I’ve always found it disappointing that, as a society, we traditionally perceive violence and competition as central to human progress and survival. While evidence for this very Hobbesian state of affairs exists, recent archaeological and anthropological discoveries reveal our ancestors’ complex, creative, and intelligent nature through remarkable scientific and artistic achievements.

While reading this beautiful work, I was taken on a journey through pre-agricultural megalithic structures. Their crumbling walls rise defiantly from the earth and align with the geometry of the heavens as if to profess the wisdom of those once deemed incapable of such large communal feats. Circular mega-sites elucidate a profoundly layered and mathematical approach to mutual aid, mapped against the backdrop of the solstices, possibly spanning hundreds of generations. The dazzling mysteries of Bronze Age Minoan Crete are exemplified in their works of art. They show women as active political leaders and challenge the “popular” anthropological view that female leadership in the ancient world is rare.

In this day and age, the tendency to cling to narrow perspectives out of fear of the work it will require to contend with the raw complexities of a multifaceted reality is profound—science (and the cultural zeitgeist) must evolve when discoveries challenge existing paradigms and call for new frameworks of thought—our perception of the past shapes our vision of the future and we should never limit our capacity to co-create new and better ways of being together on this planet. I am grateful to the Double Davids for their concise exploration of this vital topic, and I highly recommend this book if you want to have your mind BLOWN.