Decivilisation

Decivilisation Synopsis

Do we need to look back at civilisations in the past to prepare for our future?

A bold, thought-provoking journey into the deep human past - asking urgent questions about the modern world and our place within it. What does it mean to live in bodies shaped by millions of years of evolution for small-group survival, close connection with nature, and nomadic life - yet find ourselves trapped in sprawling cities, bound by office hours, and dependent on global trade to meet our basic needs?

In this eye-opening book, archaeologist and broadcaster Dr Chloë Duckworth examines the foundations of civilisation through the lens of ancient history. Drawing on rich archaeological case studies, De-Civilisation challenges the assumptions:

Do we need to farm?
Do we need to live in towns and cities?
Do we need money?
Do we need to read and write?
Do we need specialists?
Do we need religion?
Do we need social divisions?
Do we need foreign trade?
Do we need innovation?

With clarity, wit, and deep expertise, Duckworth reveals why handbags mattered more than the wheel, how Bronze Age bling laid the groundwork for modern science, and why the story of civilisation is not one of steady progress - but of trade-offs, losses, and complex gains.

Equal parts history, anthropology, and survival guide, De-Civilisation invites readers to see the world as archaeologists do: full of meaning, shaped by choices, and ripe for rethinking. If society as we know it fell apart tomorrow, what knowledge would actually help us survive - and what might we finally let go? You'll never look at civilisation - or yourself - the same way again...