neanderthal.
To produce this short yet dazzling book, Arsuaga joined forces with writer, novelist and columnist Juan José Millás. It is a wonderful distillation of their journey through human origins and evolution, which spans millions of years and an enormous geographic area.
The book is a testament to the time Millás spent visiting sites and talking with Arsuaga, which has fuelled his addiction to prehistory. “I read tirelessly because the Palaeolithic was one drug and the Neolithic was two drugs and the Neanderthals were three drugs,” writes Millás.
The charming result of this collaboration combines Millás’s surreal, ironic humour and beautiful reflections with ´ˇ°ů˛őłÜ˛ą˛µ˛ąâ€™s expertise, expressed with sharp and surprising observations and an ability to bring prehistory up to date. The book tours a variety of ideas, from bipedalism, ageing and RamĂ“n y Cajal’s theory of neurons, to chickpeas and penis bones – but it does so lightly and is always entertaining.
This is a book one can devour in a single sitting or gently nibble, and it will satisfy either way. My only criticism is that the narrative has a somewhat male perspective, but even this small niggle fits with the authors’ affectionate acknowledgement of humanity’s many blemishes.
Life As Told By a Sapiens to a Neanderthal is, ultimately, about curiosity and enquiry itself: a love letter to good conversation and great food, to ambling through time, place and thought, and an exaltation of the fact humans can wonder at all.
