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Café Neandertal: Excavating Our Past in One of Europe's Most Ancient Places
Centered in the Dordogne region of southwestern France, one of Europe’s most concentrated regions for Neandertal and early modern human occupations, writer Beebe Bahrami follows and participates in the work of archaeologists who are doing some of the most comprehensive and global work to date on the research, exploration, and recovery of our ancient ancestors. In Café Neandertal, Bahrami follows this compelling riddle along a path populated with colorful local personalities and archaeologists working in remote and fascinating places across Eurasia, all the while maintaining a firm foothold in the Dordogne, a region celebrated by the local tourist office as a vacation destination for 400,000 years. Who were the Neandertals? Why did they disappear around 35,000 years ago? And more mysteriously, what connections do they share with us moderns?
Neck-deep in Neanderthal dirt, Bahrami takes us to the front row of the heated debates about our long-lost cousins. Café Neandertal pulls us deeply into the complex mystery of the Neandertals, shedding a surprising light on what it means to be human.
Neck-deep in Neanderthal dirt, Bahrami takes us to the front row of the heated debates about our long-lost cousins. Café Neandertal pulls us deeply into the complex mystery of the Neandertals, shedding a surprising light on what it means to be human.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2017
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676 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
March 12, 2023
This book was a delight! And it was a hoot to read! I learned a ton but in a very casual, yet informative way. Beebe Bahrami invited me into her very own “Café Neandertal”, poured me an espresso, and told me all I needed to know about Neandertals versus modern humans. Now excuse me while I time travel back to join them.
“Their way of life is extinct but their humanity is not. Had we never come along as the aberrant world-dominating cousin, they’d probably still be around, as would many other life forms that have gone extinct courtesy of our peculiar adaptation to adapt less and alter more.”
“Their way of life is extinct but their humanity is not. Had we never come along as the aberrant world-dominating cousin, they’d probably still be around, as would many other life forms that have gone extinct courtesy of our peculiar adaptation to adapt less and alter more.”
January 15, 2024
Some supposedly science books straddle a thin line between objective and personal, bringing the apparently strong and charming snd overall scatteredly fascinating personality of the author as much to the foreground as the actual science subject. Take this book, for instance. It’s chock-full of Neandertals (note the author’s preferred spelling; she’d love you to notice) and digs and research and interviews, but also gives you her other interests — hiking, food, copious amounts of alcohol, funny anecdotes about colleagues and slightly awkward sense of humor. It’s teetering between delightful and a bit annoying, and yet delightful seems to mostly win. She gets to her point, eventually, and would be a very fun person to hang out in a cafe or in a bar with over many hours of rambling chats, by the way.
And what’s the point, you ask? Well, as far as I can gather between the charming distractions, it is the odd and self-centered way we, Homo sapiens, relate to Homo neanderthalensis. A seemingly natural way would be to point out the similarities, the “they are just like us, see?” connection (without stopping to think whether it’s fair or even flattering) — and that’s the easy trap to fall into. As is the semi-opposite on focusing on what we think is not just different but *better* that what we, an aggressive species that seems hell-bent on adapting the world to us rather than adapting to it, are like.
But the thing is, we really don’t know. Too many things are based on speculation or misconceptions or wishful thinking, and in the absence if time machine it’s unlikely to get much clearer since everything will still be filtered through our Homo sapiens views, and complexity of behavior snd language doesn’t fossilize well.
Also, hanging out at one of those Neandertal dig sites seems to be quite a blast.
Still, I’d cut out about half of her digressions for a better book on mainly the Neandertals and not “Neandertals and the tangents on Beebe Bahrami’s adventures in fun and food”. Although it’s a decent travelogue, as an expected bonus or burden, depending what you’re looking for.
In this case, you’d better be in the mood for cultural anthropology travelogue full of tangents and digressions and not a hard science book. Be warned.
3.5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
And what’s the point, you ask? Well, as far as I can gather between the charming distractions, it is the odd and self-centered way we, Homo sapiens, relate to Homo neanderthalensis. A seemingly natural way would be to point out the similarities, the “they are just like us, see?” connection (without stopping to think whether it’s fair or even flattering) — and that’s the easy trap to fall into. As is the semi-opposite on focusing on what we think is not just different but *better* that what we, an aggressive species that seems hell-bent on adapting the world to us rather than adapting to it, are like.
But the thing is, we really don’t know. Too many things are based on speculation or misconceptions or wishful thinking, and in the absence if time machine it’s unlikely to get much clearer since everything will still be filtered through our Homo sapiens views, and complexity of behavior snd language doesn’t fossilize well.
Also, hanging out at one of those Neandertal dig sites seems to be quite a blast.
Still, I’d cut out about half of her digressions for a better book on mainly the Neandertals and not “Neandertals and the tangents on Beebe Bahrami’s adventures in fun and food”. Although it’s a decent travelogue, as an expected bonus or burden, depending what you’re looking for.
In this case, you’d better be in the mood for cultural anthropology travelogue full of tangents and digressions and not a hard science book. Be warned.
3.5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
January 12, 2023
(Left Coast Justin leans back in his chair, scratches his belly and notes two flies joylessly copulating on the ceiling. He turns his glance to the window and begins to idly speculate:)
If I were ever to write a novel, I would want it to be funny. It seems to me that one way of achieving this would be to have the protagonist be an expert in whatever topic the book is about, but meanwhile to have an obsession about something completely unrelated. Thus the reader would never know, when turning the page, which version of the narrator will turn up, producing comedic tension.
(Leans forward in his chair, causing the two front legs strike the floor with a thud, scaring the flies out of their listless endeavors)
Unfortunately, this book has already been written, and is called Cafe Neandertal. Never before have I, while reading a nominal book of popular science, been startled into laughter so often. The author studied anthropology in Spain, France and the US:
-As far as we can tell, there were no left-handed Homo erectus, H. habilis, H. denisovans, H. ergaster or H. neandertalis. Left-handedness has only become apparent in modern H. sapiens sapiens.
-Modern humans first began mating with Neandertals around 60,000 years ago, when we were migrating out of Africa and encountered them in the Middle East. But all of the humans involved in that out-migration apparently went extinct, though some of them had returned to Africa, preserving our Neandertal genes for the next set of humans to set forth into Europe (by which time the Neandertals were no longer around.)
But back to our odd friend, the author:
This was one weird book, but lots and lots of fun. I hope I get to meet Beebe Bahrami some day.
If I were ever to write a novel, I would want it to be funny. It seems to me that one way of achieving this would be to have the protagonist be an expert in whatever topic the book is about, but meanwhile to have an obsession about something completely unrelated. Thus the reader would never know, when turning the page, which version of the narrator will turn up, producing comedic tension.
(Leans forward in his chair, causing the two front legs strike the floor with a thud, scaring the flies out of their listless endeavors)
Unfortunately, this book has already been written, and is called Cafe Neandertal. Never before have I, while reading a nominal book of popular science, been startled into laughter so often. The author studied anthropology in Spain, France and the US:
"Let's go with the evidence." He warmed into the topic, swirling the ice in his scotch. "Don't give me, 'I like Neandertals.' Who cares if you like Neandertals? Oh, and the other argument I love is, 'We don't want to be mean to Neandertals, they're like brothers to us.' Meanwhile, Neandertals lived 250,000 years. We've been around maybe 160,000 years and I think we're going to extinction really fast. So what are you going to tell a Neandertal when you meet him on the street? Are you going to say, 'Hey, aren't you happy to be just like one of us?' He's going to look you in the eyes and say, 'Fuck you. I don't want to be like you.'"Author Bahrami can indeed speak prehistory like a pro, but what she really is is a bon vivant par excellence, a woman who loves her wine and loves her booze and loves nice hotel rooms and excellent food and beefy men, and she struggles to keep her two halves separated even within a paragraph:
Harold is one of the world's experts on Paleolithic stone tools and the skilled flintknapper who had made authentic Neandertal stone tools for the movie version of Clan of the Cave Bear (He liked to add that Daryl Hannah really liked his tool.) He had an archeologist-foodie's figure of a man unafraid of cooking with butter, cream, bacon and duck fat, all in the same dish. Moreover, he loved scotch. He loved big bowls of ice cream. He shared all these social glues generously...She explains her refusal to be boxed into one set of expectations this way: "You can't be a worm in your own turnip."
=====
Before I hightailed it to Burgos to find a place to sleep, I slipped off my backpack, sat at the hotel bar, ordered a beer and asked the innkeeper about the photographs. I knew she was the jefe, for in both photos there was was with Eudald Carbonell, his arm around her shoulders as Jose Maria Bermudez de Castro held before them a 1.2-million-year-old tooth belonging to Homo antecessor. The two men possessed very virile mustaches.
-As far as we can tell, there were no left-handed Homo erectus, H. habilis, H. denisovans, H. ergaster or H. neandertalis. Left-handedness has only become apparent in modern H. sapiens sapiens.
-Modern humans first began mating with Neandertals around 60,000 years ago, when we were migrating out of Africa and encountered them in the Middle East. But all of the humans involved in that out-migration apparently went extinct, though some of them had returned to Africa, preserving our Neandertal genes for the next set of humans to set forth into Europe (by which time the Neandertals were no longer around.)
But back to our odd friend, the author:
We were here for a closer chronological consideration of Pech II and Pech IV (two caves). The only way to Pech II was through Pech I, a sort of cool reality. Like beads on a string, where at different times and for different reasons Neandertals had chosen to live. Here I was now visiting intimately, like the camera probe of a colonoscopy in fact...
This was one weird book, but lots and lots of fun. I hope I get to meet Beebe Bahrami some day.
February 22, 2024
Beebe Bahrami writes a rambling, casual, and vivacious combination foodie travelogue, memoir of living in an archeological dig, and history of Neandertals in her book Café Neandertal. I feel like I am sitting in that café with her having a good gossip about these other humans. I enjoy all of her digressions, and if you are only here for the science, you may feel frustrated.
Bahrami is a cultural anthropologist and journalist. She knows how to put words on the page to pique my interest, draw me in, and keep me engaged.
For those here for the science here's the quick recap:
Neandertals lived in small social groups and moved about to follow plant and animal resources.
They were clever and adaptable; they were able to figure out how to use whatever resources were at hand.
They made complex tools.
They had some type of language, though not necessarily like ours.
They used fire, though it is in debate as to at which point they could intentionally make it.
They worked animal hides.
They built or augmented temporary shelters.
They ate a lot of meat, and also ate plants.
They had complex cooperation, social organization.
They took care of each other.
In her book, Bahrami describes how archeologists and other experts have determined the above.
My one complaint is the lack of graphics in this work. It contains a map of sites and a chart of tools; and it strongly calls out for more. At the very least a table of all of the sites and the dates various groups of Neandertals occupied each as well as a list of all of the "players," their specialties, and their dig locations would be immensely helpful to readers. I am somewhat familiar with all of these, and I still had trouble keeping track, especially with Bahrami's looping writing style.
Bahrami reminds me that at its heart archeology is stories, scenarios of our best guesses; and that we will never really know for certain.
Publication 2017
Bahrami is a cultural anthropologist and journalist. She knows how to put words on the page to pique my interest, draw me in, and keep me engaged.
For those here for the science here's the quick recap:
Neandertals lived in small social groups and moved about to follow plant and animal resources.
They were clever and adaptable; they were able to figure out how to use whatever resources were at hand.
They made complex tools.
They had some type of language, though not necessarily like ours.
They used fire, though it is in debate as to at which point they could intentionally make it.
They worked animal hides.
They built or augmented temporary shelters.
They ate a lot of meat, and also ate plants.
They had complex cooperation, social organization.
They took care of each other.
In her book, Bahrami describes how archeologists and other experts have determined the above.
My one complaint is the lack of graphics in this work. It contains a map of sites and a chart of tools; and it strongly calls out for more. At the very least a table of all of the sites and the dates various groups of Neandertals occupied each as well as a list of all of the "players," their specialties, and their dig locations would be immensely helpful to readers. I am somewhat familiar with all of these, and I still had trouble keeping track, especially with Bahrami's looping writing style.
Bahrami reminds me that at its heart archeology is stories, scenarios of our best guesses; and that we will never really know for certain.
Publication 2017
July 4, 2017
I liked this book a lot more than I expected to. Normally, I don't care for books about science that are written in the first person and filled with anecdotes about the various researchers, but in this case it worked very well. The author used it as a device to present all the differing and conflicting views of the way that we view the Neandertals, which is really based on very little evidence other than bones and stone tools. I know that I certainly view them differently than I used to, no longer having that old "cave man" image in my mind.
It also makes me want to jump on a plane bound for France and to sign up for an archaeology dig in one of the charming locales that she presents so well!
It also makes me want to jump on a plane bound for France and to sign up for an archaeology dig in one of the charming locales that she presents so well!
May 20, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and I'm glad I did.
This is a very enjoyable read written by someone who revels in both getting her hands dirty and then settling down in the evening with the crew to a "civilized, modern" scotch and great food.
I was pleasantly surprised that the author is able to keep to the evidence. As much as she wants to know the "story" behind the Neandertals, she doesn't lean one way or another in any of the questions that seem to keep coming up. Were they like us? Maybe no one will ever find the definitive answers, or maybe someone will find a new undisturbed site that just might.
This is a very enjoyable read written by someone who revels in both getting her hands dirty and then settling down in the evening with the crew to a "civilized, modern" scotch and great food.
I was pleasantly surprised that the author is able to keep to the evidence. As much as she wants to know the "story" behind the Neandertals, she doesn't lean one way or another in any of the questions that seem to keep coming up. Were they like us? Maybe no one will ever find the definitive answers, or maybe someone will find a new undisturbed site that just might.
December 8, 2017
Part history, part travel narrative. Enjoy traveling to the different Neandertal sites along the Mediterranean countries with Beebe a cultural anthropologist (aka journalist). Learn some of the latest developments in the study of our closest relatives in the history of mankind. There are still many questions to be answered but it will make you look at Neandertal's in a different light.
July 8, 2021
3.5 stars. While this was very interesting in many ways as I'm interested in neanderthal and early humans, I didn't find this as engaging and made me obsess over the facts. But still a good book about the subject.
April 19, 2017
The author is a cultural anthropologist turned journalist, and has interviewed and worked with many paleoarchaeologists, especially in the Dordogne, France. Not only has she talked with scientists, she has also spoken with many who follow discoveries closely, even though they are not professionals. The discoveries, observations and reflections are up-to-date, and present a completely different view of Neandertals (and us) than we were taught in school. I found the second half of the book of especial interest, though I may reread the whole thing.
June 24, 2017
I was excited to read this book because it is such and interesting topic. However it is written in a stream of consciousness sort of way and to get to anything interesting you have to wade through a lot of tedium. I can't really recommend this book.
April 27, 2017
I enjoyed reading this exploration of the world of Neandertal paleontology. Bahrami is a cultural anthropologist and journalist who immerses herself in one dig in particular, but also visits several others and discusses the findings, theories, and facts with many of the experts in the field. However, the cafe of the title is about the many discussions that take place, not only among the experts, but also the local communities in France, Spain, and elsewhere, where people are proud of the Neandertal sites in their areas. Bahrami's writing style is rambling, much like sitting across from a friend in a cafe and talking about many things between sips of wine.
June 3, 2017
I picked up this book because I wanted to know more about current work on Neandertals. What I got was a travel memoir with about ten pages' worth of actual data sandwiched between massive spreads of scenery fluffed with dialogue. The reviewer who said this was like "Eat Pray Love" isn't far off: like that author, this one exoticizes and stereotypes nearly everything. (She's SO Thai! They're SO Spanish! OMG France is adorbs!) Neandertals are treated like spiritual advisers on some kind of paleoquest (one of her chapters is literally titled "A Different Sort of Pilgrimage"). And hey, if that's your thing, this book is for you. It certainly wasn't for me.
July 5, 2017
I got captivated by Anthropology during my senior year of college, which led to a Peace Corps tour of duty right after graduation. It was just wonderfully mind-opening to go beyond my own time and culture and get a sense of how wide the possibilities are for human existence.
Cafe Neandertal gave me another fix of that same kind of experience, and I came to it straight out of reading another of Dr. Bahrami's books, her extended love letter to life in the Dordogne region of France, Cafe Oc.
She is unafraid to write with an open heart at the same time she very effectively and memorably opens the doors to the workings of science-devoted minds. You get to meet some remarkable people in these pages, and to share some of their passions and devotion. Your imagination gets to experience a sense of what it might have meant to be a Neandertal and/or a Homo Sapiens in the world as it existed hundreds of thousands of years back.
Not for the sake of boasting, but just to establish that I know my way around with the printed word, I've co-authored nine books for major publishers, including three best-sellers, and I scored 100th percentile on a test of overall literature knowledge and teaching ability. Beebe Bahrami is a writer worth tuning in to. Wise without being cynical, expressive and yet in her own way rigorous, both inviting and rewarding.
Cafe Neandertal gave me another fix of that same kind of experience, and I came to it straight out of reading another of Dr. Bahrami's books, her extended love letter to life in the Dordogne region of France, Cafe Oc.
She is unafraid to write with an open heart at the same time she very effectively and memorably opens the doors to the workings of science-devoted minds. You get to meet some remarkable people in these pages, and to share some of their passions and devotion. Your imagination gets to experience a sense of what it might have meant to be a Neandertal and/or a Homo Sapiens in the world as it existed hundreds of thousands of years back.
Not for the sake of boasting, but just to establish that I know my way around with the printed word, I've co-authored nine books for major publishers, including three best-sellers, and I scored 100th percentile on a test of overall literature knowledge and teaching ability. Beebe Bahrami is a writer worth tuning in to. Wise without being cynical, expressive and yet in her own way rigorous, both inviting and rewarding.
January 9, 2024
Definitely enjoyed reading about Neandertals, learned alot - Bahrami is a passionate guide, and must be an amazing person - speaking 4 languages at least fluently, wonderfully trained, listening, meeting, lunching. She bikes, she treks, she cooks, she swirls ice cubes in Scotch with the leading lights of Neandertal research.
There is so much information here, though. Could have used many more pictures (a graphic novel maybe?) - the map at the front and the time line with the tools were great.
But it got tedious, and I couldn't remember the facts as they poured in mixed with Beebe eating dinner, Beebe meeting some delightful French person for lunch, Beebe jetting off to Paris or Brooklyn or whereever to meet the next person. But very happy to have read it.
There is so much information here, though. Could have used many more pictures (a graphic novel maybe?) - the map at the front and the time line with the tools were great.
But it got tedious, and I couldn't remember the facts as they poured in mixed with Beebe eating dinner, Beebe meeting some delightful French person for lunch, Beebe jetting off to Paris or Brooklyn or whereever to meet the next person. But very happy to have read it.
June 16, 2023
After thoroughly enjoying a non-fiction book on a completely different topic, I took this one up hoping for another really interesting reading experience. Unfortunately, book was overly long and consequently somewhat boring. If this book were a slim volume or a long essay, I would have gotten just as much out of it. Three stars are given mostly because I did get one take away from the book which is a thought I will carry with me as I consider the fate of modern humans going forward.
February 7, 2018
A decent journey from a fellow outsider into the complex world of anthropology, focusing on Neanderthals, their evolution, their interaction with modern humans and the resulting Neanderthal genes we carry, what caused them to go extinct, etc.
At times a little repetitive, and food is described in painstaking, obsessive detail. Every meal the author or the anthropologists or the locals consume, you will know about it. But overall, interesting review of the developing understanding of Neanderthals.
Audiobook reader’s voice starts off as annoying, but as time goes on becomes oddly comforting, like the familiar voice of a favourite aunt.
At times a little repetitive, and food is described in painstaking, obsessive detail. Every meal the author or the anthropologists or the locals consume, you will know about it. But overall, interesting review of the developing understanding of Neanderthals.
Audiobook reader’s voice starts off as annoying, but as time goes on becomes oddly comforting, like the familiar voice of a favourite aunt.
February 22, 2018
Based on the material and the experts interviewed, I would have given this book five stars. But the author spends too many words talking about herself and her experiences. Because the book follows her life instead of making sense out of the material, the book’s organization suffers. A book like this should not be about the writer.
July 5, 2017
I have spent some time in southwest France and in northern Spain. This great book certainly takes me back, and not just to my own experiences in these fascinating areas, but way back in human history. I have always had a hard time understanding prehistory but this book took me there in ways both clear and very enjoyable. I also greatly enjoyed reading about the people who strive to uncover and analyze the evidence from prehistory. This is a great read for anyone interested in what it is to be human.
June 22, 2023
“That's when I realized we all existed in a special place, one I called Café Neandertal. The mixed objectivity and subjectivity of these natives—archaeologists and locals alike—turns out to contain in a microcosm a whole lot about what it is to be human. We think, we perceive, we feel things about others, whether they lived now or half a million years ago. It also reveals the workings of that mystery box between our ears, one guided as much by genes as by natural selection, the environment, and perception.”
TITLE—Café Neandertal
AUTHOR—Beebe Bahrami
PUBLISHED—2017
PUBLISHER—Counterpoint Press
GENRE—literary nonfiction
SETTING—southwestern France: Paleolithic eras
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—archaeology, Neandertal history, Paleolithic eras, European history, innovative field work technology, what does it mean to be “human”?, southwest France travel writing, human philosophy, lots of anecdotes, meticulously researched
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️
CHARACTERIZATION of subjects—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️
STORY/FLOW—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️
PREMISE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (see chapter 2)
EXECUTION—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️
BONUS ELEMENT/S—Just the fact that this book was set for the most part in SW France was so fun. It made me want to book a trip immediately! 😂 You can definitely tell Bahrami is mainly a travel writer.
“…life in the past looked more like what we know life to be: dynamic, changing, full of options and choices that never quite represent a whole culture in one slice of time, certainly not in one set of tools. Process was now in the picture and people who liked nice neat stories had to get used to the fact that their photograph of the past was really a single frame in a movie.”
My thoughts:
Another fantastic #ArchaeoBookclub pick! I actually read the whole thing! 😆
Bahrami’s treatment of the material overall (her thorough research and the way she connected all the elements she was working with together to create a very cohesive big picture), her deep philosophical insights & musings, and how thoughtful and critical she was about all the different perspectives that play a roll in our understanding both of Neandertals and modern humans really impressed me.
I found this entire book wholly fascinating and never for one second considered DNFing—it was practically a 5-⭐️ in spite of the few criticisms I did have:
1) The writing style actually would have been an easy five stars for me in spite of the big EAT PRAY LOVE vibes—I actually kind of liked that style for this book—but the boomerisms were so so bad at times. Almost all of the like jokey bits were sooo cringeee 😬 and there was a lot of cis-/hetero-/allosexual-normativity, some western cultural & philosophical ethnocentrism, and a LOT of ableist language.
2) The characterization of all of her subjects was also really vivid and insightful but there was some doe-eyed hero-worship of the male archaeologists and somewhat condescending fawning over the female characters that were kind of off-putting at times but… it was arguably short of being fully problematic… arguably. In some places it was actually kind of endearing, so…
A few other things to note: the pace definitely slows down in the second half when she starts to get into some of the more intricate data (but those were some of the parts that I found the most interesting so I personally enjoyed them), and the deeper philosophy got a little bit muddy in chapter 10 especially.
“‘All we really have of them are their stone tools and some fossils. That's not enough to build a whole story on, but it is enough to show they were successful, highly intelligent, and best of all, lived with the incredible knowledge about the world around them and did not alter it.’ [—Didier] That's actually saying a lot. How many of us can say these things about ourselves?”
I would recommend this book to readers who are interested in paleo-archaeology/-anthropology/-history. This book is best read on vacation in the SW of France! 🇫🇷🥐🥂
Final note: As far as accessible archaeology books go this one was one of the better ones I’ve read—if you’re ok with quite a few personal, travel, and philosophical tangents, which, I always am. 🤣 I’m actually really tempted to check out more of Bahrami’s travel writing in spite of the issues I had with this book.
“Add a "maybe" to everything in this field, and also, don't let the ink dry.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
CW // HP reference (p 17), quite a bit of ableist language—esp. in ch. 10 😰 (Please feel free to DM me for more specifics!)
Further Reading—
- more archaeology books!
- our next Archaeo Bookclub pick: RIVER KINGS by Cat Jarman
- Nancy Marie Brown
- Alice Roberts—TBR
- CAFÉ OC: A NOMAD’S TALES OF MAGIC, MYSTERY, AND FINDING HOME IN THE DORDOGNE OF SOUTHWESTERN FRANCE by Beebe Bahrami—TBR
January 7, 2021
While this was overall rather interesting, it was also quite drawn out. I missed some kind of structure and think this would have profited from a good round of editing. I enjoyed getting to know all the different dig sites and the kind of "backstage" feel of archeology, but if I would have read (or heard, as I listened to this on audio) one more "this reminded me of..." I think I would have just left it unfinished. ;-)
November 30, 2022
This was a fascinating read and, mostly, it makes me want to visit southern France.
May 31, 2017
Wonderful combination of new updates on Neandertals and a romance with southern France
June 29, 2017
Life is too short to waste reading - to the end - a book like this. Was a sort of high level 'how I spent my summer vacation' book (perhaps not completely fair on my part, I'll admit). But precious little scientific info squeezed in between ecstatic descriptions of the Dordogne region, etc. As another reader commented: unclear what kind of reader this book was intended for.
June 14, 2020
Cafe Neandertal is partly a travelogue and love poem about the people of the Dordogne region of France, partly a rumination about who the Neanderthals were and how they behaved, partly a tribute to the pleasures and travails of archaeology, and partly a review of the latest theories about our Neanderthal cousins through 2017. The book, in other words, wends its way back and forth amid a wide range of topics. That is both a charm and a vice.
The pleasures of the Dordogne region and the deep connection of the modern French population to their ancient past shines through, as do the latest discoveries about the Neanderthals. But the book also tends to meander a bit, and the digressions can be a little annoying if you are anxious to get to the point. I found that my reaction to the book depended a lot on my mood. I really enjoyed the narrative and the style when I wasn’t in a hurry and I could just sit back with a nice glass of burgundy and some excellent brie and soak up the ambience of the Dordogne and the archaeological dig along with the latest news about hominins. Bahrami is at their best as a passionate conversationalist (she must be a great person to have dinner or coffee with), and I found that the best way to approach the book was as a conversation rather than the “just the facts” style I’m accustomed to using on the science books I read.
The pleasures of the Dordogne region and the deep connection of the modern French population to their ancient past shines through, as do the latest discoveries about the Neanderthals. But the book also tends to meander a bit, and the digressions can be a little annoying if you are anxious to get to the point. I found that my reaction to the book depended a lot on my mood. I really enjoyed the narrative and the style when I wasn’t in a hurry and I could just sit back with a nice glass of burgundy and some excellent brie and soak up the ambience of the Dordogne and the archaeological dig along with the latest news about hominins. Bahrami is at their best as a passionate conversationalist (she must be a great person to have dinner or coffee with), and I found that the best way to approach the book was as a conversation rather than the “just the facts” style I’m accustomed to using on the science books I read.
September 22, 2021
I live in the Dordogne, just 4 miles from Les Eyzies, so anytime I see a book that centers around this beautiful area, I read it. I frequent the Café de la Mairie and have spent many long hours in the Musée Nationale de la Préhistoire, so am intimately familiar with the places the author writes about. It seemed as though it would be a natural fit.
But I'm about to stop reading it.
First, maybe foremost, I disagree entirely with her premise for naming the book Café Néandertal. In 30 years here, deeply rooted in the local communities of the Périgord, speaking the language fluently, frequenting the local markets and knowing the local vendors, having passed many an hour in cafés talking to locals, hiring local workers, sharing gardening tips, or whatever, I don't think I have ever once held or heard a conversation that revolved around prehistory. Of course everyone here is acutely aware of the history that surrounds us, but no one talks about it. It certainly isn't the centerpiece of conversation here. Then again, I don't hang around many archaeologists or paleontologists, so perhaps my experience is more unrefined than the author's. Still, the notion that there is some sort of tradition that could frivolously be called the Café Néandertal is far-fetched. Most people here are more concerned that Jean-Jacques lost three fingers in the sawmill on Thursday.
Second, the book is tiring. I felt as though I was dogging someone with severe OCD. She flits from topic to topic with very few, or poor, transitions. One minute it's science and technicalities, and the next she's off for another chat, then she's back at a dig. I'm pretty good at mental multi-tasking, but she wears me out.
Third, beginning with Henry Miller, I've always enjoyed authors' rhapsodies about the Dordogne -- it's hard to avoid being spellbound by this corner of earth -- but this writer misses the mark so widely it's almost puerile. If I want to reflect on a foggy September morning in the Dordogne, give me Martin Walker any time, and he writes murder mysteries for heaven's sake! And I guess scientists aren't expected to be great chefs, but the painfully detailed descriptions of truly odd meals cooked up by Harold are just excessive, and hardly even representative of what actual people here cook and eat. That's all fine; just don't feel the need to tell me about every morsel you consumed. My own journal entries are more accurate, compelling, and thankfully less burdened with verbosity.
I did learn a few new facts about Néandertals. And bears. If the author had stuck to science and facts, I might have enjoyed this book a lot more. As it is, she tries almost desperately to sound like an expert on this region, which she clearly isn't. Her scientific credentials are impressive; she should stick with them and not attempt to blather on about how agog she is with average country life in the Dordogne. She comes across more like an innocent child who's been given a shiny new toy. And a child who can't concentrate.
But I'm about to stop reading it.
First, maybe foremost, I disagree entirely with her premise for naming the book Café Néandertal. In 30 years here, deeply rooted in the local communities of the Périgord, speaking the language fluently, frequenting the local markets and knowing the local vendors, having passed many an hour in cafés talking to locals, hiring local workers, sharing gardening tips, or whatever, I don't think I have ever once held or heard a conversation that revolved around prehistory. Of course everyone here is acutely aware of the history that surrounds us, but no one talks about it. It certainly isn't the centerpiece of conversation here. Then again, I don't hang around many archaeologists or paleontologists, so perhaps my experience is more unrefined than the author's. Still, the notion that there is some sort of tradition that could frivolously be called the Café Néandertal is far-fetched. Most people here are more concerned that Jean-Jacques lost three fingers in the sawmill on Thursday.
Second, the book is tiring. I felt as though I was dogging someone with severe OCD. She flits from topic to topic with very few, or poor, transitions. One minute it's science and technicalities, and the next she's off for another chat, then she's back at a dig. I'm pretty good at mental multi-tasking, but she wears me out.
Third, beginning with Henry Miller, I've always enjoyed authors' rhapsodies about the Dordogne -- it's hard to avoid being spellbound by this corner of earth -- but this writer misses the mark so widely it's almost puerile. If I want to reflect on a foggy September morning in the Dordogne, give me Martin Walker any time, and he writes murder mysteries for heaven's sake! And I guess scientists aren't expected to be great chefs, but the painfully detailed descriptions of truly odd meals cooked up by Harold are just excessive, and hardly even representative of what actual people here cook and eat. That's all fine; just don't feel the need to tell me about every morsel you consumed. My own journal entries are more accurate, compelling, and thankfully less burdened with verbosity.
I did learn a few new facts about Néandertals. And bears. If the author had stuck to science and facts, I might have enjoyed this book a lot more. As it is, she tries almost desperately to sound like an expert on this region, which she clearly isn't. Her scientific credentials are impressive; she should stick with them and not attempt to blather on about how agog she is with average country life in the Dordogne. She comes across more like an innocent child who's been given a shiny new toy. And a child who can't concentrate.
June 13, 2023
According to a couple of home DNA kits, Neandertal ancestry accounts for about 2% of my DNA. I know this because the creators of these little tests know we are into Neandertals. This book knows it too. But are "we" -- the collective populous interested in Neandertals -- as into them as French or Spanish prehistory lovers? Enter "Cafe Neandertal" where cultural anthropologist and journalist, Beebe Bahrami, takes us through parts of Europe where locals are extraordinarily fascinated by the prehistoric past of their regions and are game for a chat about it.
"Cafe Neandertal" is at once a travelogue of Bahrami's journeys on foot through old Neandertal stomping grounds in France and Spain, and also a serious work of scientific nonfiction that does a remarkable job synthesizing and examining what is known and speculated about Neandertals today. What I especially appreciated was her desire to emphasize that these human ancestors were both like us and not like modern humans. To draw direct comparisons is not to see them for themselves.
There are a few things about this book that frustrated me: trying to get a sense of timeline to Bahrami's journeys, wishing there was more story about Bahrami herself since we have so much of the flavor she adds in, and sometimes a desire to paint Neandertals in a favorable light at the expense of modern humans (I thought the argument to maybe stop comparing so much). These are small quibbles with it, though.
"Cafe Neandertal" is no less than one of the best books about Neandertals I have read yet.
If you are interested in prehistory and Neandertals specifically, you should absolutely read this delightful little book.
"Cafe Neandertal" is at once a travelogue of Bahrami's journeys on foot through old Neandertal stomping grounds in France and Spain, and also a serious work of scientific nonfiction that does a remarkable job synthesizing and examining what is known and speculated about Neandertals today. What I especially appreciated was her desire to emphasize that these human ancestors were both like us and not like modern humans. To draw direct comparisons is not to see them for themselves.
There are a few things about this book that frustrated me: trying to get a sense of timeline to Bahrami's journeys, wishing there was more story about Bahrami herself since we have so much of the flavor she adds in, and sometimes a desire to paint Neandertals in a favorable light at the expense of modern humans (I thought the argument to maybe stop comparing so much). These are small quibbles with it, though.
"Cafe Neandertal" is no less than one of the best books about Neandertals I have read yet.
If you are interested in prehistory and Neandertals specifically, you should absolutely read this delightful little book.
November 8, 2019
This book is part of a study I am doing on Neandertals in preparation to lead the Tuesday Academy group next fall. This particular book was recommended by a former member of the Mondanock Lyceum Committee who reviews books on a regular basis. She gave the book high praise and though it is informative, it is also a bit fluffy, hence only 3 stars.
Beebe Bahrami did work on the dig in the Dordogne and is a journalist, so you might expect more. She does know many people in the field and is guided through the Musée de l'Homme by none other than Antoine Balzeau, author of one of the other books I am currently reading.
Some of the science was beyond me but I did learn some interesting trivia. That "cro" in the local dialect means "hole" and that the skull first identified as cro-magnon, was found in a hole in Mr. Magnon's field. That the first Neanderthal fossil was found in 1856 in the Neander Valley, Germany and that modern German changed the spelling of "valley" from "Thal" to "Tal." She argues that with this modernization, many of the researchers, scientists, and anthropologists changed the spelling to "Neandertal" to "show a new era was dawning, since we were no longer so arrogant as to assign brutishness to these very sophisticated cousins," but it took me until page 181 to find this out.
So, a personable book, and though the science is good, and the people interesting, too much 'scotch time' and other anecdotes to make it useful for the group. I'm glad I read it though!
Beebe Bahrami did work on the dig in the Dordogne and is a journalist, so you might expect more. She does know many people in the field and is guided through the Musée de l'Homme by none other than Antoine Balzeau, author of one of the other books I am currently reading.
Some of the science was beyond me but I did learn some interesting trivia. That "cro" in the local dialect means "hole" and that the skull first identified as cro-magnon, was found in a hole in Mr. Magnon's field. That the first Neanderthal fossil was found in 1856 in the Neander Valley, Germany and that modern German changed the spelling of "valley" from "Thal" to "Tal." She argues that with this modernization, many of the researchers, scientists, and anthropologists changed the spelling to "Neandertal" to "show a new era was dawning, since we were no longer so arrogant as to assign brutishness to these very sophisticated cousins," but it took me until page 181 to find this out.
So, a personable book, and though the science is good, and the people interesting, too much 'scotch time' and other anecdotes to make it useful for the group. I'm glad I read it though!
March 15, 2022
Café Neandertal is a book by Beebe Bahrami. The fossil record can tell us some things about Neanderthal society, but some things don’t fossilize.
The most obvious thing that doesn’t fossilize is behavior. We don’t know if Neanderthals could make fire or bury their dead. We know they used fire, but we don't know if they made it or if they happened upon the site of a lightning strike. We find buried bodies, but we don't know if it was purposeful.
I know France has several famous Paleolithic sites, but I can only name Lascaux. In Café Neandertal, Bahrani discusses the positives of living in the southwest of France. The climate and food availability made for an attractive place to live. In drawing that comparison, Bahrani imagines that we are all similar lifeforms, with hopes, dreams, and desires.
In that sense, I am reminded of the late Terry Pratchett and his comments on how we were incorrectly named. Rather than Homo Sapiens, we should be Pan narrans, the Storytelling Ape. We thrive on reasons for things, coming up with spurious explanations all the time. There is no way to know for sure with Neanderthals unless we get a fuller fossil record. So we make tales about it.
Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
The most obvious thing that doesn’t fossilize is behavior. We don’t know if Neanderthals could make fire or bury their dead. We know they used fire, but we don't know if they made it or if they happened upon the site of a lightning strike. We find buried bodies, but we don't know if it was purposeful.
I know France has several famous Paleolithic sites, but I can only name Lascaux. In Café Neandertal, Bahrani discusses the positives of living in the southwest of France. The climate and food availability made for an attractive place to live. In drawing that comparison, Bahrani imagines that we are all similar lifeforms, with hopes, dreams, and desires.
In that sense, I am reminded of the late Terry Pratchett and his comments on how we were incorrectly named. Rather than Homo Sapiens, we should be Pan narrans, the Storytelling Ape. We thrive on reasons for things, coming up with spurious explanations all the time. There is no way to know for sure with Neanderthals unless we get a fuller fossil record. So we make tales about it.
Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
September 18, 2024
Having read other books about Neandertals, I've found it hard to visualize the different dig sites and keep them straight in my mind. This book appealed to me because of the narrow geographic focus, but it wasn't what I expected. So much of this book read like a travelogue, and frankly if I'm going to read about someone traveling, I want it to be somewhere dangerous and unpleasant where I would never go. Instead I am full of envy at the author's life in France and all the delicious food she eats.
People writing about Neandertals always try to be objective, but it's impossible when the evidence is so limited and the possibilities inherent in the idea of humans who are like us but not are so tantalizing. The author interviews a whole host of experts, and it makes for a muddled picture, but over and over again Neandertals are described as better than modern humans--more creative, free-thinking, adaptable--at things we think of our species as excelling at. To be honest, I began to feel a bit offended.
There's some good stuff in here, and I don't regret reading it, but overall, the style just wasn't to my taste.
People writing about Neandertals always try to be objective, but it's impossible when the evidence is so limited and the possibilities inherent in the idea of humans who are like us but not are so tantalizing. The author interviews a whole host of experts, and it makes for a muddled picture, but over and over again Neandertals are described as better than modern humans--more creative, free-thinking, adaptable--at things we think of our species as excelling at. To be honest, I began to feel a bit offended.
There's some good stuff in here, and I don't regret reading it, but overall, the style just wasn't to my taste.
January 7, 2025
I know reading extensively about Neandertals is not for everyone, but this book is a delight. Author is an archaeologist and a writer and is very interested in our "cousins" the Neandertals. She studies about them and follows groups on digs and interviews experts on the subject and brings it to life. I found it very interesting to read. It's a casual sort of book, not very technical, but yet informative. Learned a lot and truly enjoyed reading it. Her writing is clear and conversational and very enthusiastic, with a little philosophising. She tells about many of her conversations with people directly involved with digs and lab work working on fossils. Mostly it's a dig in the Dordogne section of France, so they have social exchanges between all the experts and you feel like you are sitting with them enjoying a cool drink overhearing the experts analyzing about Neanderthal lives, tools, beliefs, whether they had language, whether they did burials, whether they knew how to start fires, etc.
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