The Humans Who Went Extinct: Why Neanderthals died out and we survived

— —

Clive Finlayson (Director of the Gibraltar Museum and Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto)

The Humans Who Went Extinct

Why Neanderthals died out and we survived

Clive Finlayson (Director of the Gibraltar Museum and Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto)

$28.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press
11 February 2011

Mathematics & Sciences; Popular science; Early man

Just 28,000 years ago, the blink of an eye in geological time, the last of Neanderthals died out in their last outpost, in caves near Gibraltar. Thanks to cartoons and folk accounts we have a distorted view of these other humans - for that is what they were. We think of them as crude and clumsy and not very bright, easily driven to extinction by the lithe, smart modern humans that came out of Africa some 100,000 years ago. But was it really as simple as that? Clive Finlayson reminds us that the Neanderthals were another kind of human, and their culture was not so very different from that of our own ancestors. In this book, he presents a wider view of the events that led to the migration of the moderns into Europe, what might have happened during the contact of the two populations, and what finally drove the Neanderthals to extinction. It is a view that considers climate, ecology, and migrations of populations, as well as culture and interaction. His conclusion is that the destiny of the Neanderthals and the Moderns was sealed by ecological factors and contingencies. It was a matter of luck that we survived and spread while the Neanderthals dwindled and perished. Had the climate not changed in our favour some 50 million years ago, things would have been very different. There is much current research interest in Neanderthals, much of it driven by attempts to map some of their DNA. But it's not just a question of studying the DNA. The rise and fall of populations is profoundly moulded by the larger scale forces of climate and ecology. And it is only by taking this wider view that we can fully understand the course of events that led to our survival and their demise. The fact that Neanderthals survived until virtually yesterday makes our relationship with them and their tragedy even more poignant. They almost made it, after all.

By: Clive Finlayson (Director of the Gibraltar Museum and Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 145mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 216g
ISBN: 9780199239191
ISBN 10: 0199239193
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 11 February 2011
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1: The road to extinction is paved with good intentions2: Once we were not alone3: Failed experiments4: Stick to what you know best5: Being in the right place at the right time6: If only...7: Africa in Europe - a Mediterranean Serengeti8: One small step for man...9: Forever opportunists10: The pawn turned playerEpilogue: Children of chanceEndnotes

Reviews for The Humans Who Went Extinct: Why Neanderthals died out and we survived

A refreshing new perspective on this old debate...should be essential reading for everyone interested in human origins. Fortean Times, Mark Greener Lively, revelatory, and salutary book. The Independent