The Dawn of Human Culture / Edition 1

by Richard G. Klein

Overview

A bold new theory on what sparked the "big bang" of human culture

The abrupt emergence of human culture over a stunningly short period continues to be one of the great enigmas of human evolution. This compelling book introduces a bold new theory on this unsolved mystery. Author Richard Klein reexamines the archaeological evidence and brings in new discoveries in the study of the human brain. These studies detail the changes that enabled humans to think and behave in far more sophisticated ways than before, resulting in the incredibly rapid evolution of new skills. Richard Klein has been described as "the premier anthropologist in the country today" by Evolutionary Anthropology. Here, he and coauthor Blake Edgar shed new light on the full story of a truly fascinating period of evolution.

Richard G. Klein, PhD (Palo Alto, CA), is a Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University. He is the author of the definitive academic book on the subject of the origins of human culture, The Human Career. Blake Edgar (San Francisco, CA) is the coauthor of the very successful From Lucy to Language, with Dr. Donald Johanson. He has written extensively for Discover, GEO, and numerous other magazines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471252528
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	03/01/2002
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	730,522
Product dimensions:	6.44(w) x 9.46(h) x 0.98(d)

About the Author

Richard G. Klein, Ph.D., is Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University. He is the author of the definitive scholarly book on human evolution, The Human Career.
Blake Edgar is a science editor at the University of California Press and the coauthor with Donald Johanson of From Lucy to Language. He has written for Discover, Scientific American, GEO, and numerous other magazines.

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Table of Contents

Preface.

Chapter 1: Dawn at Twilight Cave.

Chapter 2: Bipedal Apes.

Chapter 3: The World's Oldest Whodunit.

Chapter 4: The First True Humans.

Chapter 5: Humanity Branches Out.

Chapter 6: Neanderthals Out on a Limb.

Chapter 7: Body before Behavior.

Chapter 8: Nurture of Nature Before the Dawn?

Appendix: Placing Ancient Sites in Time.

Selected Further Reading.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

* "...a compelling story...it's a tale worth reading..." (Focus, July 2002)

From the Publisher

Written for the non-specialist, this fast-moving account provides a history of the development of humans and, more specifically, the human brain as this can be deduced from the earliest creations of art. Klein (anthropology, Stanford U.), with the assistance of Blake Edgar (science editor, U. of California Press), writes of the people and events that led to discoveries as well as the scientific studies and development of theories concerning the human brain. He then draws his own conclusions about the reasons for humans' unprecedented success as a species. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)