Skip to content
Register Sign in Wishlist

African Genesis
Perspectives on Hominin Evolution

Part of Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology

J. T. Francis Thackeray, Sally C. Reynolds, Peter Ungar, Phillip V. Tobias, Colin Groves, Michel Brunet, Brigitte Senut, Martin Pickford, Ronald J. Clarke, Dean Falk, Ralph L. Holloway, Paul R. Manger, Jason Hemingway, Muhammad Spocter, Andrew Gallagher, Henry M. McHenry, Michelle S. M. Drapeau, Brian G. Richmond, William L. Jungers, M. Christopher Dean, Kevin L. Kuykendall, Gerhard W. Weber, Philipp Gunz, Simon Neubauer, Philipp Mitteroecker, Fred L. Bookstein, Steven E. Churchill, Lee R. Berger, Adam Hartstone-Rose, Headman Zondo, Milford H. Wolpoff, Sang-Hee Lee, Fred H. Smith, Vance T. Hutchinson, Ivor Janković, Emma Mbua, Günter Bräuer, Osbjorn M. Pearson, Darryl J. de Ruiter, Matt Sponheimer, Julia Lee-Thorp, Sarah Elton, Travis R. Pickering, John A. J. Gowlett, Lyn Wadley, Avraham Ronen
View all contributors
  • Date Published: October 2014
  • availability: Available
  • format: Paperback
  • isbn: 9781107454507

Paperback

Add to wishlist

Other available formats:
Hardback, eBook


Looking for an inspection copy?

This title is not currently available on inspection

Description
Product filter button
Description
Contents
Resources
Courses
About the Authors
  • The discovery of the first species of African hominin, Australopithecus africanus, from Taung, South Africa in 1924, launched the study of fossil man in Africa. New discoveries continue to confirm the importance of this region to our understanding of human evolution. Outlining major developments since Raymond Dart's description of the Taung skull and, in particular, the impact of the pioneering work of Phillip V. Tobias, this book will be a valuable companion for students and researchers of human origins. It presents a summary of the current state of palaeoanthropology, reviewing the ideas that are central to the field, and provides a perspective on how future developments will shape our knowledge about hominin emergence in Africa. A wide range of key themes are covered, from the earliest fossils from Chad and Kenya, to the origins of bipedalism and the debate about how and where modern humans evolved and dispersed across Africa.

    • Presents an overview of key concepts in the study of human evolution
    • Provides a summary of the state-of-the-art developments and new approaches in the discipline
    • The historical perspective shows how palaeoanthropology has developed over the last 80+ years
    Read more

    Reviews & endorsements

    'African Genesis is a good contribution to the paleoanthropological literature and it will undoubtedly find its way into many university libraries.' Jeremy M. DeSilva, American Journal of Human Biology

    Customer reviews

    Not yet reviewed

    Be the first to review

    Review was not posted due to profanity

    ×

    , create a review

    (If you're not , sign out)

    Please enter the right captcha value
    Please enter a star rating.
    Your review must be a minimum of 12 words.

    How do you rate this item?

    ×

    Product details

    • Date Published: October 2014
    • format: Paperback
    • isbn: 9781107454507
    • length: 608 pages
    • dimensions: 229 x 152 x 31 mm
    • weight: 0.8kg
    • contains: 125 b/w illus. 14 colour illus. 41 tables
    • availability: Available
  • Table of Contents

    List of contributors
    Foreword J. T. Francis Thackeray
    1. African genesis: an evolving paradigm Sally C. Reynolds
    2. Academic genealogy Peter Ungar and Phillip V. Tobias
    Part I. In Search of Origins: Evolutionary Theory, New Species, and Paths into the Past:
    3. Speciation in hominin evolution Colin Groves
    4. Searching for a new paradigm for hominid origins in Chad (Central Africa) Michel Brunet
    5. From hominoid arboreality to hominid bipedalism Brigitte Senut
    6. Orrorin and the African ape/hominid dichotomy Martin Pickford
    7. A brief history and results of 40 years of Sterkfontein excavations Ronald J. Clarke
    Part II. Hominin Morphology Through Time: Brains, Bodies and Teeth:
    8. Hominin brain evolution, 1925–2011: an emerging overview Dean Falk
    9. The issue of brain reorganisation in Australopithecus and early hominids: Dart had it right Ralph L. Holloway
    10. The mass of the human brain: is it a spandrel? Paul R. Manger, Jason Hemingway, Muhammad Spocter and Andrew Gallagher
    11. Origin and diversity of early hominin bipedalism Henry M. McHenry
    12. Forelimb adaptations in Australopithecus afarensis Michelle S. M. Drapeau
    13. Hominin proximal femur morphology from the Tugen Hills to Flores Brian G. Richmond and William L. Jungers
    14. Daily rates of dentine formation and root extension rates in Paranthropus boisei, KNM-ER 1817, from Koobi Fora, Kenya M. Christopher Dean
    15. On the evolutionary development of early hominid molar teeth and the Gondolin Paranthropus molar Kevin L. Kuykendall
    16. Digital South African fossils: morphological studies using reference-based reconstruction and electronic preparation Gerhard W. Weber, Philipp Gunz, Simon Neubauer, Philipp Mitteroecker and Fred L. Bookstein
    Part III. Modern Human Origins: Patterns, and Processes:
    17. Body size in African Middle Pleistocene Homo Steven E. Churchill, Lee R. Berger, Adam Hartstone-Rose and Headman Zondo
    18. The African origin of recent humanity Milford H. Wolpoff and Sang-Hee Lee
    19. Assimilation and modern human origins in the African peripheries Fred H. Smith, Vance T. Hutchinson and Ivor Janković
    20. Patterns of Middle Pleistocene hominin evolution in Africa and the emergence of modern humans Emma Mbua and Günter Bräuer
    21. Integration of the genetic, anatomical, and archaeological data for the African origin of modern humans: problems and prospects Osbjorn M. Pearson
    Part IV. In Search of Context: Hominin Environments, Behaviour and Lithic Cultures:
    22. Animal palaeocommunity variability and habitat preference of robust australopiths in South Africa Darryl J. de Ruiter, Matt Sponheimer and Julia Lee-Thorp
    23. Impacts of environmental change and community ecology on the composition and diversity of the southern African monkey fauna from the Plio-Pleistocene to the present Sarah Elton
    24. African genesis revisited: reflections on Raymond Dart and the 'Predatory Transition from Ape(-Man) to Man' Travis R. Pickering
    25. Shared intention in early artefacts: an exploration of deep structure and implications for communication and language John A. J. Gowlett
    26. Sibudu Cave: recent archaeological work on the Middle Stone Age Lyn Wadley
    27. The oldest burials and their significance Avraham Ronen
    Index.

  • Editors

    Sally C. Reynolds, Bournemouth University
    Sally C. Reynolds is an honorary research staff member of the Institute for Human Evolution, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and Liverpool John Moores University, UK. She conducts research on the world-famous Sterkfontein Cave fossils and is interested in the relationships between geomorphology, mosaic habitats and extinction in hominins.

    Andrew Gallagher, University of Johannesburg
    Andrew Gallagher is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, University of Johannesburg. His principal research focuses on the evolutionary significance of size variation in hominin evolution and the functional morphology of the locomotor system.

    Contributors

    J. T. Francis Thackeray, Sally C. Reynolds, Peter Ungar, Phillip V. Tobias, Colin Groves, Michel Brunet, Brigitte Senut, Martin Pickford, Ronald J. Clarke, Dean Falk, Ralph L. Holloway, Paul R. Manger, Jason Hemingway, Muhammad Spocter, Andrew Gallagher, Henry M. McHenry, Michelle S. M. Drapeau, Brian G. Richmond, William L. Jungers, M. Christopher Dean, Kevin L. Kuykendall, Gerhard W. Weber, Philipp Gunz, Simon Neubauer, Philipp Mitteroecker, Fred L. Bookstein, Steven E. Churchill, Lee R. Berger, Adam Hartstone-Rose, Headman Zondo, Milford H. Wolpoff, Sang-Hee Lee, Fred H. Smith, Vance T. Hutchinson, Ivor Janković, Emma Mbua, Günter Bräuer, Osbjorn M. Pearson, Darryl J. de Ruiter, Matt Sponheimer, Julia Lee-Thorp, Sarah Elton, Travis R. Pickering, John A. J. Gowlett, Lyn Wadley, Avraham Ronen

Related Books

Sorry, this resource is locked

Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email lecturers@cambridge.org

Register Sign in
Please note that this file is password protected. You will be asked to input your password on the next screen.

» Proceed

You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.

Continue ×

Continue ×

Continue ×
warning icon

Turn stock notifications on?

You must be signed in to your Cambridge account to turn product stock notifications on or off.

Sign in Create a Cambridge account arrow icon
×

Find content that relates to you

Join us online

This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Read more Close

Are you sure you want to delete your account?

This cannot be undone.

Cancel

Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.

If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.

×
Please fill in the required fields in your feedback submission.
×