He was there when you were alone and needed a friend. Now your cat is dying, and you feel helpless.
Nothing brings people together like booze, sharp objects and boiling oil.
One could almost imagine, Schama suggested, these early humans gathered around the fire in the evening, enjoying a seafood meal as the wind and seas crashed outside. And it occurred to me, watching Schama describe life in this settlement, that while civilization may have advanced cosmically over the millennia, what makes a nice dinner party in a cold and hostile environment hasn't.