To most 19th-century scholars, the Neandertals' fierce, ridged brows were evidence of a "moral darkness" that set them apart from humans. Yet by the 1970s, the Neandertals were being praised for their apparent compassion. This work reveals how different scientists came to such wildly divergent conclusions. Photos and illustrations.
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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.
Pat Shipman is retired Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University.
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First Edition. Fine cloth copy in a good if somewhat edge-dulled and dust-dulled dust-wrapper. Remains particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and strong. Physical description: xxii, 454 pages, 24cm. Subjects: Fossil hominids History. Homo neanderthalensis (extinct species). Anthropology, Physical History. Neanderthal race. Fossil man History. Human evolution. Genre: Science. Language: English. 1 Kg. Seller Inventory # 359013
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Seller: MW Books Ltd., Galway, Ireland
First Edition. Fine cloth copy in a good if somewhat edge-dulled and dust-dulled dust-wrapper. Remains particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and strong. Physical description: xxii, 454 pages, 24cm. Subjects: Fossil hominids History. Homo neanderthalensis (extinct species). Anthropology, Physical History. Neanderthal race. Fossil man History. Human evolution. Genre: Science. Language: English. 1 Kg. Seller Inventory # 359013
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Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. 1st Edition. This copy is in new, unmarked condition quarter bound in orange cloth to orange paper covered boards with bright gilt titling to the spine and gilt titling to the upper board. This copy is bright, tight, white and square. There is an attractive book plate to the front paste down. The unclipped dust wrapper is in as new condition. International postal rates are calculated on a book weighing 1 Kilo, in cases where the book weighs more than 1 Kilo increased postal rates will be quoted, where the book weighs less then postage will be reduced accordingly. In 1856, the disovery of the remains of Neandertal Man in a Swiss mountain valley forced scientists to face what Thomas Huxley called "The question of questions". What precisely was man's ancestry? Coming just as Darwin published "Origin of Species", Neandertal Man instantly became the focus of controversy and has remained so, in various ways, ever since. This book tells the whole story, from the religious crisis of the 1860s and its debate over ape-ancestors to recent arguments about the nature of prehistoric man (was he a peacable "flower child" or a brutish hunter?) and attempts to recover DNA samples from blood traces found on a Neandertal stone axe. Along the way we meet dozens of fascinating characters-archaeologists, charlatans, philosophers and scientists of every stripe. Ref Z 6. Seller Inventory # 031728
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