The World Before Us: Meeting our Ancestors with Prof. Tom Higham by Simran Kaur Saini

 Ding, ding, ding went the notification,

Thump, thump, thump really went my heartstrings.

In front of me lies my copy of The World Before Us by Tom Higham. It has been months since that wondrous evening back in March. The evening still comes as a brief dream now and then. Just like the sporadic Delhi rain that enlivens me in its ephemeral interactions. Such was the impact of that day that it yielded a beautiful keepsake as well: this book in front of me. Who knew that an interaction and a book can fundamentally change a person? To an extent that I, and everyone at the Research Wing, still cannot get over this sweet addiction of Human Evolution and genetics? To an extent that my evenings during my final university exams were spent discussing this book at great length rather than revising my class notes? It definitely did and I am so glad for it. For all those wondering why that musical interlude at the start, well, I can only just apologize for all the further encomiastic verses that are going to crop up throughout this blog. So before I lose track and just keep on gushing like I do when I fangirl, let us rewind the clock a little and travel back to March 22nd, 2021.

Now, previous blogs have established the fact that I have been inducted in the “I cannot get enough of Paleolithic” cult (or so I would really like to call it). Trysts with human evolution and the unpredictability with which it throws curveballs at you just like the Olympics, made us all fall in love with it more. Well, you know, as they say that humans really indeed adore the unknown and the thrill it brings once you fall into its intrigues. Nevertheless, so fine one day, all of us at the Research Wing, having just recovered from the fantastic session by Prof. Chris Stringer, were discussing Rock Art when this message popped up: “Prof. Tom Higham will be delivering a talk soon at SA”. Just that one line and, if you know us by now, we erupted into a frenzy as if we had just discovered a treasure. First of all, this lecture was an elixir to us, yearning paleolithic group members. Secondly, Prof. Tom Higham, a person that we all thought would only be accessible to us in the form of research papers, was going to interact with us. That too live! Now put these both facts together. Viola! You have a dreamy evening. Thus, begins our beautiful sojourn with the hominins.

I was a nervous ball (aren’t I always?) but when sir started his talk with the line that archeology means Indiana Jones for most people, I knew we were all in for a session filled with fun statements and a wit that one would aspire to have. The session began with how we are in a golden age of exploration, an age where everyone has started to recognize that the field of evolution is no simple canvas but rather a complex puzzle with even more complex pieces. Little did I know that I was to now reckon the power of dating and genetics in full force during this session. The story of our genus Homo brought to fore some important questions. What happened to our extinct relatives? Did we ever meet? Did we exchange genes, or culture and ideas? When did this happen? Playing guessing games in the quest of solving these questions, sadly, do not produce exact answers like an oracle. But then, is the Paleolithic past ever limited to that needle in the haystack? Oh, never!

Our quest started with understanding the dynamics of exchange and interaction between the hominin species. Prof. Higham talked about how ornaments, seen as global markers of “modern behaviour”, have a symbolic resonance and form an important source in understanding the linkages and changes in the archaeological record. This rings true especially when we look at the Aurignacian. The ornaments become vital when exploring the relations between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, our dear Neanderthals further being subjected to the great debate about their capabilities. The debates don’t cease here (well do they ever in the paleolithic?). Prof. Higham also touched upon the debates surrounding the stone tool industries such as the Châtelperronian and the loaming question of who influenced who. We also touched upon the question without which virtually each talk on Human Evolution is incomplete: the question of Neanderthal Extinction. A map with 40 sites was in front of us. No, it was not just a simple map but rather reflected a rigorous process of scientific dating in order to locate a probable end date for the Neanderthals. 200 Carbon AMS dates were taken from these sites which ultimately gave a time frame of 41,000-39,000 years ago for the latest Neanderthal sites. In other words, the probable dates for when we finally bid Neanderthals a goodbye.

The story of early modern humans, however, is not an isolated affair. Just like you cannot fully understand the Marvel movies without seeing all, it is a similar case here too. Oh, have you forgotten the maxim already? Nothing is as simple or comprehensible in the paleolithic. We took a short tour to Cavallo Cave in Italy to illustrate this point. Revised analysis of the teeth changed the site to that of modern humans as opposed to Neanderthals, that too earlier than the Aurignacian. This further has great implications when one looks at a potential overlap between modern humans and Neanderthals. Did you just go through a “Wow, it is so fascinating” moment? Because I certainly did at that time. Brace yourself as there is more to come in this entire session. 

The interesting saga of Neanderthal and early modern humans continued as Prof. Higham highlighted recent research work that has been done in areas such as the Bruniquel Cave in France and La Pasiega in Spain. The Paleolithic is a vast ocean, but if you search hard enough, you will find some of the most mesmerizing things. This is what happened here. A series of further analysis of different sites and artefacts added a new dimension to the question of overlap. That, perhaps, this overlap was not solely genetic but also an overlap and exchange of ideas and culture. In this story, though all moments made me awestruck, the dalliance with the Denisovans, however, was my most awaited part. The enigma of the Denisovans was made so much alluring with detailed descriptions of the site's geography, finds, and stratigraphy. The highlight was getting introduced to ZooMS in order to find hominin remains in the scores of animal bones. The project, as I realized later on while reading the book, was as thrilling as it could get. I will not spill the beans on this project otherwise it would be akin to giving spoilers to a captivating narrative. 

It is now time to bring our story to an end. 

Oh well, not just yet. Every story also has to have a great climax, isn’t it?

The session proved that paleolithic becomes complicated more and more each time one looks at it. As sir himself put it, “That is the nature of archaeology.” New clues arising from new dating techniques and advances both give you answers yet befuddle you even more. However, the session for me was just a trailer. The real “I have goosebumps” moment came when I held The World Before Us in my hands and finished reading it within a week. The book was the climax to this talk. The me who could not at one point even go through paleolithic papers without being intimidated by them would surely be shocked at how the same person kept on reading this book again and again for months. Now, I apologize again if it seems like a review section of sorts but that is what Prof. Tom Higham and his book does to anyone who reads it. The book makes you awestruck with the way questions, that I outlined before and many more, are dealt with. The writing, just like the lecture, is so lucid yet engaging that at one point I felt as if I was also there on all the discoveries that were being made. Which ones and where you may ask? Just like how describing a delicious dish is not the same as actually eating it, it is the same with this session and book. Check out the session on youtube as well as read the book, and you will know!

With that my friends, I will go back to my cup of steaming coffee and The World Before Us yet again.