Man Makes Himself

This is a short, brilliant, lucid study of the origin and progress of man from earliest recorded history to modern times. Although the book's principal sphere is archaeology and anthropology, it touches on all aspects of the social sciences, philosophy, psychology and history. This provocative appraisal of man's development starts over 340,000 years ago, when man's ability to make a fire and fashion rude stone tools helped him survive among the wild beasts. It traces the development of man as a food producer, the emergence of cities and states, the rise of foreign trade and the urban revolution. Professor Childe discusses the nineteen basic discoveries and applications of science: artificial irrigation, the plow, harnessing of animal power, sailing boats, wheeled vehicles, orchard husbandry, fermentation, production and use of copper, bricks, the arch, glazing, the seal, a solar calendar, writing, numeral notation, bronze, smelting iron, the alphabet, and aqueducts for urban water supply. Throughout this brilliant analysis, the author shows how man developed traditions which both aided and inhibited him in turn, such as the simultaneous growth of science and superstition. Here is a refreshing rediscovery of the long path man has come and the amazing strides he has made in a few short centuries. This unique book is now available for the first time in this country.