Cover of The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins

The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins

by Richard G. Klein · 1989

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Described as "by far the best book of its kind" (Henry McHenry, Evolution) and "the best introduction to the problems and data of modern palaeoanthropology yet published" (R. A. Foley, Antiquity), The Human Careerhas proved to be an indispensable tool in teaching human origins since its publication in 1989. This substantially revised edition retains Richard Klein's innovative approach and incorporates new findings from the past decade.

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The Human Careerchronicles the evolution of people from the earliest primates through the emergence of fully modern humans within the past 200,000 years. Its comprehensive treatment stresses recent advances in knowledge, including, for example, ever more abundant evidence that fully modern humans originated in Africa and spread from there, replacing the Neanderthals in Europe and equally archaic people in Asia. With its coverage of both the fossil record and the archeological record over the 2.5 million years for which both are available, Klein emphasizes that human morphology and behavior evolved together. Throughout the text, Klein presents evidence for alternative points of view, but also does not hesitate to take a position.

In addition to outlining the broad pattern of human evolution, The Human Careerdetails the kinds of data that support this pattern, including information on archeological sites, artifacts, fossils, and methods for establishing dates in geological time. With abundant references and hundreds of illustrations, charts, and diagrams, this new edition is unparalleled in its usefulness for teaching human evolution.

Subject
anthropologyanthropologyMore like thisLess of thissciencescienceMore like thisLess of thishistoryhistoryMore like thisLess of this
Themes
archaeologyarchaeologyMore like thisLess of this
Setting
collegecollegeMore like thisLess of this
Audience
adult
Length
epic · 840 pages

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Liked The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

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“If you want more of the same (anthropology about archaeology), start with these.”

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“If it was the science that hooked you, try one of these.”

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“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

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  4. Human Evolution: An Illustrated Introduction Roger Lewin · 1985

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