Mixed Harvest: Stories from the Human Past
Short stories about the deep past and those who lived through millennia of exploration, hardship, and uncertainty during the evolution of farming.

Winner of the 2019 Nautilus Book Award, Multicultural and Indigenous

“Swigart is to be congratulated for giving us a series of connected short stories that are both entertaining and educational. The book is accurately grounded in archaeological facts, and its individual stories are thoroughly believable. Its particular format should be emulated by all those wishing to blend fact and fiction, not just as entertainment but as education, too.”—Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies

In unforgettable stories of the human journey, a combination of compelling storytelling and well—researched archaeology underscore an excavation into the deep past of human development and its consequences. Through a first encounter between a Neanderthal woman and the Modern Human to the emergence and destruction of the world’s first cities, Mixed Harvest tells the tale of the Neolithic Revolution, also called the (First) Agricultural Revolution, the most significant event since modern humans emerged. Rob Swigart’s latest work humanizes the rapid transition to agriculture and pastoralism with a grounding in the archaeological record.

From the introduction:
In the space of a few thousand years agriculture dominated the earth. We live with it all around us. History began, cities soared, the landscape was crisscrossed with roads…. Each story is prefaced by a short introduction and followed by some context in order to stitch the narrative together. Some stories are linked, but most are independent. The stories are gathered into three chapters: “Shelter,” “House,” and “Home.” These represent a progression in where we lived, a series of transformations in technology and consciousness.

1135161185
Mixed Harvest: Stories from the Human Past
Short stories about the deep past and those who lived through millennia of exploration, hardship, and uncertainty during the evolution of farming.

Winner of the 2019 Nautilus Book Award, Multicultural and Indigenous

“Swigart is to be congratulated for giving us a series of connected short stories that are both entertaining and educational. The book is accurately grounded in archaeological facts, and its individual stories are thoroughly believable. Its particular format should be emulated by all those wishing to blend fact and fiction, not just as entertainment but as education, too.”—Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies

In unforgettable stories of the human journey, a combination of compelling storytelling and well—researched archaeology underscore an excavation into the deep past of human development and its consequences. Through a first encounter between a Neanderthal woman and the Modern Human to the emergence and destruction of the world’s first cities, Mixed Harvest tells the tale of the Neolithic Revolution, also called the (First) Agricultural Revolution, the most significant event since modern humans emerged. Rob Swigart’s latest work humanizes the rapid transition to agriculture and pastoralism with a grounding in the archaeological record.

From the introduction:
In the space of a few thousand years agriculture dominated the earth. We live with it all around us. History began, cities soared, the landscape was crisscrossed with roads…. Each story is prefaced by a short introduction and followed by some context in order to stitch the narrative together. Some stories are linked, but most are independent. The stories are gathered into three chapters: “Shelter,” “House,” and “Home.” These represent a progression in where we lived, a series of transformations in technology and consciousness.

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Mixed Harvest: Stories from the Human Past

Mixed Harvest: Stories from the Human Past

by Rob Swigart
Mixed Harvest: Stories from the Human Past

Mixed Harvest: Stories from the Human Past

by Rob Swigart

Paperback

$24.95 
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Overview

Short stories about the deep past and those who lived through millennia of exploration, hardship, and uncertainty during the evolution of farming.

Winner of the 2019 Nautilus Book Award, Multicultural and Indigenous

“Swigart is to be congratulated for giving us a series of connected short stories that are both entertaining and educational. The book is accurately grounded in archaeological facts, and its individual stories are thoroughly believable. Its particular format should be emulated by all those wishing to blend fact and fiction, not just as entertainment but as education, too.”—Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies

In unforgettable stories of the human journey, a combination of compelling storytelling and well—researched archaeology underscore an excavation into the deep past of human development and its consequences. Through a first encounter between a Neanderthal woman and the Modern Human to the emergence and destruction of the world’s first cities, Mixed Harvest tells the tale of the Neolithic Revolution, also called the (First) Agricultural Revolution, the most significant event since modern humans emerged. Rob Swigart’s latest work humanizes the rapid transition to agriculture and pastoralism with a grounding in the archaeological record.

From the introduction:
In the space of a few thousand years agriculture dominated the earth. We live with it all around us. History began, cities soared, the landscape was crisscrossed with roads…. Each story is prefaced by a short introduction and followed by some context in order to stitch the narrative together. Some stories are linked, but most are independent. The stories are gathered into three chapters: “Shelter,” “House,” and “Home.” These represent a progression in where we lived, a series of transformations in technology and consciousness.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781789206203
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Publication date: 12/03/2019
Pages: 224
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Rob Swigart, PhD (Comparative Literature) taught for 35 years at a university, published fifteen novels and poetry in The Atlantic, Poetry, and other journals, and co—authored a business book while working as a research affiliate with the Institute for the Future.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments

I. Shelter
     Prelude: The Pit of Bones
     Bringer
     The Horse Hunters
     Strife
     Judgment
     Drummer
     In Darkness
     Boy and Leaf
     The Snail Creek Shaman
     Raising Stone
     Feasting
     Waters Bitter and Sweet

II. House
     Frozen Tears
     Tracks
     The Journey
     Mud People
     Motherbaby
     The Beast Without
     The Beast Within
     Of Pots and Plans

III. Home
     An Introduction to Origins
     The Need for Walls
     The House of Heaven
     Scribe
     New Year
     Borders
     Descendants
     Empire’s Poet
     Lamentation

Afterword

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