David Lewis-Williams

Offers an explanation for the origins of prehistoric cave art, providing a glimpse into the mind of humankind's earliest ancestors and insights into the relationship between consciousness and artistic representation. Reprint.

Consciousness and the Origins of Art

The Mind in the Cave

David Pearce

Drawing on the latest research, this brilliantly argued, elegantly written book examines belief, myth and society in the Neolithic period, arguably the most significant turning point in human history, when the society we know was born. Linking consciousness, imagery and belief systems the authors create a bridge to the thought-lives of the past.

Consciousness, Cosmos and the Realm of the Gods

Inside the Neolithic Mind

Jean Clottes

The universality of shamanistic power and practice among today's hunter-gatherers - along with the similarity of rock art found in varied sites around the world - has led Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams to suggest in this new book that the great art of paleolithic caves can be best understood through the lens of shamanism. Indeed, this is not a monograph on a particular site, but a general discussion of the art of painted caves and their shamanistic meaning. Through the authors' revealing words and the abundant full-color illustrations, we follow shamans into their trance states, and we watch as they carefully paint and engrave on rock surfaces the shapes of animals whose power they seek. As we learn how drawings and rituals were likely modes of shamanistic contact, we understand best the actions, accomplishments, and traces left behind by prehistoric shamans.

Shamans of Prehistory

An exploration of how brain structure and cultural content interacted in the Neolithic period 10,000 years ago to produce unique life patterns and belief systems. What do the headless figures found in the famous paintings at Catalhoyuk in Turkey have in common with the monumental tombs at Newgrange and Knowth in Ireland? How can the concepts of "birth," "death," and "wild" cast light on the archaeological enigma of the domestication of cattle? What generated the revolutionary social change that ended the Upper Palaeolithic? David Lewis-Williams's previous book, The Mind in the Cave, dealt with the remarkable Upper Palaeolithic paintings, carvings, and engravings of western Europe. Here Dr. Lewis-Williams and David Pearce examine the intricate web of belief, myth, and society in the succeeding Neolithic period, arguably the most significant turning point in all human history, when agriculture became a way of life and the fractious society that we know today was born. The authors focus on two contrasting times and places: the beginnings in the Near East, with its mud-brick and stone houses each piled on top of the ruins of another, and western Europe, with its massive stone monuments more ancient than the Egyptian pyramids. They argue that neurological patterns hardwired into the brain help explain the art and society that Neolithic people produced. Drawing on the latest research, the authors skillfully link material on human consciousness, imagery, and religious concepts to propose provocative new theories about the causes of an ancient revolution in cosmology and the origins of social complexity. In doing so they create a fascinating neurological bridge to the mysterious thought-lives of the past and reveal the essence of a momentous period in human history. 100 illustrations, 20 in color.

Inside the Neolithic Mind: Consciousness, Cosmos, and the Realm of the Gods

Now in compact paperback, a compelling examination of how brain structure and cultural context interacted in the Neolithic period, 10,000 years ago, to produce unique patterns in belief systems.

At once polemical, insightful and thought-provoking, Conceiving God is essential reading for all those interested in the origins of religious thought, and the respective roles of science and religion in contemporary society. Building on the insights and discoveries of his two earlier books, The Mind in the Cave and Inside the Neolithic Mind, cognitive archaeologist David Lewis-Williams explores how science developed within the cocoon of religion and then shows how the natural functioning of the human brain creates experiences that can lead to belief in the supernatural realm.

The Cognitive Origin and Evolution of Religion

Conceiving God

El arte que se creó en las profundidades de las cuevas de Europa occidental a finales del periodo glacial produce admiración y asombro a partes iguales. ¿Qué nos dicen los animales y los símbolos pintados sobre las paredes de cuevas como las de Lascaux, Chauvet y Altamira acerca de la naturaleza de la mente ancestral? ¿Cómo surgieron, por así decirlo, de la nada? La mente en la caverna ofrece la explicación más convincente de todas las que hasta ahora se han propuesto para los orígenes del arte: la respuesta se halla en la evolución de la mente humana. En sus distintos capítulos, el autor combina toda una vida de investigación antropológica con los avances en el ámbito de la neurología más recientes para mostrar cómo los Cro-Magnon, a diferencia de los neandertales, poseían una conciencia de nivel superior y una estructura neurológica más avanzada que les permitían experimentar trances chamanísticos e intensas imágenes mentales que, con el tiempo, tuvieron la necesidad de «fijar» sobre las paredes de las cuevas. El resultado es un libro apasionante, un trabajo casi detectivesco que arroja luz sobre los misterios de nuestros primeros antepasados y sobre la naturaleza de nuestra propia conciencia y experiencia.

David Lewis-Williams

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