Inside the Neolithic Mind

[trehinp]

I just finished reading D. Lewis-Williams, "Inside the Neolithic Mind", Thames & Hudson, London 2005.

When I started reading it I thought that I would find some information about the magnificent Neolithic rock art, representing complex hunting sceneries and various social situations.

Denis Lewis-Williams chose a different angle to describe the way of thinking of our ancestors. He pursues his initial study of altered states of consciousness which he had developed in depth in "The Mind in the Cave", Thames & Hudson, London 2002.

In this new book about the Neolithic mind, he concentrates on the links between altered states of consciousness, religious behaviours and various artistic manifestations, including megalithic monuments. He studies lots of purely symbolic, non figurative decorations found on the rocks used to build various megalithic monuments. This analysis is completely based upon a neurological explanation of altered states of consciousness leading to geometric shapes: zigzagging lines, spirals, concentric circles, etc.

He leaves completely out of his research all the other forms of art as well as other potential explanations for the Neolithic culture. Leaving in the dark all the very rich symbolic and figurative story telling rock art which was pervasive all along the Neolithic period and throughout the world. An art which in contrast with the Palaeolithic one contains lots of human representations. The book doesn't either address the astonishing change in style between the very "naturalistic" animal representations during the whole period going from the Aurignacian through to the Magdalenian and the much simpler "stickmen" technique used to represent animals and humans during the Neolithic.

This is a valid choice. However I feel that it is giving a narrow view of the Neolithic mind which doesn't correspond to the book's title.


Paul TREHIN