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The Neandertals: Of Skeletons, Scientists, and Scandal
To one nineteenth-century scholar, their fierce, ridged brows were evidence of a "moral darkness" that set them irrevocably apart from human beings. Some commentators accused them of cannibalism. Yet by the 1970s the Neandertals were being hailed as "the first flower people" and praised for their apparent compassion and religious piety.
The story of how scientists could come to such divergent conclusions about a set of bones unearthed in Germany in 1856 unfolds with irresistible detail in this enthralling book. Even as The Neandertals assesses the identity, kinship, and character of our possible ancestors, it casts a wry eye on the modern Homo sapiens who have embraced or disavowed them and illuminates the peculiar way in which even science is shaped by human needs and biases.
The story of how scientists could come to such divergent conclusions about a set of bones unearthed in Germany in 1856 unfolds with irresistible detail in this enthralling book. Even as The Neandertals assesses the identity, kinship, and character of our possible ancestors, it casts a wry eye on the modern Homo sapiens who have embraced or disavowed them and illuminates the peculiar way in which even science is shaped by human needs and biases.
454 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 3, 2018
This was more about the historical aspect of the finding of Neanddertal fossils and the classification and interactions of the various players in that story. Not really what I was looking for... would have prefered to have learned more about the Neandertals themselves.
March 21, 2019
Fascinating read.
January 10, 2021
Presents the theories and understanding of the Neandertals through time from finding the first fossil to just before the DNA analysis. This book helped me to understand the progression of our understanding and why there seems to be conflicting information. A very valuable book for understanding the changing opinions over time.
January 6, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gave me a wonderful look at the lives and scandals of the people involved in the study of Neanderthals while also providing interesting information on these ancient peoples.
June 4, 2017
If you are interested in in-depth review of all the controversy about the Neanderthals, this is the book for you.
April 6, 2020
A wonderful history of the history of study of Neandertals. The book is much clearer than my first sentence.
February 23, 2022
Everything you want to know about the fossils you could just read in the five page epilogue.
August 21, 2014
I went and bought Neandertals: Changing the Image of Mankind by Erik Trinkaus and Pat Shipman as it was the only book on the subject at all at the local half price books. Unfortunately the book was primarily concerned with human evolution and not so much with Neanderthals themselves. But for all that it was an interesting look at how the theories have grown over time. The two authors started very early with the early 1800's and the history of the theories of evolution. For each new scientist introduced they went into detail about their background, education, and what ideas they held, and what they discovered. It was interesting to see where and when the bones were found and the different impact on theories about Neandertals were formed because of them. However the largest focus of the book seemed to be simply, whether or not Neandertals were to be included as part of human ancestry or not, and the arguments back and forth over the past 180 odd years.
Which was a little odd as the author Trinkaus was famous for wanting to look at Neandertals in their own right and try and figure out who they were, rather than whether or not they were our own ancestors. As the work got closer to the present their were a few attempts to put in some practical knowledge about them. There was discussion of the graves, their care for the elderly and infirm, and a little about their technology. But it was a book written much more about the history of a science and how it reflects the age the science is being done in, rather than about the creatures that were supposedly being studied. (Now I'm feeling self conscious for using the word creatures instead of humans).
I learned a lot from this book however, about the wide dispersal of neandertal bones, for instance, some of the best finds were found in Iraq and are now thought lost after the 1991 bombings. I learned about the piltdown hoax, the history of science and in particular archeology and anthropology in the past few centuries. And how the ideas of human evolution have grown and changed over time.
One interesting bit was reading about the "eve" hypothesis. I remember when this was first explained and my mother who had no belief in evolution, went, "ah ha science is proving the bible right" and therefore she could listen to the science, never mind the huge difference in time scales, and the fact that it was based on evolutionary changes. She wanted to see what fit with her world view. Which is really what the book was all about, how are studying of the past, and the people of the past, is really a reflection of ourselves and how we look at the world. The last chapter had an analysis of the different images of Neandertals in time. It started with a Victorian image, that had the woman neandertal lying with her head on the bed turned away from the cave entrance, (in a state of grief or helplessness) while the male stood vigilantly with his eyes wide and a tool in hand standing by the entrance and looking out. They used a 1950's B movie poster to illustrate the fear of science that everyone was feeling after the devastation of WWII.
It was an interesting book, not what I was looking for, but a good start. So far I have only been able to find two other books on Neandertals to read. One is a lovely 1916 copy of a book about early man, with lots of lovely illustrations and pictures, though hopelessly out of date, I now at least know how far their ideas had gotten and why they were thinking those things at the time. The next I have I have high hopes for, published in 2002 called The Neandertals' Necklace I'm hoping it will include more details about who they were and what they did. Rather than if they are or aren't part of our ancestral heritage.
(And while the H was dropped out of Neanderthal in the 1970's to make it match the actual German that the words were taken from, Neander Tal, my spell checker still thinks that it should be spelt with the H put back in. Oh well, I'm sticking with what the book said.)
Which was a little odd as the author Trinkaus was famous for wanting to look at Neandertals in their own right and try and figure out who they were, rather than whether or not they were our own ancestors. As the work got closer to the present their were a few attempts to put in some practical knowledge about them. There was discussion of the graves, their care for the elderly and infirm, and a little about their technology. But it was a book written much more about the history of a science and how it reflects the age the science is being done in, rather than about the creatures that were supposedly being studied. (Now I'm feeling self conscious for using the word creatures instead of humans).
I learned a lot from this book however, about the wide dispersal of neandertal bones, for instance, some of the best finds were found in Iraq and are now thought lost after the 1991 bombings. I learned about the piltdown hoax, the history of science and in particular archeology and anthropology in the past few centuries. And how the ideas of human evolution have grown and changed over time.
One interesting bit was reading about the "eve" hypothesis. I remember when this was first explained and my mother who had no belief in evolution, went, "ah ha science is proving the bible right" and therefore she could listen to the science, never mind the huge difference in time scales, and the fact that it was based on evolutionary changes. She wanted to see what fit with her world view. Which is really what the book was all about, how are studying of the past, and the people of the past, is really a reflection of ourselves and how we look at the world. The last chapter had an analysis of the different images of Neandertals in time. It started with a Victorian image, that had the woman neandertal lying with her head on the bed turned away from the cave entrance, (in a state of grief or helplessness) while the male stood vigilantly with his eyes wide and a tool in hand standing by the entrance and looking out. They used a 1950's B movie poster to illustrate the fear of science that everyone was feeling after the devastation of WWII.
It was an interesting book, not what I was looking for, but a good start. So far I have only been able to find two other books on Neandertals to read. One is a lovely 1916 copy of a book about early man, with lots of lovely illustrations and pictures, though hopelessly out of date, I now at least know how far their ideas had gotten and why they were thinking those things at the time. The next I have I have high hopes for, published in 2002 called The Neandertals' Necklace I'm hoping it will include more details about who they were and what they did. Rather than if they are or aren't part of our ancestral heritage.
(And while the H was dropped out of Neanderthal in the 1970's to make it match the actual German that the words were taken from, Neander Tal, my spell checker still thinks that it should be spelt with the H put back in. Oh well, I'm sticking with what the book said.)
September 14, 2022
I started reading this at a coffee shop years ago, pulling it from their shelf. When I returned, it was gone! I recently stumbled across it at a book fair and began again. I really should have been an archaeologist/anthropologist....I have truly missed my calling.
I loved this book. Since finishing it a few weeks ago, I've been catching up on further developments in DNA application since the book's publication date in 1983.
I just wish it had included more pictures. It took forever to read because I was constantly stopping to Google the finds and locations and getting lost down those inevitable rabbit holes!
I loved this book. Since finishing it a few weeks ago, I've been catching up on further developments in DNA application since the book's publication date in 1983.
I just wish it had included more pictures. It took forever to read because I was constantly stopping to Google the finds and locations and getting lost down those inevitable rabbit holes!
September 19, 2012
This book changed the image of myself 20 years ago, essentially switching the direction of my life. I picked up a copy at Wordsworth's Books (RIP) in Cambridge just before ditching Boston around Christmas for a six month mental health break in Jamestown, RI.*
Firstly: Never rent a beach house in Jamestown in December, especially one with zero insulation and a propane heater. Even with the thermostat set just above freezing, you'll run out of fuel every few days - about the closest thing you can get to being homeless without giving up your TV. But if you do ever find yourself in that situation, bring lots of blankets and lots of reading to shiver with under them. Reading through the fog of my breath, The Neandertals kept my mind spinning for the first few days of my exile. Once, while examining my nose in the mirror for signs of frostbite, I considered the harsh conditions endured by the ancestors and/or close relatives of humanity. I'd loved studying Mesoamerican Archaeology up to that point yet it suddenly seemed dull and lame. I no longer wished to hop around Toltec building blocks or pore over Nazca sand doodles. I was gonna look for bones! It was the perfect deal; after all, I've always like people's parts more than their discarded toys...
The Neandertals is great historical overview of paleoanthropology from the early Neander Valley fossils through the latest Western Asian discoveries by the end of the 80's. While laying out all the various arguments and catfights of the field, Shipman and Trinkaus do a bang up job of keeping the book neutral. That alone sets it apart from many of the popular books on Human Evolution. Cruising through it again for this review reminded me of all the little things which made this book fun - particularly the illustrations and cartoons related to Neandertals over the last 150 years. A couple of decades later and it still struck me as a great read.
A final, but critically important note is that if it weren't for The Neandertals there would never have been Jackass on a Camel So we can blame it all on Erik Trinkaus and Pat Shipman...
* Just ended a long relationship with an increasingly psychotic Irish girl. Had to put some distance between our urges to murder each other...
Firstly: Never rent a beach house in Jamestown in December, especially one with zero insulation and a propane heater. Even with the thermostat set just above freezing, you'll run out of fuel every few days - about the closest thing you can get to being homeless without giving up your TV. But if you do ever find yourself in that situation, bring lots of blankets and lots of reading to shiver with under them. Reading through the fog of my breath, The Neandertals kept my mind spinning for the first few days of my exile. Once, while examining my nose in the mirror for signs of frostbite, I considered the harsh conditions endured by the ancestors and/or close relatives of humanity. I'd loved studying Mesoamerican Archaeology up to that point yet it suddenly seemed dull and lame. I no longer wished to hop around Toltec building blocks or pore over Nazca sand doodles. I was gonna look for bones! It was the perfect deal; after all, I've always like people's parts more than their discarded toys...
The Neandertals is great historical overview of paleoanthropology from the early Neander Valley fossils through the latest Western Asian discoveries by the end of the 80's. While laying out all the various arguments and catfights of the field, Shipman and Trinkaus do a bang up job of keeping the book neutral. That alone sets it apart from many of the popular books on Human Evolution. Cruising through it again for this review reminded me of all the little things which made this book fun - particularly the illustrations and cartoons related to Neandertals over the last 150 years. A couple of decades later and it still struck me as a great read.
A final, but critically important note is that if it weren't for The Neandertals there would never have been Jackass on a Camel So we can blame it all on Erik Trinkaus and Pat Shipman...
* Just ended a long relationship with an increasingly psychotic Irish girl. Had to put some distance between our urges to murder each other...
December 25, 2010
Ever since the strangely thick bones were found in Neander Valley in Germany in 1856 (yes, they were misidentified as bones of a lost Cossack pursuing Napoleon's army in 1814), scientists have been trying to figure out, who the owners of these bones were and how their anatomy, physiology, life and culture differed from ours. There are more questions than answers; a Neandertal skeleton in a cave in Iraq was found surrounded by flower pollen; was he given a flower burial, or did a gerbil-like rodent use the cave to store flowers? And this was even before the Neandertal Genome Project.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews