这个故事作为神秘博士系列的荧屏首秀，在1963年英国的电视上呈现的效果应该比较惊艳，放在近六十年后的今天看来也无可厚非。神秘博士的Target Books系列自1973年陆续出版，内容都是播过的神秘博士电视剧集的小说化。直至1981年10月，才出版了这个经典的the original one小说。

Chapter 3 末尾，Doctor拉下了手柄，TARDIS便带着Doctor、Susan、Ian、Barbara四人启航。而Chapter 4开头，就描述了塔迪斯降落的时空，以及与主角团发生联系的部落情况。

There were caves in the foothills of the mountains, and it was here that the Tribe made their home.

这个部落聚居在山脚下的山洞内。而从剧集的画面来看，这些原始人仍然处于穴居的阶段，生产力水平低下。

In many ways they were fortunate. Once the wild beasts who laired in them had been driven out, the caves were warm and dry. There was water from the river, fruits and berries in the forest. There was game in the forest too, savage beasts who provided meat for the stomachs of the Tribe, and skins for their clothing – if you could kill them, before they killed you.

The man called Kal was a newcomer to the Tribe, but he was by far the best of its hunters, skilled and patient and cunning. Kal never returned to the caves without the carcass of some kill, and it was this above all that had won him acceptance.

这里的原始部落the Tribe仍以狩猎和采集为生。部落成员会打制弓箭、缝制兽皮。

The slender dark girl by his side produced a carved rattle of bone. It was an ancient and holy object, and there was a low gasp of awe. Za shool the rattle angrily at the ashes, then plunged his hands into them yet again.

下一个情景，已故前任男首领的儿子Za试图钻木取火，然而完全不得要领。此时站立一旁的少女取出了“古老且神圣的拨浪鼓”——取火时摇拨浪鼓，应该是某种原始宗教仪式。

综上所述，这个故事描述的时代最晚是新石器时代。

新石器时代总体是母系氏族社会/公社；出现了族外婚，后期也有“服役婚”“产翁制”等向父系社会过渡的制度。整个部落/家族应以一个姥姥为首领/核心。

在这样的原始社会中，人们按性别和年龄分工：青壮年男子担任狩猎、捕鱼和防御野兽等任务；女性担任采集食物、烧烤食品、缝制衣服，养育老幼等繁重任务；老人和小孩从事辅助性劳动。女子从事的职责比男子从事的狩猎更稳定，是可靠的生活来源，具有极为重要的意义。

所以整个故事最大的BUG，其一在于对待女性的态度不应该是“前任男首领死后，其遗孀会被赶走等死”。 甚至首领大概率不该是男性，而是中老年女性；部落中的男性大概率也不会如此嚣张（剧中多处表现部落中的男子对老妇的态度是轻蔑、冷漠的）。

This was Old Mother – Za’s mother – the mate of his dead father, Gor. When Gor had been alive and chief, the best of the food and skins had come to Old Mother by right. Now she was nothing. According to the custom of the Tribe, she should have been cast out of the cave to die, but some streak of softness in Za made him keep her alive.

随着社会生产力的发展，男性的职责逐渐由渔猎转向耕种、放牧，制陶工艺变得更复杂，技术性强、劳动强度大。 身强力壮又无生育、家务之累的男性成为劳动的主要承担者，取代了女性在生产活动中的主导地位；而女性则主要从事纺织、炊煮和生育儿女等家务劳动。只有到了父系社会，老年（无法劳动也无法生育）的女性才可能会遭到部落的抛弃。

BUG之二：既然新石器时代出现了族外婚，那么“朋友”“同盟”等概念可能并不十分清晰，但也不该是一个new idea。

Hur frowned, struggling to remember. ‘I did not understand them, Za. They moved slowly, and their faces were not fierce. They cared for your wounds, and carried you on their skins, as a mother carries her baby. Why did they not kill us, Za? We were their enemies. We made them captive.’

Za shrugged helplessly. ‘They are a new tribe. They are not like us. Not like Kal’s tribe either. Their minds hold strange thoughts. The young one, the one called Friend, spoke strange words to us.’

不过，既然神秘博士的定位是儿童科幻剧，剧本出一点小bug也能容忍。而且，纵观此剧之后五十多年的发展，与其苛求设定的严谨，毋宁说这是披着科幻外皮、实则对小朋友们进行人文主义关怀和辩证史观启蒙的童话/寓言。如果小观众们看完古代背景的故事，对历史产生了兴趣，也挺不错。