New life into old narratives

With a post-graduate degree in Materials Science from Pennsylvania State University, Prateek Dasgupta took it upon himself to pull ancient history out from the conventional narrative loaded with myths and legends. Not only does ancient past connect forgotten chapters with archaeological evidence, from the Ice Age to the Middle Ages, but celebrate the underappreciated lives of ancient people. It helps conclude that the story of human history in not linear but in reality, is much more complex. 

The common perception that hunter-gatherers began agriculture and started settled habitation, after the Ice Age some 12,000 years, may have been put to rest. Because the earliest known human settlers were called Gravettians who lived in Europe some 57,000 years ago. The term comes from the La Gravette archaeological site in France, that was the systematic production center for stone blades with sharp and blunted edges. This remarkable invention helped those people hunt megafauna, a game changer in human evolution. However, it leaves with more questions than answers. How did humans struggling for survival during the Ice Age excelled in inventing such excellent tools?

Forgotten Footprints is unlike a history book; in four sections it stitches together multi-disciplinary stories that ignite interest and spark curiosity. The stories are independent, allowing readers to dip in where their interest lies. However, the beauty of archaeology is that it helps in rewriting history, and to smoothen the narrative. Written history may have ignored many voices from the past, but the civilizations uncovered in this book provide new insights into humanity’s past, and offer conflicting theories about the why and how did it actually happen? 

Else, it would not have been known that pyramids were first built in Peru. To date, archaeologists have unearthed some 30 sites belonging to the Caral-Supa civilization in the arid region between the Peruvian coast and the Andean foothills. Even pyramids older than Egypt’s 2,670 BCE pyramids have been found in Aspero. Though one may not get to see imposing structures, archaeological evidence does confirm the structure to be located in the center of Caral, allowing society’s elite to monitor the city’s functioning. 

Dasgupta has breathed new life into these ancient histories. History had captivated him since childhood, notable being the headless statue of King Kanishka who ruled much of Central Asia and Northern India from the first to the third century BCE. Although Kanishka is a popular name in India, little is known about this mysterious ruler. The author draws attention on many lesser-known civilizations to understand what political, environmental, and socioeconomic risks these faced. The rise and fall of civilizations remind us of the fragility of modern society, and many of the problems continue to plague even today.

Written in an engaging style, Forgotten Footprints takes the reader across different time zones around the globe. In each of those seventeen chapters in the book, there are interesting human-interest stories worth building and enriching. The author might want some of the chapters to be developed into independent books, to recreate history of ancient civilizations in detail. Liberal use of pictures and graphics gives visual relief to a fascinating subject.     

Forgotten Footprints
by Prateek Dasgupta
Hachette, New Delhi
Extent: 429, Price: Rs. 699.

First published in The Hindu on Dec 21, 2025.