Peter Watson's The Great Divide: History and Human Nature in the Old World and the New begins on a particularly inflammatory note. Taking account of the critical reaction that followed a 2009 exhibit at the British Museum on Montezuma and Aztec culture, Watson notes how some recoiled at the ferocity of a civilisation where human sacrifice was a central practice. Philip Hensher, the novelist and critic, was outraged: "If there is a more revoltingly inhumane and despicable society known to history than the Aztecs, I really don't care to know about it," Hensher sniffed. "It is difficult to imagine a museum display that gives off such an overwhelming sense of human evil as this one."
Watson himself, whose previous works include The German Genius and Ideas: A History, does not frame his argument in such melodramatically moral terms, but all civilisations have deployed the same stark discourse. When the Spanish conquistadors encountered the Aztecs in the early 16th century they were revolted at what they saw in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, calling it "a city of pyramids and sacred temples that reeked with the blood of human sacrifice". The conquering Spaniards treated the Aztecs with few tender mercies: they may have recoiled at what they saw, but they did not stint on the use of violence in their imperial conquest.
Watson is less interested in the morality of human sacrifice than why the Aztecs used human victims in the first place. Looking at a vast swath of history – circa 15,000BC to 1500AD – he outlines a set of distinctions and contrasts that separate Eurasia, what Watson dubs the Old World, from the cultures of Mesoamerica and North America, the New World.
Ransacking the specialist literature from a collection of disparate fields – cosmology, climatology, geology, palaeontology, mythology, botany, archaeology and volcanology – Watson considers how ecology, broadly construed, shaped the evolution of human civilisation. He owes a considerable debt here to Jared Diamond, whose book Guns, Germs and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the last 13,000 years, was an unlikely blockbuster in the late 1990s and started a trend for big picture histories that look at long-term climatic shifts as decisive factors of historical change.
Watson doesn't have Diamond's catchy three-word formulation; but he similarly argues that geography, climate and weather are inextricably bound to destiny. "The physical world," Watson writes, "which early people inhabited – the landscape, the vegetation, the non-human animal life, plus the dominant features of the climate, of latitude and the relation of the land to the sea, determined the ideology of humans, their beliefs, their religious practices, their social structure, their commercial and industrial activities, and that, in turn, ideology. Once it had emerged and cohered, determined the further characteristic interaction between humans and the environment."
This is a typically bold statement in a book that is not short on rhetorical bravado. Watson comes perilously close to a kind of one-size fits all explanation. He paints in very bold, broad strokes that leave the mind reeling: Eurasia is a universal term that takes in cultures as disparate as Han Chinese and Pharaonic Egypt, Roman and Assyrian. But where is Islam? Watson has precious little to say about the spread of Muslim civilisations and his explanations often devolve into a crude environmental determinism that, he suggests, explain everything from the advent of monotheism to the rise of democracy.
Watson does not simply present his data, he hurls it at his readers with manic gusto. He flies over time and space, throwing out observations here and nuggets of information there. We learn about "alcohol-based hospitality"; the role of roots and tubers; the sexual mutations of ancient gods. We are treated to eccentric chapters on "The Psychoactive Rainforest and the Anomalous Distribution of Hallucinogens" and "Shaman-Kings, World Trees and Vision Serpents". The Great Divide is, among others, a grab bag of historical trivia. There is much speculation here, and too often a lack of conclusive evidence.
Watson sees broad climatic factors as shaping forces of culture in each hemisphere. The dominant feature of the Old World was the “weakening monsoon”, which brought drying trends to the Eurasian land mass. This, in turn, led to seasonal fluctuations, which provoke the rise of fertility cults.
The Old World gave rise to the cultivation of cereal grasses; domesticable animals were used to plough fields and transport goods. Pastoral nomadism spread language and technology. As Watson notes, Eurasia is geographically orientated on an east-west axis. Climates are less varied there, animals and goods could move around with ease. Watson correlates religious mythology with natural events; the great Biblical flood, for example, might be traced to rising sea levels around 6000BC.
In the Americas, there were few such animals; primary foodstuffs grew year round, in marked distinction to cyclical Old World cereal crops. The land mass of the Americas was orientated on a north-south axis, with its major civilisations – Chavin, Moche, Olmec, Maya, Inca, Aztec – concentrated in the tropics. Violent weather brought about by El Niño, which unleashed freakish storms and winds on Mesoamerica. Central America is also at the juncture of several tectonic plates; earthquakes and volcanoes also wrought great damage. Gods were invoked to stave off the devastation, with little success.
Watson argues that the major civilisations of the New World were typified by a "more vivid religion" marked by shamanism and the use of psychoactive drugs to produce visionary hallucinations (the Aztecs used a mushroom called teonanacatl to produce temixoch, the "flowery dream"). and Watson writes "the sheer vividness, and the fearsome nature of some of the transformations experienced in trance, the overwhelming psychological intensity of altered states of consciousness induced by hallucinogens, would, among other things, have made New World religious experiences far more convincing and therefore more resistant to change than those of the Old World."
This is a peculiar line of speculation. Watson hopes to rescue the Aztecs from the contempt and condescension of posterity; but his analysis has a whiff of old-fashioned exoticism to it. His theories about human sacrifice are likely to be more controversial. Human sacrifice in the New World persisted longer after the practice waned in Old World cultures. Watson takes up much space trying to account for why human sacrifice was a central feature of New World cultures. He contends, “the most profound and revealing difference between the Old World and the New occurs in the realm of human sacrifice”. Here, he explains, the Old World differed from the new because of the prevalence of domestic animals. Human sacrifice was, over time, superseded by animal sacrifice; and, ultimately, blood sacrifice “was abolished altogether”.
Not so in the New World. Watson notes that human sacrifice became more widespread by the 15th century. Aztecs were sacrificing many thousands of victims every year. What accounts for what now seems a barbaric practice? The author falls back on natural events to explain the endurance of human sacrifice. Volcanoes did not stop erupting; earthquakes shattered the villages and cities of Inca and Aztec civilisation. Appeals to gods became more and more elaborate. Death became theatre. Shamans consolidated their power by going into trance. Other worlds beckoned, and death promised a delivery.
Matthew Price’s writing has been published in Bookforum, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe and the Financial Times.
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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Results
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5