In focusing on large-scale manipulations of the physical environment I have tried to demonstrate the impulse felt by humans to do something about the world they live in. The existence of such an impulse can be traced back as far as 50,000 years ago. Modifying environments is not a trait exclusive to humans. Many animals do something about their environment as well. Jones et al. (1994) provide a substantial list of animals and even plants. A clear example is dam-building by beavers. But humans have gone to greater lengths and all ‘improvements’ are still valued today. Fire, open space, agriculture and the ability to enlarge usable surface are assets of present life. All require technical abilities with increasing complexity when placed in a chronological order. The last mentioned, enlarging the surface, is the youngest and the most complicated when applied on any substantial scale.Bioarchaeolog
