Overview

Recent years have witnessed exciting and important scientific breakthroughs in the study of Neanderthals and their place in human evolution which have transformed our appreciation of this group’s paleobiology and evolution. This volume presents cutting-edge research by leading scientists re-examining the major debates in Neanderthal research with the use of innovative state-of-the art methods and exciting new theoretical approaches. Topics addressed include the re-evaluation of Neanderthal anatomy, inferred adaptations and habitual activities, developmental patterns, phylogenetic relationships, and the Neanderthal extinction; new methods include computer tomography, 3D geometric morphometrics, ancient DNA and bioenergetics. The diverse contributions offer fresh insights and advances in Neanderthal and modern human origins research. This is a Volume in The Max-Planck-Institute Subseries in Human Evolution coordinated by Jean-Jacques Hublin, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Leipzig, Germany

Full Product Details

Author:   Katerina Harvati ,  Terry Harrison
Publisher:   Springer
Imprint:   Springer
Edition:   Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2006
Dimensions:   Width: 21.00cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 27.70cm
Weight:   0.858kg
ISBN:  

9789048172870

ISBN 10:   904817287
Pages:   332
Publication Date:   25 November 2010
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Neanderthals revisited.- The distinctiveness and systematic context of Homo neanderthalensis.- Saccopastore 1: the earliest Neanderthal? A new look at an old cranium.- Inquiries into Neanderthal craniofacial development and evolution: “accretion” versus “organismic” models.- Neanderthals and modern humans — chimps and bonobos: similarities and differences in development and evolution.- Cranial growth models: heterochrony, heterotopy, and the kinematics of ontogeny.- Bioenergetic perspectives on Neanderthal thermoregulatory and activity budgets.- How different were Neanderthals' habitual activities? A comparative analysis with diverse groups of recent humans.- Neanderthal hands in their proper perspective.- Did Neanderthals make the Châtelperronian assemblage from La Grotte du Renne (Arcy-sur-Cure, France)?.- The fate of European Neanderthals: results and perspectives from ancient DNA analyses.- Selection Selection on mitochondrial DNA and the Neanderthal problem.- Reliability of cranial morphology in reconstructing Neanderthal phylogeny.- Non-metric variation in recent humans as a model for understanding Neanderthal-early modern human differences: just how “unique” are Neanderthal unique traits?.- Earliest Upper Paleolithic crania from Mlade?, Czech Republic, and the question of Neanderthal-modern continuity: metrical evidence from the fronto-facial region.- Neanderthals and modern humans: an example of a mammalian syngameon?.- Speciation by distance and temporal overlap: a new approach to understanding Neanderthal evolution.- The Neanderthal-H. sapiens interface in Eurasia.

Reviews

Aus den Rezensionen: ! Dieses Buch prasentiert eine Fulle an Daten und neuen Einsichten rund um das Thema Neandertaler. Die Fortschritte, die bei der Lekture offensichtlich werden, sind dabei nicht das Ergebnis von neuen Funden. Vielmehr sind sie der Anwendung neuer Methoden und Technologien sowie der kritischen Auseinandersetzung mit etablierten Paradigmen zu verdanken. Es ist daher jedem, der sich fur Palaoanthropologie im Allgemeinen und Neandertaler im Besonderen interessiert, ohne Einschrankung zu empfehlen. (R. Ziegler, in: Zentralblatt fur Geologie und Palaontologie Teil II, 2007, Issue 5-6, 958 ff.)

From the reviews: Neanderthals Revisited deals exclusively with the biological issues ... . Readers will gain an appreciation of the diversity of scientific perspectives on the Neanderthals ... . The result is an excellent and extremely useful compendium of approaches and perspectives, including some very novel ones. ... I consider it a must read for anyone interested in any aspect of hominin evolution and believe it will stand for many years as the fundamental reference for the role of the Neandertals in our evolutionary history. Fred H. Smith, Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 2008 At the beginning of 2005, Katerina Harvati and Terry Harrison hosted a conference entitled 'Neanderthals Revisited: New Approaches and Perspectives,' which was supported by the Center for the Study of Human Origins ... . The papers run the gamut of research themes and styles, ranging from a study of the Neanderthal hand to one that claims to have found evidence of selection acting on mtDNA. ... a rich source of information and inspiration for students, researchers, and teachers. Bernard Wood, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2008 This volume presents a stimulating survey of current perspectives on Neanderthal issues, ranging from species concepts and systematics, to dental morphology and developmental studies, to molecular approaches and morphological analyses. ... To sum up, this volume is a very worthwhile addition to one's bookshelf, presenting a diverse collection of current and stimulating research papers. Kevin L. Kuykendall, PaleoAnthropology, 2009

From the reviews: Neanderthals Revisited deals exclusively with the biological issues ! . Readers will gain an appreciation of the diversity of scientific perspectives on the Neanderthals ! . The result is an excellent and extremely useful compendium of approaches and perspectives, including some very novel ones. ! I consider it a must read for anyone interested in any aspect of hominin evolution and believe it will stand for many years as the fundamental reference for the role of the Neandertals in our evolutionary history. Fred H. Smith, Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 2008 At the beginning of 2005, Katerina Harvati and Terry Harrison hosted a conference entitled 'Neanderthals Revisited: New Approaches and Perspectives,' which was supported by the Center for the Study of Human Origins ! . The papers run the gamut of research themes and styles, ranging from a study of the Neanderthal hand to one that claims to have found evidence of selection acting on mtDNA. ! a rich source of information and inspiration for students, researchers, and teachers. Bernard Wood, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2008 This volume presents a stimulating survey of current perspectives on Neanderthal issues, ranging from species concepts and systematics, to dental morphology and developmental studies, to molecular approaches and morphological analyses. ! To sum up, this volume is a very worthwhile addition to one's bookshelf, presenting a diverse collection of current and stimulating research papers. Kevin L. Kuykendall, PaleoAnthropology, 2009

Author Information

Katerina Harvati is senior researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and adjunct Associate Professor at the Anthropology Department of the City University of New York Graduate School. Dr. Harvati is a paleoanthropologist specializing in Neanderthal evolution and modern human origins. Her broader research interests include primate and human evolution, evolutionary theory, life history and paleolithic archaeology. She has conducted fieldwork in Europe and Africa and is currently directing paleoanthropological research in Northern Greece. Her work has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), the Journal of Human Evolution, the American Journal of Physical Anthropology and elsewhere. Terry Harrison is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for the Study of Human Origins at New York University. His main research interests include all aspects of human and primate evolution. He has conducted paleontological field research in Europe, East Africa, and Asia, and he is currently directing research at the early hominin locality of Laetoli in Tanzania. He has published extensively on the evolutionary relationships and paleobiology of Miocene hominoids, East African vertebrate paleontology, and comparative anatomy. He is the editor of Neogene Paleontology of the Manonga Valley, Tanzania (Plenum Press).

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions