Genel Topoloji-Sadi Bayramov PDF'de kitap

moritzmaibaum

A very interesting look at pre-Conquest America, containing some relatively new (and far from established) academic theories. The main thesis of the book is that pre-Columbian American societies were far more advanced and populous than recorded by European colonists/invaders/priests. The successive waves of epidemics brought by European contact decimated the Americas to such an extent that these societies caved into anarchy and ruin, which was seen as their original condition by the new arrivals. So far, nothing really new -- the interesting part is that the author believes that some of the weirder bits of natural history since the Conquest (passenger pigeon & American buffalo population explosions and extinctions, for example) are due to food chain gaps caused by the catastrophic human population drops in the 16th and 17th centuries. Sections about pre-Columbian human cultivation of the Amazon rainforests were fascinating. One star off for an overly simplistic view of 15th - 16th century European motives and actions, and for a patronizing & corny (heh heh) scene with a Mexican maize farmer. This book is very easy to read and digest, aimed at the general reader rather than the history nerd. Good airplane book.

2022-08-30 21:02