Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills - Softcover

Wescott, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0879059117 ISBN 13: 9780879059118

Publisher: Gibbs Smith, 2001

Synopsis

Living in modern society, we have become increasingly disassociated from the earth, from the essence of ourselves, and the need is awakened in us to return to the wilderness--physically and emotionally. We long to feel a sense of connection with our ancient roots. This urge is what has prompted man's fascination with primitive skills: producing objects from natural materials using methods similar to prehistoric cultures.
Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills is a sharing of ideas--the philosophies, the history, and the personal stories by the authorities on primitive technology from teh pages of The Bulletin of Primitive Technology.
Included are instructions for creating fire and tools of wood, stone, and bone, as well as fiber adhesives, projectiles, art, and music. Practicing these primitive methods will lead the seeker towards a tangible, raw connection with the ancient past, with nature's resources and, ultimately, with the creative forces that constructed the foundation of man's survival on the planet.

About this title

About the Author

David Wescott is author of Camping in the Old Style and editor of Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills. Formerly education director for the Boulder Outdoor School, he has been a leading figure in wilderness education for more than thirty years. He lives with his wife in Rexburg, Idaho.

From the Inside Flap

Contents Foreword Section 1--Primitive Technology Section 2--Fire--Where We Begin Section 3--Bone, Stone & Wood--Basic Elements Section 4--Fibers--Holding The World Together Section 5--Projectiles--Power From The Human Hand Section 6--Art & Music--Discipline and Meaning

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Experimental archeology may be defined as "that branch of archeology which seeks to interpret culture, technology, or lifeways of the past by means of structured, scientific experimentation: (Callahan ms:87). Reconstructive archeology, closely akin to experimental archeology, involves "interpretation of material culture and technology by means of physical reconstruction, using either experiential (Level II) or experimental (Level III) means" (ibid.). Only the latter may be termed "experimental archeology. Level I projects, although attempts at reconstruction, may not lay claim to the term "reconstructive archeology."

Edition details

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0879059117
• ISBN 13: 9780879059118
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232