Based on the author's first-hand experience at the cutting-edge of Palaeolithic research and theory, this easy-to-read but information-rich book lays out the first full picture we have of the Neanderthals, from amazing new discoveries changing our view of them forever, to the more enduring mysteries of how they lived and died, and the biggest question of them all: their relationship with modern humans. Our perception of the Neanderthal has changed dramatically, but despite growing scientific curiosity, popular culture fascination, and a wealth of coverage in the media and beyond are we getting the whole story? The reality of 21st century Neanderthals is complex and fascinating, yet remains virtually unknown and inaccessible outside the scientific literature. Since their discovery 150 years ago, Neanderthals have gone from the losers of the human family tree to A-list hominins.

This book sheds new light on where they lived, what they ate, and the increasingly complex Neanderthal culture that researchers have discovered. To find out more about subscribing to the magazine, click here.'Kindred is important reading not just for anyone interested in these ancient cousins of ours, but also for anyone interested in humanity.'- The New York Times Book Review ' bold and magnificent attempt to resurrect our Neanderthal kin.'- The Wall Street Journal In Kindred, Neanderthal expert Rebecca Wragg Sykes shoves aside the cliché of the shivering ragged figure in an icy wasteland, and reveals the Neanderthal you don't know, our ancestor who lived across vast and diverse tracts of Eurasia and survived through hundreds of thousands of years of massive climate change. Detailed discussion of excavated remains makes this a deeply personal (and frequently poignant) account: a fascinating family reunion. Sweeping across some 400,000 years of history, and ranging from Wales to the borders of China, we learn about all aspects of Neanderthal life and death, from their tools and weapons to their homes and burials what they ate how they moved their physical appearance how they cared for the old and injured and the wider world they inhabited. Into c.400 pages, full of scientific detailīut with a lightness of touch that brings prehistoric populations to life. Much-more-recent past – there is a wide-ranging wealth of information packed Turn of phrase, deftly conjuring scenes from both the deeply distant and is a dense work, packed with information and interpretations that strongly challenge earlier conceptions of Neanderthals. In this absorbing new book, Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes explores theĮvolution of our understanding of these ‘truly A-list’ hominins, as well as discussing Perceptions of what it meant to be human, public fascination has endured Since the firstĭiscoveries of their bones in the 1850s (a decade that also saw the publication Must be the most-familiar members of our extended family tree.

Kindred neanderthal book review