The net result was a massive drop in population that also collapsed many of the civilizations that existed. Apparently even they didn’t realize they had done it. First of all, there was apparently a massive small pox endemic after the Europeans accidently brought it here. The legendary view of the American Indians (the author uses the word “Indian” throughout and explains why this is the preferred term) is that of a small group of humans at one with the land. One recent claim is that the population of the Americas prior to Columbus’ arrival was much large than early estimates. Population of the Americas – The Impact on the Environment But here are some interesting new directions that seem worthy of note. The book is based on the most current research on the subject, though I must warn you that even our best most recent research seems quite tentative to me, as the author often admits. I recently finished Charles Mann’s book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus and wanted to do a quick book review.Īs the title indicates, this is a book about what the civilizations of the American continent were like before Columbus arrived.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |