The Shanidar Neandertals describes the functional morphology of the Neanderthals and their place in human evolution based on a paleontological study of fossils discovered at Shanidar Cave in northeastern Iraq. Functional interpretations are provided that describe and discuss the individual fossils. The phylogenetic implications of the Shanidar specimens are also discussed. Comprised of 14 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the Neanderthal remains from the Shanidar Cave and the paleontological data obtained from the fossils. The discussion then turns to the history of the excavations in Shanidar Cave and the discoveries of the Neanderthals; morphometrics of the Shanidar remains; and determination of the age and sex of the Shanidar Neanderthals. Subsequent chapters focus on various aspects of the Neanderthal fossils, including the cranial and mandibular remains; the dental remains; the axial skeleton; and the upper and lower limb remains. The immature remains are also described, along with bodily proportions and the estimation of stature. This monograph will be of interest to archaeologists, anthropologists, paleontologists, and paleopathologists.

"The exploration of Shanidar Cave in Iraq has resulted in one of the most significant archaeological finds of recent years--the first archaeological traces of 'human nature.' And Ralph Solecki's firsthand account superbly communicates the excitement, the continual surprises, the labor, ingenuity, and technical subtlety that attended the discovery"--Book jacket.

To one nineteenth-century scholar, their fierce, ridged brows were evidence of a "moral darkness" that set them irrevocably apart from human beings. Some commentators accused them of cannibalism. Yet by the 1970s the Neandertals were being hailed as "the first flower people" and praised for their apparent compassion and religious piety. The story of how scientists could come to such divergent conclusions about a set of bones unearthed in Germany in 1856 unfolds with irresistible detail in this enthralling book. Even as The Neandertals assesses the identity, kinship, and character of our possible ancestors, it casts a wry eye on the modern Homo sapiens who have embraced or disavowed them and illuminates the peculiar way in which even science is shaped by human needs and biases.

Where did we come from? What were our ancestors like? Why do we differ from other animals? How do scientists trace and construct our evolutionary history? The Evolution of Our Tribe: Hominini provides answers to these questions and more. The book explores the field of paleoanthropology past and present. Beginning over 65 million years ago, Welker traces the evolution of our species, the environments and selective forces that shaped our ancestors, their physical and cultural adaptations, and the people and places involved with their discovery and study. It is designed as a textbook for a course on Human Evolution but can also serve as an introductory text for relevant sections of courses in Biological or General Anthropology or general interest. It is both a comprehensive technical reference for relevant terms, theories, methods, and species and an overview of the people, places, and discoveries that have imbued paleoanthropology with such fascination, romance, and mystery.

“Even-handed, up-to-date, and clearly written. . . . If you want to navigate between the Scylla and Charybdis of Neanderthal controversies, you’ll find no better guide.” —Brian Fagan, author of Cro-Magnon In recent years, the common perception of the Neanderthal has been transformed thanks to new discoveries and paradigm-shattering scientific innovations. It turns out that the Neanderthals’ behavior was surprisingly modern: they buried the dead, cared for the sick, hunted large animals in their prime, harvested seafood, and spoke. Meanwhile, advances in DNA technologies have forced a reassessment of the Neanderthals’ place in our own past. For hundreds of thousands of years, Neanderthals evolved in Europe very much in parallel to the Homo sapiens line evolving in Africa, and, when both species made their first forays into Asia, the Neanderthals may even have had the upper hand. Here, Dimitra Papagianni and Michael A. Morse look at the Neanderthals through the full dramatic arc of their existence—from their evolution in Europe to their expansion to Siberia, their subsequent extinction, and ultimately their revival in popular novels, cartoons, cult movies, and TV commercials.

In 1856 - as Darwin was completing Origin of Species - the fossilized remains of a stocky, powerful human-like creature were discovered in a cave in the Neander Valley in Germany. This work offers an account of the search for man's beginnings and out of a particular man - dead for 40, 000 years - who began a revolution that changed the world.

This book reviews key themes and developments in palaeoanthropology, exploring their impact on our understanding of human origins in Africa.

An investigation into the historical and archaeological evidence of demons, curses, and possession featuring some of the most gruesome artifacts and sites ever discovered Demons, jinn, possession, sinister artifacts, and gruesome archaeological discoveries haunt the pages of the new book by Dr. Heather Lynn. Evil Archaeology investigates the archaeological record for artifacts and evidence of evil entities, revealing how demons from the ancient world may be dwelling among us. It also looks at the history and lore behind real relics believed to be haunted and includes historical accounts of demonic possession that go as far back as King Solomon invoking demons to help him build his famed temple. Is there really a prehistoric fertility goddess figure that has been known to bring death to the families of anyone who holds it? Are there real vampire graveyards? Can the archaeological record prove the existence of demons and malevolent entities? Some tantalizing questions Evil Archaeology addresses include: What is the origin of demons? What role did Sumerian demons play in the development of civilization? Are curses real? Can material objects contain evil? What about places? What can we do to protect ourselves, according to historical records? Was Jesus an exorcist?

For more than a century, scientists have returned time and again to the issue of modern human emergence-the when and where of the evolutionary process and the human behavioral and biological dynamics involved. The 2003 discovery of a human partial skeleton at Tianyuandong (Tianyuan Cave) excited worldwide interest. The first human skeleton from the region to be directly radiocarbon-dated (to 40,000 years before present), its geological age places it close to the time period during which modern humans became permanently established across the Old World (between 50,000 and 35,000 years ago). Through detailed description and interpretation of the most complete early modern human skeleton from eastern Asia, The Early Modern Human from Tianyan Cave, China, addresses long-term questions about the ancestry of modern humans in eastern Asia and the nature of the changes in human behavior with the emergence of modern human biology. This book is a detailed, paleontological and paleobiological presentation of this skeleton, its context, and its implications. By providing basic information for this important human fossil, offering inferences concerning the population processes involved in modern human emergence in eastern Eurasia, and by raising questions concerning the adaptations of these early modern human hunter-gatherers, The Early Modern Human from Tianyuan Cave, China will take its place as a core contribution to the study of modern human emergence.

The Neandertal site of the Sima de las Palomas del Cabezo Gordo, located in Murcia in southeastern Spain, is unique in several respects. One of its most important contribution to the field of Anthropology, however, may be that it has yielded of the remains of at least 17 Neandertals, adding appreciable breadth to the available data for a greater understanding of Neandertals. Further, its location in the southern Iberian Peninsula provides the potential for studying a population that may have been somewhat isolated from contemporaneous groups of early humans. This comprehensive analysis represents the first detailed description and analysis of the human fossil assemblage found at the Sima de las Palomas site. While scientific discussion continues regarding the precise impact of Neandertals upon modern human physiology and biology, The People of Palomas adds significantly to our knowledge of the human fossil record of the Late Pleistocene.