|
|
||
|
||
Lacking direct communiqu¿s from ancient peoples, archaeologists turn to other clues--their structures, their artwork, their tools, even their very bones. Examining such relics, scientists attempt to fit the pieces into a comprehensive cultural picture. As fellow members of humanity, the ancient ones must have been very much like us in many ways. But the latest excavations are uncovering some surprising differences as well. Consider the denizens of ¿atalh¿y¿k, in central Turkey, 9,000 years ago. Oddly, they walked atop their city and entered their houses from above. They had no sidewalks, no front doors. Yet they had a remarkably modern knack for sharing tasks between the sexes. In Egypt circa 1500 B.C.E., even stonecutters had the chance to learn to read and write in a community that greatly valued literacy. Not all the civilizations' tales end well, of course. In the face of local environmental decline, the prehistoric people of Malta developed a consuming obsession with death, which may have led to the culture's demise. These civilizations, among the others featured in this special edition of Scientific American, demonstrate an impressive power to puzzle and intrigue us across the span of time. In the pages that follow, we invite you to contemplate our shared human heritage, in all its glorious--and inglorious--forms.--The Editors 
|
 |
|
|
