Fishing: how the sea fed civilization

Since the dawn of human antiquity, fish have been a staple of the human diet. The advent of agriculture brought with it the decline of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. In fact, seafood remains the only large-scale nourishment source still obtained from the wild. In this well-researched and informative account, which will particularly interest archaeologists and anthropologists, Fagan (emer., Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) chronicles fishing's part in the rise and worldwide dispersal of human civilization. Discussion is global in scope: Fagan considers the evolution of this ancient activity from a means of procuring local sustenance to its importance in the early development of regional trade routes and, finally, to its enduring role in feeding an ever-burgeoning global population. Fagan also explores the evolving technology of fishing, from early use of spears, bone hooks, and handheld nets to the worldwide expansion of industrial fisheries spawned by ever-increasing population pressures and the development of modern-day factory ships. The information is put into perspective as readers learn the importance of conserving marine environments and resources, which are dwindling at an alarming rate. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Danny A. Brass, independent scholar

Fishing's role in the development of civilization has not received the kind of merit that history bestows upon hunting and farming. Fagan (anthropology, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara; The Great Warming) aims to change that, delving into the shallow-water opportunists of prehistory to the deep-sea trawlers of today. The work begins in Africa, where our ancestors snatched catfish from shallow pools, then continues to describe the rising global sea levels that followed the Ice Age through the classical, medieval, and modern eras. Readers will discover a world history rich in fishing: from Scandinavian trappers to ancient Japanese fishers to Chinese carp fishermen. Herring, cod, the Roman fish sauce garum, sturgeons, and shellfish are all discussed. Historical ecological transformations, such as the end of the Ice Age, as well as contemporary environmental concerns, including overfishing, are addressed, as are important human migrations, such as the expansion of peoples from Asia to America. Fagan's style is academic yet accessible. VERDICT A much-needed volume for serious students of world history. Highly recommended for readers interested in archaeology, anthropology, ecology, and environmental science.-Jeffrey Meyer, Mt. Pleasant P.L., IA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A study of global cultures that have been nurtured by the wealth from the sea.In this gently scholarly, elegant examination of fishing peoples from the Neanderthals to modern times, Fagan (Emeritus, Archaeology/Univ. of California, Santa Barbara; The Attacking Ocean: The Past, Present, and Future of Rising Sea Levels, 2013, etc.) defies the Darwinian stereotypes of fishing cultures as simple or primitive. Global warming at the end of the last Ice Age, some 15,000 years ago, compounded the problems created by rising sea levels and led to the inundation of coasts, the creation of ponds and shallows, and flourishing fish populations. Fishers do not have the same cachet as hunters and farmers, but as the seas swelled, "subsistence fishing came into its own." This necessitated the invention of new tools specifically for the endeavor, and many of these have changed surprisingly little over the centuries. Fagan proceeds chronologically, focusing in each chapter on different fishing cultures and the kinds of fish they caught, such as the canny clan of Pinnacle Point Cave, South Africa, who, more than 160,000 years ago, were attracted by the plentiful mollusks in local tide pools. While Neanderthals were big-game hunters, their diet also included a great deal of salmon. From 8000 to 2000 B.C.E., the area from the Danube to the Baltic Sea supported dense human settlements with a strong preference for marine foodse.g., the Iron Gates peoples, who hunted the mighty sturgeon. In Scandinavia during this time, fermentation was implemented to preserve fish during cold winter months, while in the Nile delta, fish were used as the rations for the laborers to build the state. Fagan also discusses the Jomon of northern Japan, the Aleuts in Alaska and other societies in the Northwest, the Calusa Indians of Florida, and early cultures in both the Mediterranean and China, providing a compelling picture of how fishing was so integral in each society's development. A multilayered, nuanced tour of "fishing societies throughout the world" and across millennia. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Fishing's role in the development of civilization has not received the kind of merit that history bestows upon hunting and farming. Fagan (anthropology, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara; The Great Warming) aims to change that, delving into the shallow-water opportunists of prehistory to the deep-sea trawlers of today. The work begins in Africa, where our ancestors snatched catfish from shallow pools, then continues to describe the rising global sea levels that followed the Ice Age through the classical, medieval, and modern eras. Readers will discover a world history rich in fishing: from Scandinavian trappers to ancient Japanese fishers to Chinese carp fishermen. Herring, cod, the Roman fish sauce garum, sturgeons, and shellfish are all discussed. Historical ecological transformations, such as the end of the Ice Age, as well as contemporary environmental concerns, including overfishing, are addressed, as are important human migrations, such as the expansion of peoples from Asia to America. Fagan's style is academic yet accessible. VERDICT A much-needed volume for serious students of world history. Highly recommended for readers interested in archaeology, anthropology, ecology, and environmental science.—Jeffrey Meyer, Mt. Pleasant P.L., IA