authors:
- Thomas, Nicholas
content: 'A nice description of the controversies and investigations of the settlement
  of the Pacific Ocean islands by several different waves of people. It''s a wonderful
  and fascinating story. In particular, the skills involved in navigating the deep
  sea using the stars and reading the signs of the ocean are humbling. The traditions
  and techniques developed by these expert seafarers were amazing, and happily there
  are now efforts to remember and revive the old ways.


  The author Nicholas Thomas convincingly argues that the expansion of humans into
  Oceania could not have been primarily a random affair of shore-bound craft being
  blown off-course, or people being swept out on rafts by tsunamis. One important
  point is that the expansion took place in distinct pushes, historically brief, with
  long periods of little change in between.


  The narrative focuses perhaps a little too much on the historical ideas and prejudices
  in the development of the sciences involved, but given the strong influence of racist
  ideas in interpreting the facts, it is understandable. The book is amply illustrated
  with many historical renderings, and though the maps are very useful, I do miss
  a schematic map showing the approximate geographical and temporal paths of the expansion.
  But it is nevertheless a book very well worth reading.'
date: '2022-11-11'
edition:
  published: '2021'
  publisher: Basic Books
goodreads: '55660732'
html: '<p>A nice description of the controversies and investigations of the settlement
  of the Pacific Ocean islands by several different waves of people. It''s a wonderful
  and fascinating story. In particular, the skills involved in navigating the deep
  sea using the stars and reading the signs of the ocean are humbling. The traditions
  and techniques developed by these expert seafarers were amazing, and happily there
  are now efforts to remember and revive the old ways.</p>

  <p>The author Nicholas Thomas convincingly argues that the expansion of humans into
  Oceania could not have been primarily a random affair of shore-bound craft being
  blown off-course, or people being swept out on rafts by tsunamis. One important
  point is that the expansion took place in distinct pushes, historically brief, with
  long periods of little change in between.</p>

  <p>The narrative focuses perhaps a little too much on the historical ideas and prejudices
  in the development of the sciences involved, but given the strong influence of racist
  ideas in interpreting the facts, it is understandable. The book is amply illustrated
  with many historical renderings, and though the maps are very useful, I do miss
  a schematic map showing the approximate geographical and temporal paths of the expansion.
  But it is nevertheless a book very well worth reading.</p>

  '
isbn: '9781541619838'
language: en
lastmod: '2022-11-11'
path: /library/thomas-2021.html
published: '2021'
rating: 4
reference: Thomas 2021
reviewed: '2022-11-11'
subjects:
- history
- human-evolution
title: 'Voyagers: The Settlement of the Pacific'
type: book
year: 2021