There was a time during our school days when some one used to ask us what our ambition is. I had the same answer always - Archaeologist. I was so deeply interested in history and pre history and I used to read my mother's old history text books (She was a History major) apart from my school books. Harappan Civilization was always my favorite read at that time and I used to think how good it could be if I can decipher the script and make a big discovery. At one point of time, the interest drifted off when I had to learn other streams in college and it remained just a distant dream. Years later, I came across this book at the library last week, sparking my interest and I went for this read.
The book talks about how modern man came to be in Africa and how they migrated from there to other parts of the world and intermingled with other species of humans mainly focusing on how they reached India. The writer talks on who were exactly the First Indians and how the migration created a change in the peninsula. He also talks about the Dravidians and greatest civilization of the world at the time - The Harappan Civilization; its rise and fall and finishes with the arrival of Aryans and how they occupy the land. This was actually a pretty good read and can be a quick one too. The author has not used big terms to describe all these and proceeds to educate us in a simple layman language. One interesting way that the author has taken here to prove his points is to mix genetics, climate, language and topography with archaeology. With the advent of modern technology man has been able to make big leaps in almost every field. Same goes with prehistory. Normally we will not be having a strong evidence to prove what has happened in prehistory. The main issue being we do not have a written evidence and anything could have happened back then no matter how much theories we have come up with.
By substantiating archaeology (especially prehistory) with genetics and other areas, the archaeologists are able to make significant bounds. For those who have no knowledge on genetics, the author does actually spend a few pages to educate us in the most simple terms. I really liked the way the whole book was separated into chapters like Out of Africa, Migrations, First Indians, Harappan Civilization and the advent of Aryans. The whole genetic standpoint makes us realize that beneath the colour and skin all that remains are that we are all from the same ancestry or lineage. Having said this, the book does not provide a much detailed account that an academic looks out for. Tony Joseph touches all the areas and makes the book look like a web as seen from a distance. Going near the web makes you realize the complexity of the design. Likewise, reading more into the book, we realize that this is just a birds eye. So this might not work out for a person who is looking for a more detailed read on the subject. When it came to the Aryans, I felt there was a sort of rush to finish off the book.
For a prehistory/history enthusiast like me; this was a good read. The book piqued the interest on the subject inside me. One point that the author reiterates repeatedly is that irrespective of caste, creed and colour; understanding the prehistory makes us realize that we are all the same. The book was a slow read for me as I had to take notes for further reading. An informative birds eye read for history enthusiasts.
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