For our July meetup I will discuss Ian Hodder's work on the transition from semi-nomadic hunting and gathering to agriculture and urban living based on his magisterial studies of the growth of Çatalhöyük - one of the earliest towns. Hodder summarizes his ideas in a new essay published 9 March to the web: Studies in Human-Thing Entanglement To me, this deals with the core issue of my book and last year's series of presentations how humans came to make things (i.e., technology) and how things have made humans into something entirely new in the evolution of Earth's biosphere. If not, I'll talk on the topic.
For more background see Episode 5(5) - Mnemonics & the rise of social complexity (5 November 2015).
If someone wants to present on this topic, please contact me directly on [masked], and I will help you with additional references.
As usual, after the formal discussion we will gather at a local pub or bistro for more informal talk and dinner or drinks.
