Introduction to Physical Anthropology

by Robert Jurmain, Lynn Kilgore, Wenda Trevathan

Introduction to Physical Anthropology brings the study of physical anthropology to life! With a focus on the big picture of human evolution, the 15th Edition helps you master the basic principles of the subject and arrive at an understanding of the human species and its place in the biological world. Each chapter begins with new Student Learning Objectives and a chapter outline to help you focus your study time. Each chapter then ends with an expanded section of "How Do We Know?", followed by a critical thinking question, designed to help cement your understanding of the concepts.

Genres: Anthropology, Science, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Reference, Social Science, Evolution

592 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1962

About the author

Robert Jurmain is a professor emeritus of anthropology at San Jose State University.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In the following pages, we will present several phylogenies representing different and opposing views of hominid evolution. We suggest you do not attempt to memorize them, for they all could be out of date by the time you read this book." (pg. 456)

Third Edition, 1985 - Introduction to anthropology, evolution, heredity, genetics, population biology, environmental adaptability, taxonomy, primatology, behavioral ecology - and then the fun starts: Australopithecus afarensis, boisei, robustus, africanus, etc., and then Homo habilis, erectus, neandertalis, sapien, etc.. *Not necessarily in that order.

"...it may seem anthropologists have an almost perverse fascination in finding small scraps buried in the ground and then assigning them confusing numbers and taxonomic labels impossible to remember. We must realize that the collection of all basic fossil data is the foundation of human evolutionary research. Without fossils, our speculations would be completely hollow." (pg. 453)

It's not often I can pull out an old textbook and read it cover to cover (600+ pages) with considerable enthusiasm. Yes, some of the timelines need tweaking, and you'll find no mention of more recent discoveries like Homo floresiensis or Homo luzonensis, but this is still the fascinating and enlightening stuff that made me want to attend college in the first place. NOTE: You will NEVER hear me say that about calculus or macroeconomics.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished part one of my Anthropology classes, this is a pretty good textbook, easy to understand.

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I include this because I read the whole fucking thing this semester, and because it's pretty good as far as textbooks go. I liked the subject quite a bit and the book was engaging and refreshing.

[꧁•⊹٭𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚒٭⊹•꧂]

Read for introduction to biological anthropology

[Robin Redden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this textbook as part of the Great Courses "Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective" course taught by Barbara King, a professor at William and Mary. First, her course is excellent. Second, this text is excellent. Third, I also read another intro text, "Our Origins" by Clark Larsen, at the same time. This appealed to the intellectual/writer geek in me and was an interesting exercise to compare the two textbooks. Larsen's was published in 2011 and this one in 2017 (written by a group of 5 authors). The last 5 years has uncovered additional information and new homo species that are not mentioned here and so both texts are slightly out of date at this time (I'm writing a review in 2021). However, 90 - 95% of the information is still valid - and there may not be a more current, updated text out there.

This is your basic Anthropology 101 college level textbook with clear, easy to understand language and many great images that bring the topic to life. I read this cover to cover and enjoyed every page (not usually a claim I can make with respect to a textbook!). Fascinating, enlightening, informative. A great refresh and update to my prior anthropology knowledge gained 40 years ago.

[Rachelckelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book years ago for an introductory class and have since found it to be a living room mainstay and chief source of curious information. Beyond a great basic textbook, if you find yourself interested in the approximate chronology of the emergence of modern day man or hypothesizing what color eyes your kids are likely to have, this book is fascinating and sans usual haughty textbook syntax.

[Cottageunderhill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting textbook for anthropology. Now if only I had time to take a class...

[Zhelana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exactly what the title says: an introduction to physical anthropology. The author starts back at the definition of evolution and how things evolve before talking about primate behavior and then tracing our ancestors from the last common ancestor with some of the great apes forward through australopithecines and the entire homo genus. It was pretty interesting and talked about a lot of modern debates in anthropology, or at least semi modern as I think I may have had an older version of this book as at one point it said there were only 6 billion people on earth. So that was like y2k. I would have liked more information on the primate behavior and what we learn about human behavior from primates, as that is what really fascinates me about physical anthropology, but I guess I need a different textbook for that. Anyway, interesting book, but didn't focus much on the parts I found most interesting.

[A. J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fall term 2020

[Byrd Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good primer on biological anthropology, this is an easy read relative to the subject matter. Great images and helpful diagrams regarding the different eras and epochs of evolution make it particularly easy to follow. Unfortunately this edition is already out of date bc of the new understandings regarding ardipithecus ramidus which were not yet published at the time of this printing.

[Booklist54321 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A large amount of chronological information about humans and their animal counterparts from a scientific perspective. Lots of descriptions, tables of information, long scientific names, examples, and theories on the puzzle of evolution.

[Tyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

'What is human?' This is a book that helps you find the answer.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful collection of info. I use it as a reference sometimes still, although usually just to settle an argument or nagging question.