Walking With Cavemen

by John Lynch, Louise Barrett

A companion to the third is a series of television productions on the prehistoric world. Lynch, head of the Science Unit at the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Barrett (biological sciences, U. of Liverpool) describe the conventionally held beliefs about the emergence and early development of humans, using actors (caucasian, of course) heavily altered with makeup and prosthetics. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Anthropology, Prehistory, Archaeology, Evolution

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Sense of History]

This book accompanied the BBC's mini-TV series (2002), which illustrated the earliest human history, following the wildly popular ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’ (1999). In the TV series, the presentation was annoyingly enough outsourced to Robert Winston who walks among the prehistoric people like a kind of cartoon character in safari gear. Fortunately, you are spared of that in the book. But that contains plenty of other goofs. This series uncritically follows a number of speculative theories that, although launched by paleontological scientists, are highly controversial in their own midst. For example, 'homo erectus' (about 1.5 million years ago) is without hesitation attributed the capacity for language and the beginning of monogamous relationships; and our own species, 'homo sapiens', is endowed with the unique faculty of imagination, a faculty apparently completely lacking in all previous species. This is all speculation based on hardly any empirical evidence.

Even more annoyingly, the whole series is permeated with an old-fashioned anthropocentrism, portraying modern man, 'homo sapiens' as the culmination of evolution. This leads to a very teleological story line, in which especially the 'journey towards us' is highlighted. This kind of approach is detrimental to a balanced understanding of human evolution (and evolution in general). I guess the authors and creators of this series were completely guided by the laws of the TV genre, which forced them into a positive, progressive story line, without sense of nuance and criticism. I do not understand that scientists such as Steven Mithen and Chris Stringer contributed to this program.

[Marc Lamot · Rating 1 out of 5]

Of course you can look at this book (and the TV-series it was based on) with amusement, but unfortunately I looked at it with the eyes of an historian. I had better not done that: it contains too many flaws and improbabilities. See my review in my History-account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

very simply written and covers all species as much as can be. somehow I wanted more from this book but the actual documentary would be amazing I think

[Starry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book filled me with a profound sense of loneliness for humans. There used to be so many of us. For six million years, there was always another species. I really wish Neanderthals had made it too. But it also filled me with a sense of togetherness. It will never not make me emotional to think about the first people painting their caves. “I was here. I was here. I was here. Remember me I was here.” There is nothing more human than that. I just want them all to know that I remember. That I think their art is good and pretty. That they did good. In our mitochondrial DNA we have genes from our oldest mother, and we won’t ever forget. If there’s an afterlife, I want to see other hominids there. Like a big family reunion. Erectus, ergaster, heidelbergensis, Neanderthals. And last but not least, sapiens. The last hominids. We’ll remember everyone, and keep making art and telling people “I am here, remember me.” We’re too stubborn to do anything else I think

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for everyone who wants to learn about our ancestors.

[Melissa Embry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once there were myriad branches on the evolutionary tree of humans. So how did those wildly fruitful beginnings become whittled down to a single sprout – the one we modern humans call Homo sapiens? In Walking with Cavemen, the book spin-off of a popular BBC television series, BBC Science Unit head John Lynch and biological anthropologist Louise Barrett introduce readers to several of those early human species and even more species who might have had a shot at human status if only the evolutionary breaks hadn’t gone against them).

Lynch and Barrett divide Walking with Cavemen (few of whose subjects actually lived in caves) into four parts – First Ancestors (3.5 million years ago); Blood Brothers (2.0 million year ago); Savage Family (1.5 million years ago); and The Survivors (250,000 years ago). Following in the footsteps of the TV series, the authors narrate scenarios to draw readers into the worlds of these early beings.

The First Ancestors section deals with the earliest known (as of the publication date) hominids to branch off from the last common ancestor whose progeny became both human and apes/ These include not only the well-known such as Australopithecus afarensis (including the iconic “Lucy” fossil) and but lesser-known Australopithecus species and others.

Blood Brothers deals with an explosive evolution of hominid species, including the appearance of the first to carry the genus designation Homo, a species termed “habilis” – “handy man” – whose combination of “dexterity and inventiveness” gave rise to the production of tools specialized for particular purposes. In Savage Family, we are introduced to perhaps the first group of we would recognize as human if they time-traveled to a 21st century metropolis.

Walking with Cavemen is lavishly illustrated with still from the TV series. And though the costumes and masks are impressive, the modern human reenactors have not been able to disguise their essentially modern body dimensions, including our long, slender, decidedly unape-like legs. As a result, in the First Ancestors and Blood Brothers sections, the photos look like extras from a Planet of the Apes movie.

Not until the section labeled Savage Family do modern human proportions emerge (along with hairless skin, a possible adaption to enhance sweating, and therefore cooling of the expanding hominid brain). Finally, in The Survivors, Walking with Cavemen turns its attention to those beings who truly did live in caves, the now-extinct Neanderthals and Homo sapiens -- us – the last branch left on humanity’s tree of life.

Some elements of the narratives are, admittedly, speculative. Thoughts and emotions, Lynch and Barrett note, do not fossilize. But they back their imaginings with enough hard-scientific data – bones, stone tools and other artifacts, even fossilized footprints – to ground the narratives. And in addition to the species narratives, Lynch and Barrett include engaging sidebars – discussions of related subjects – from how fossilization occurs, to theories about the emergence of language, to the hoax of the English “fossils” designated Piltdown Man (and whose much-vaunted “discovery” was a major setback to acceptance of humanity’s African origins).

All of which leaves open the question: at just which point did humans become, well, human? Was it when protohumans began living in social groups? When they (almost we) became technological beings, able to make and harness fire, to shape stone tools? When they became eaters of meat (both scavenged and hunted) that gave their brains the extra energy boost needed to enlarge? Possibly when, much later, they developed the rituals, including those surrounding death, that presaged a leap into abstract thought?

And given the plethora of might-have-beens, readers are left to ponder what the world would be like if those who left lighter footprints had been the survivors instead of us.

[Ioan Simiciuc · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some valuable information. The short fictional stories of how different species lived is alternated with scientific explanation. The images of of different hominids and australopithecus looks like humans in costumes.

[Betsy Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend watching the TV program first then read this book . it was an interesting show and so is the book .

[KayDee]

In a companion book to the BBC miniseries, the author explores the origin of humans from the earliest beginnings. An absolutely fascinating read.

KD 6-15

Check out this book today!

[Addison Public Library]

In a companion book to the BBC miniseries, the author explores the origin of humans from the earliest beginnings. An absolutely fascinating read.
KD 6-15

Check out this book today!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting picture book of human evolution.

[Elizabeth Tabatabai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and there is actually a short DVD that BBC put out that goes along with it. It's a great Learning tool for anyone really. Not over the top or over your head.

[Shantanu Sabnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book💯. Perfectly describes the origin of humanity. You can visualise it. Very Interesting. I enjoyed it a lot.