Routledge Stone Mirror: A Novel of the Neolithic

Product Description A Turkish farmer finds a large obsidian mirror on top of a mound. How did it get there? What did it mean for its creator, and what does it mean for us? In this teaching novel by writer Rob Swigart, the story toggles back and forth between a Neolithic village―and the changing fortunes of the family who finds this wondrous tool―and modern archaeologists whose excavated treasure stirs journalists, governments, and goddess worshippers alike. Through an engrossing tale across millennia, Swigart’s novel provides both a basic reconstruction of Neolithic lifeways and a primer on contemporary archaeological politics and practice. For archaeology students, and for anyone curious about artifacts past and present, Stone Mirror will be a fun, informative introduction both to archaeology and to the people they study. Review 'This book, partly based on the rich evidence from Neolithic sites in Turkey such as Catalhoyuk, weaves a fascinating fictional account between the fragments of our scientific evidence. The story brings to life a particular perspective on what has been found, and will be of value for students in archaeology as well as for a wider public.' Ian Hodder, Stanford University 'Politis presents the finest treatise yet on the archaeology of a living Amazonian society. Readers can discern that the author cares deeply about the living people he works with; they come to life on the printed page as nuanced agents of landscape transformation, not as stick figures in archaeological rock art. The book is engrossing in its coverage of northwest Amazon ethnology and historical ecology. As theory, this book may be construed as the first archaeological monograph on the Amazon from the perspective of historical ecology.' Steven R. Simms, Utah State University 'Stone Mirror is an entertaining and informative supplement for courses on the Neolithic or Near Eastern prehistory. The switch between a present-day excavation and an informed, if imaginative, reconstruction of the people responsible for the ruins being excavated provides a fresh perspective. While the depiction of the modern excavation intrigues is perhaps a bit overwrought, the interpretation of life in a Neolithic village puts a human face on the artifacts that archaeologists excavate. Although there is necessarily speculation in Swigart's reconstruction of Neolithic life, he provides an intriguing and plausible interpretation that breathes life into the dusty artifacts that archaeologists retrieve.' Alan H. Simmons, Department of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas From the Back Cover Swigartas novel provides both a basic reconstruction of Neolithic lifeways and a primer on contemporary archaeological politics and practice. About the Author Rob Swigart is research affiliate at the Institute for the Future in Menlo Park, California, where he develops scenarios and vignettes for Fortune 500 companies. He is author of nine novels, including Little America, The Time Trip, and the Book of Revelations, as well as several works of interactive and electronic fiction. This is his second teaching novel after Xibalba Gate, (AltaMira 2005) which describes Late Classic Maya life.