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The newly revised and thoroughly updated standard source for mastering the human fossil record.
This new edition of The Human Lineage is the best and most current guide to the morphological, geological, paleontological, and archaeological evidence for the story of human evolution. This comprehensive textbook presents the history, methods, and issues of palaeoanthropology through detailed analyses of the major fossils of interest to practising scientists in the field. It will help both advanced students and practising professionals to become involved with the lively scholarly debates that mark the field of human-origins research. Its clear and engaging chapters contain concise explanatory text and hundreds of high-quality illustrations. This thoroughly revised second edition reflects the most recent fossil discoveries and scientific analyses, offering new sections on the locomotor adaptations of Miocene hominoids, the taxonomic distinctiveness of Homo heidelbergensis, the Burtele foot, Ardipithecus, and Neandertal genomics. Updated and expanded chapters offer fresh insights on topics such as the origins of bipedality and the anatomy and evolution of early mammals and primates.
Written and illustrated by established leaders in the field, The Human Lineage:
- Provides the background needed to study human evolution, including dating techniques, mechanics of evolution, and primate adaptations
- Covers the major stages in human evolution with emphasis on important fossils and their implications
- Offers a balanced critical assessment of conflicting ideas about key events in human evolution
- Includes an extensive bibliography and appendices on biological nomenclature and craniometrics
Covering the entire story of human evolution from its Precambrian beginnings to the emergence of modern humanity, The Human Lineage is indispensable reading for all advanced students of biological anthropology.
Preface
Notes on Nomenclature
Chapter 1. The Fossil Record
Chapter 2. Analyzing Evolution
Chapter 3. People as Primates
Chapter 4. The Bipedal Ape
Chapter 5. The Migrating Ape
Chapter 6. The Big-Brained Ape: Middle Pleistocene Variants and Trends
Chapter 7. Talking Apes: The Neandertals
Chapter 8. The Symbolic Ape: The Origin of Modern Humans
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
Matt Cartmill is Professor of Anthropology at Boston University and Professor Emeritus of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University. Dr Cartmill is a Guggenheim and AAAS Fellow, a former president of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and recipient of their Charles Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award, a founding co-editor of the International Journal of Primatology, and the former editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
Fred H. Smith is University Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Illinois State University and Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. A past president of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and an AAAS and Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, he has received awards for his work from the U.S., Ireland, Germany and Croatia. Dr Smith has conducted research in Europe, West Asia, and Africa, and has taught internationally at the Universities of Hamburg, Tübingen and Zagreb.
Reviews of the first edition:
"The Human Lineage could be used as a sole text, supplemented with journal articles and library sources. [...] Although paleoanthropology as a field moves rapidly the sheer quality of the writing and explanatory synthesis in this book will undoubtedly make it a valuable resource for students for many years."
– PaleoAnthropology, July 2010
"The Human Lineage excels in providing rich detail and clear explanations for complex issues. This is true of the writing, but is particularly apparent in the 300 or so superb illustrations that detail dozens of fossils as well as anatomical structures and mechanics."
– The Quarterly Review of Biology, March 2010
"Cartmill and Smith have produced a generally excellent work for advanced students."
– Choice, October 2009
