The Neanderthal's Necklace: In Search of the First Thinkers - Paperback

by Juan Luis Arsuaga (Author), Andy Klatt (Translator)

Neanderthals are at the center of this compelling narrative by Europe's leading anthropologist, not because they were our ancestors but because they were not. Members of a parallel humanity that evolved in Europe for hundreds of thousands of years, they were in direct competition with Cro-Magnons -- modern humans. The way Neanderthals lived and the reasons why they disappeared 50,000 years ago offer a surprising mirror in which we can examine and learn more about ourselves. Illustrated, concise and readable, this is a fascinating exploration of human origins. "Lively, personal, refreshing, and instructive, this book should be read by anyone interested in their own origins and our extinct relatives." -- Ian Tattersall, author of The Fossil Trail, The Last Neanderthal, and Becoming Human

Author Biography

Juan Luis Arsuaga is Paleoanthropologist and Professor of Human Paleontology in Madrid, Visiting Professor at the University College of London and co-director of excavations at Sierra de Atapuerca (a World Heritage Site). Dr. Arsuaga's work there and the discovery of Homo antecessor has transformed the history of human evolution and won him the Premio Príncipe de Asturias 1997. A member of the American National Academy of Sciences, he is a regular contributor to Nature, Science, the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, and editor of the Journal of Human Evolution.