Steven Mithen’s Followers (87)

Steven Mithen

Born

October 16, 1960

Genre

Archaeology, Prehistory

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Steven Mithen is Professor of Early Prehistory at the University of Reading, having previously served as Pro Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor. He received a BA in prehistory and archaeology from Sheffield University, a MSc degree in biological computation from York University and a PhD in archaeology from Cambridge University.

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Steven Mithen’s books

Average rating: 4.0 · 3,199 ratings · 359 reviews · 22 distinct works • Similar authors

	After the Ice: A Global Human History, 20,000-5000 BC 4.08 avg rating — 1,529 ratings — published 2003 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body 3.89 avg rating — 664 ratings — published 2005 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Prehistory of the Mind: The Cognitive Origins of Art, Religion and Science 4.02 avg rating — 521 ratings — published 1996 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Language Puzzle: Piecing Together the Six-Million-Year Story of How Words Evolved 3.89 avg rating — 371 ratings — published 2024 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thirst: Water and Power in the Ancient World 3.67 avg rating — 67 ratings — published 2012 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	To the Islands: An Archaeologist's Relentless Quest to Find the Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers of the Hebrides 4.31 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2010	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Creativity in Human Evolution and Prehistory 3.46 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 1998 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thoughtful Foragers: A Study of Prehistoric Decision Making 3.82 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 1990 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Land of the Ilich: Journeys into Islay's Past 4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2021 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Prehistory of the Mind: a Search for the Origins of Art, Religion and Science 3.33 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Steven Mithen (?)

“To gain an understanding of the mind leads on to an appreciation of what it means to be human.”
― Steven Mithen, The Prehistory of the Mind: The Cognitive Origins of Art, Religion and Science

tags: anthropology, history, psychology

3 likes

“The two centrepieces of social intelligence are the possession of extensive social knowledge about other individuals, in terms of knowing who allies and friends are, and the ability to infer the mental states of those individuals.”
― Steven Mithen, The Prehistory of the Mind: The Cognitive Origins of Art, Religion and Science

tags: evolutionary-psychology, psychology

2 likes

“[W]hen trying to understand the character of the modern mind, it is impossible to separate the effects of genes and the developmental environment.”
― Steven Mithen, The Prehistory of the Mind: The Cognitive Origins of Art, Religion and Science

tags: evolution, evolution-of-consciousness, science

1 likes

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Polls

May is non-fiction month, specifically archaeology, anthropology, etc. I recently acquired two books I really want to read. The Sixth Extinction and After the Ice. They're both supposed to be really good, but After the Ice is 500 pages! But don't let that dissuade you. Vote for your choice. If the longer book wins, we can extend into June if we have to. June is SciFi month and we could do a shorter book for that...and May does have five Tuesdays. Okay, so last day to vote is Monday, April 9.

After the Ice

Steven Mithen

3 votes, 75.0%

The Sixth Extinction

Elizabeth Kolbert

1 vote, 25.0%

4 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
75 Books...More o...: Memorial Day Readathon 5/25-5/28	78	25	May 29, 2018 01:46PM
The Ancient & Pre...: Any suggestion on a good book on Copper Age?	2	11	Dec 22, 2019 02:50AM
Human Origins—Exp...: * Introductions	72	230	Nov 27, 2024 11:08AM
The History Book ...: * PREHISTORY ~ (STONE, BRONZE, IRON AGES)	86	933	Jul 10, 2025 03:58PM

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Steven Mithen’s Followers (87)

Steven Mithen

Combine EditionsSteven Mithen’s books

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Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Steven Mithen’s books