Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 The Turning Point of History

The Axial Age

2 Serious People, Bad Ideas

An Inquisition on the Axial Age

3 Procrustes and His Bed

Mutilating the Facts to Fit a Theory

4 Happy Hunting (and Gathering)

The Dark Green Golden Age

5 Hard Times in the Paleolithic

Constant Battles and Unequal Rights

6 Ecologically Noble Ancestors?

Why Spiritual People Don't Necessarily Look after Their Living Space

7 You Can't Always Get What You Want

Desire (and Need) and the Past

8 The Past Reloaded

A Brief History of Ancient Time

9 On Loving Your Dead Neighbor

Violence, Knowledge, and History

10 On Truth and Consequences

Why Myths about the Past Matter

Notes

Bibliography

Index