IDEAS
A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud
PETER WATSON
For Bebe
There are no whole truths;
All truths are half-truths.
It is trying to treat them as
Whole truths that plays the devil .
-ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD, DIALOGUES (1953)
While it may be hard to live with generalizations, it is inconceivable to live without them .
-PETER GAY, SCHNITZLER'S CENTURY (2002)
A DF Books NERDs Release
Contents
Author's Note
Introduction: The Most Important Ideas in History-Some Candidates
Prologue: The Discovery of Time
PART ONE: LUCY TO GILGAMESH
The Evolution of Imagination
1. Ideas Before Language
Scavenging-bipedalism and meat-eating-upright posture-the oldest artefacts-changes in brain size and hand-axes-fire-ochre-burial-Neanderthals-the first 'abstract' idea- Berekhet Ram-'the cultural explosion'-cave art-Venus figurines-'split houses'-sexual imagery-textiles-beads and ritual
2. The Emergence of Language and the Conquest of Cold
The size of early groups-hunting tools-'tailored' clothing-proto-languages-Siberia to Alaska : Mal'ta, Afontova Gora, Dyukhtai, Berelekh, Denali-sinodonty-the Neanderthals' hyoid bone-the language gene-Nostratic and other mother tongues-the first sounds-the first words-the first writing? 3. The Birth of the Gods, the Evolution of House and Home Domestication of plants and animals-'hot spots'-'founder crops'-increasing control of fire-cultivation of cereals-fertile crescent-drawbacks of agriculture-a more arid world- population crises in pre-history-sedentism-health crisis in pre-history-sedentary foraging- the first houses-Natufian/Khiamian cultures-the Woman and the Bull, the origin of religion-'fire-pits'-first use of clay-female figurines-transition from stone to pottery- megaliths-stone temples of Malta-the Great Goddess-'Old Europe'-copper smelting- bronze-iron-daggers, mirrors and coins-the intellectual impact of money 4. Cities of Wisdom The first cities-'temple cities'-temple cult-origin of writing-tokens-Vinca marks (Old European scripts)-Indian script-first pictographs-cuneiform at Shuruppak-early names and lists-syllabary and then alphabet-Ras Shamra (Ugarit)-the first schools-the first archives/libraries-the first literary texts-Gilgamesh-the 'en' and the 'lugal': rival leaders- the wheel-domestication of the horse-horses and war-the first law codes PART TWO: ISAIAH TO ZHU XI The Romance of the Soul 5. Sacrifice, Soul, Saviour: 'the Spiritual Breakthrough' Sexuality in agriculture-self-denial as the basis of sacrifice-'sky gods'-concepts of the soul-Indo-Aryans and the soul in the Rig Veda-Greek ideas of the psyche and thymos-the afterlife and the underworld-Islands of the Blessed-paradise-napistu/nephesh-the 'Axial Age'-stone worship in the Bible-Yahweh becomes the dominant god-the prophets of Israel-Zarathustra-Mithras-Hinduism-the Buddha-Pythagoras-the Orphics-Plato- Aristotle-Confucius-Taoism 6. The Origins of Science, Philosophy and the Humanities Homer-the Odyssey and the Iliad-myth-'hoplite' infantry-coins and agriculture-Dracon- Solon as tyrant-Athenian democracy-the polis-Pericles and the golden age-the Assembly- Ionian science-Pythagoras and square numbers-the planets as 'wanderers'-atomic theory-Hippocrates and Asclepius: early medicine-sophistry-Protagoras and Xenophanes: scepticism leads to philosophy-Socrates-Plato-Aristotle-tragedy-Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides-history-Herodotus and Thucydides-sculpture-the Parthenon-Phidias-Myron- vase painting-Praxiteles and the female nude-Eastern influences on Greece-the birth of Greek individualism 7. The Ideas of Israel , the Idea of Jesus Israel in exile-the invention of Judaism-circumcision, the Sabbath, the synagogue-Cyrus the Great-the creation of the Old Testament-doubts over Abraham, Noah and Moses- doubts over the Exodus, Solomon and David-pagan Yahwehism-Genesis: E, J and P sources-the Septuagint-Apocrypha-Greek and Hebrew literature compared-Sadducees, Pharisees, Zealots and Essenes-the idea of the Messiah-Herod-the idea of Jesus- discrepancies in the gospels-pagan ideas of virgin birth-the role of Galilee-the Crucifixion-the Resurrection-Jesus never intended to create a new religion-Paul and Mark 8. Alexandria , Occident and Orient in the Year 0 Time in the ancient world-Babylonian astronomy-reconciling lunar time and solar time- shabbatum-Greek aion or sacred time-clepsydras in Rome-Latin months and Roman time-Alexandria as a 'centre of calculation'-its great library-Erotosthenes-Euclid- Apollonius-Archimedes-Ptolemy-Orphic mysteries-Platonism and Christianity-Clement- Philo-Neoplatonism-empiricism-time in India-Buddhism and Christianity-Judas Thomas in India-the Maurya era-Chandragupta-the Rock Edicts-Ashoka-Mahabharata and Ramayana-rock-cut temples-yoga-The Lotus of the Good Law-Buddhism in China-time in China-Imperial Confucianism-'correspondence and resonance'-the imperial academy and the five classics-Mahayana/Hinayana Buddhism-Asvaghosa- paradise/Amitabha-'ostentatious generosity'-the water-mill-the wheelbarrow-the rudder- the invention of paper 9. Law, Latin, Literacy and the Liberal Arts Utilitas and power in ancient Rome-republicanism-magistracy replaces kingship- imperium-the Senate-law and the Twelve Tables-iudices-status, dignitas and patria potestas-paterfamilias-manus-types of Roman marriage-education and the core curriculum-Latin, its history and effects-the golden and silver ages of Latin-rhetoric- literacy-public libraries-papyrus, parchment and early techniques of scholarship-epitomes and compendia-scrolls and codices-Cicero and humanitas-Virgil-Galen-concrete-the idea of the classics 10. Pagans and Christians, Mediterranean and Germanic Traditions Decline of the Roman empire-Christians in Rome-problems with the gospel of St Mark- Paul-Jewish Christianity-paganism in Rome-early Christian martyrs-Constantine- observation of Sunday-pagan/Christian synthesis-'gift of the spirit'-the idea of bishop-the rise of Rome-monasticism-predecessors of the Bible-Paul's epistles-Clement of Alexandria-Jerome-Augustine-Gregory the Great-the Easter controversy- BC/AD -' barbaros', early ideas of barbarians-the idea of the Middle Ages-Celtic and Germanic tribes-barbarian gods-the Huns-the division between Latin and Germanic peoples 11. The Near-Death of the Book, the Birth of Christian Art The effects of barbarian depredations-Christians reject science-Christian view of rhetoric-'the closing of the Western mind'-suspicion of books-atrophy of debate-Rome's libraries closed-Justinian closes the philosophical school in Athens-Alexandria isolated- decline of translation-preservation of the classics in Byzantium-Themistius-the 'transmitters'-Martianus Capella-Boethius-Cassiodorus-Isidore-paper in the West-a new script: cursive miniscule-the Stoudios monastery-beginnings of punctuation-imperial university revived in Constantinople-Photius and his list of lost books-the birth of Christian art-the first churches-catacombs of Rome-Dura-Europos-Ravenna-icons-the iconoclast controversy-new rules for Christian art 12. Falsafah and al-Jabr in Baghdad and Toledo Pre-eminence of poetry-the Golden Odes-'the time of ignorance'-Mecca and the tribe of Quraysh-Muhammad-the Night of Power-the Qur'an-five pillars of Islam-origins of Arabic-the caliphate-Shi'as and Sunnis-hadith-Islamic aesthetics-Dome of the Rock-al- Mansur-Baghdad-Gondeshapur-al-Ma'mun-al-Farabi-House of Wisdom-the great translators-hospitals and madrasas-the first pharmacy-early doctors: al-Razi and Ibn Sina-al-Khwarizmi and Hindu-Arabic numerals-al-Jabr-early chemistry-falsafah-al-