Inside the Neolithic Mind: Consciousness, Cosmos and the Realm of the Gods

This fascinating book continues the story begun in the bestselling and critically acclaimed book The Mind in the Cave. Drawing on the latest research and recent discoveries, the authors skilfully link material on human consciousness, imagery and belief systems to propose provocative new theories about the causes of an ancient revolution in cosmology, the origins of social complexity and even the drive behind the domestication of plants and animals. In doing so they create a fascinating neurological bridge to the mysterious thought-lives of the past and reveal the essence of a momentous period in human history.Table of ContentsPreface • 1. The Revolutionary Neolithic • 2. The Consciousness Contract • 3. Seeing and Building a Cosmos • 4. Close Encounters with a Built Cosmos • 5. Domesticating Wild Nature • 6. Treasure the Dream Whatever the Terror • 7. The Mound in the Dark Grove • 8. Brú na Bóinne • 9. Religion de Profundis • 10. East is East and West is West Review 'Bold, provocative, scintillating ... a brilliant synthesis of archaeology and human neurology ... food for thought on every page' - Brian Fagan 'Gives us as clear a picture as I've seen of how the people of the New Stone Age thought, of the myths that sustained them and of what they really believed' - Sunday Telegraph 'An engaging, well-written and erudite book, which makes many suggestive observations and provides stimulating reading' - British Archaeology 'A literary and scientific tour de force' - Nature About the Author David Lewis-Williams is Professor Emeritus and Senior Mentor at the Rock Art Research Institute, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He is the author of The Mind in the Cave, Conceiving God, and Deciphering Ancient Minds. David Pearce is Associate Professor and Director at the Rock Art Research Institute.

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