Description
Book SynopsisEvidence that Neanderthals caught birds and used their feathers for decoration, along with recent discoveries of Neanderthal cave art, are challenging our preconceptions of the cognitive gap between Neanderthals and modern humans. Clive Finlayson draws on new evidence to overturn the old image of the Neanderthal, and our relationship with them.
Trade ReviewIn this short, engaging book, Finlayson recounts his personal journey to find out about Neanderthals. In doing so, he effectively rattles the bars of the protective cage around our species uniqueness. * Clive Gamble, Archäologische Informationen *
This is an anecdotal and quirky book, an act of storytelling in effect, but nonetheless persuasive for that ... The Smart Neanderthal is a touching, slightly eccentric contribution to an evolving story, finding, as all do in this field, tremendous significance in still scant evidence - but it is wonderfully suggestive and engaging. * David Sexton, Evening Standard *
The Smart Neanderthal offers both a fascinating exploration of the latest Neanderthal discoveries and a superb study of the evolution of Neanderthals as cultural icons ... highly recommended to readers interested in evolutionary theory, human prehistory, and the complex afterlives of bones. * Lydia Pyne, Los Angeles Review of Books *
The Best Science Books to Read For Summer 2019: From Gibraltar's swelter to a frigid Norwegian fjord, the evolutionary biologist takes readers on an adventure in unexpected revelations about this lost lineage of humans. * Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine *
No one has done more for Neanderthal public relations than evolutionary archaeologist Clive Finlayson... I found The Smart Neandethal fascinating. * David Miles, Minerva *
Well-written and accessible. * Antiquity *
Table of ContentsPreface 1: Nana and flint 2: Neanderthals and birds 3: Lessons from the Arctic 4: The long-tailed duck 5: The white ghost 6: Gibraltar 7: The dynamic world of dunes 8: Lakes and plains 9: The great auk 10: Big eyes 11: Digging in the cave 12: Neanderthal real estate 13: Of seals and limpets 14: Birds of a feather 15: The golden eagle 16: Ambushing the scavengers 17: The big six 18: How to skin a vulture 19: Pigeons and choughs 20: Feeding the vultures 21: The hashtag and the end of the long road to Neanderthal emancipation Appendix 1 Bird Names used in the Text Appendix 2 Mammal Names used in the Text Endnotes Further reading Index
