Ancient Man in Britain

by Donald A. Mackenzie

This volume deals with the history of Britain from the Ice Age till the Roman period. Evidence is gleaned from sciences usually studied apart: geology, archeology, philology, ethnology, anthropology etc. Mackenzie has set himself to tell the story of the ancients in a manner which will interest a wider circle of readers than usually reached by technical books. It hasn't been assumed that the representatives of modern humankind who 1st settled Europe were simple-minded savages. Evidence afforded by the craftsmanship, burial customs & art of the Cro-Magnon races, contemporaries of the reindeer & hairy mammoths in SW France, suggests they'd been influenced by a centre of civilization in which considerable progress had already been achieved. There's absolutely no evidence that the pioneers were lacking in intelligence or foresight. If we are to judge merely by their skeletons & the shapes and sizes of their skulls, it would appear that they were, if anything, both physically & mentally superior to average present-day inhabitants of Europe. Nor were they entirely isolated from the ancient culture area by which they had been originally influenced. Illustrated with photographs, drawings & maps.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anthropology

273 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

Donald Alexander Mackenzie was a Scottish journalist and folklorist and a prolific writer on religion, mythology and anthropology in the early 20th century.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although dated, this book is a good general introduction to the early history and prehistory of the peoples inhabiting Britain.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting blend of physical and social, mostly social - mildly interesting