In this impressive and ambitious collection of short stories, author Rob Swigart takes the reader on a journey from the distant human past (the meeting of Neanderthals with modern humans embodied in the character, Traveler) to the emergence of Mesopotamian civilization. The book was inspired by a series of seminars conducted at the site of Çatal Höyük, then being excavated by Ian Hodder (earlier, Swigart had been a visiting scholar at the Stanford Archaeology Center from which emerged his two earlier archaeology textbook novels).
The book is divided into three sections: (1) Shelter (twelve chapters); (2) House (eight chapters); (3) Home (nine chapters). As their titles indicate, Swigart's main theme is the transition from a nomadic lifestyle (with people moving around resources) to sedentism (with resources having to move around people). The lengths of the individual chapters make them easily digestible in single sittings. Some stand alone, while others follow...
