I will start the review off with a warning, this book is not a light read. Although aimed at the popular market rather that
the dusty halls of academia, Oppenheimers book is not only large, at over 500 pages, but is brimming with scientific information and new theories. That said, if you find that questioning the accepted history of the birth of
civilization, is worth the time and effort this book demands, then you will be richly rewarded.
As a general outline, the book is about the effect of events in South-East asia in ancient times, and their affect on the growth of civilization as we know it. There are not many authors, in the Western World anyway, who have tackled the issue from this geographical view point. Most books on the development of civilization, have a very occidental bias, and imply that all important
migrations and technological break throughs have began in the west or middle east and been exported eastwards to the orient. Oppenheimer presents a case for redressing that unbalanced opinion.
As the Ice Age came to an end and large amounts of water were released into the Sea, naturally the Sea level rose, flooding low lying lands and coastal area. One area that has been largely ignored, which was lost to this affect was the Sunda shelf. This shelf was once a land mass the size of India, the remnants of which can be seen as the islands and archipeligos of South-East Asia. One of the obvious points drawn is that in an area of that size, a massive amount of archaeological information would have been lost below the water. In the same way that the academics are starting to realise that the such for the mysteries of the Sumerian culture would be aided by underwater research in the Persian Gulf, the search for the ancient culture bearers of the far east should take place under the waters around, Malaya, Java, Vietnam and the surrounding Islands. The second obvious point to be drawn is, if so much land was innundated, where did the population go? And that is the very heart of the book.
Oppenheimer`s back ground is medical and it was through his work in the field of genetics that his interest in the problem started. As a result of not being a historical or archaeological biased researcher, he conducts his study from many different disciplines, ones that are normally overlooked by the mainstream academics. As well as genetics, linguistics play an important role,as do botany and mythology. It is by using this multi-discipline approach that interesting links are highlighted between places as far flung as New Guinea and the Czech republic.
Not only does the book present the argument for migrations from east to west, but some of the big questions, such as the origins of Rice cultivation, come under attack. Also most of the mythological motifs of Europe and the Middle East seem to have their origins in South East Asia, the obvioius one being the Fflood itself. As people move from on drowning homeland to new places of opportunity, they take with them not only the physical and technological markers, but their history and beliefs. It is in this realm that many convincing arguments are concieved, as the stories and beliefs of those migrants get a new home, subsequent generations naturally adapt those belief systems to their new surroundings, and thus lore and legend get re-located. So does all this mean that the origins of the very foundations of Western Civilization lie in the migrations of dispossessed asian and polynesian peoples? Read the book.
It is a book that challenges the mainstream arguments that are currently held as carved in stone, and although you will probably close the book with more questions that answers, the information that has just been put before you will show you that there are still areas of history that can be totally shaken up, areas that need to be questioned into submission. As someone once said "only the wise know that they know nothing", and that would be a good adage for the modern day establishmeent to remember. This book should certainly liven up the debate.