Search results for ""author john f. hoffecker""
Rutgers University Press Desolate Landscapes Iceage Settlement in Eastern
Book SynopsisAn overview of Pleistocene or Ice-Age settlement in Eastern Europe, with the main focus on the adaptations of Neanderthals and modern humans to the environment. This book looks at human evolution in such a cold climate and how technological innovation led to the extinction of the Neanderthals.Trade ReviewMost English-reading archaeologists know that Eastern European prehistory can illuminate cultural evolution over tens of thousands of years. . . . Now, for the first time, they have a readily available, highly readable, authoritative, and comprehensive source to inform both themselves and their students. * from the Foreword by Richard G. Klein *Hoffecker presents a concise review of the Paleolitic archaeology of east Europe, wrapping together in one volume an extensive bibliography that includes many Russian-language sources not readily available to non-Russian speakersàWell illustrated with a selection colleges and universities with course offerings at the undergraduate and graduate level in anthropology, archaeology, and environmental studies. * Choice *John Hoffecker has written a very worthy addition to the small, but substantive collection of books by Americans that make the Paleolithic record of Eastern Europe accessible to the Anglophone community of paleanthropologists/prehistorians. . . . An excellent, well-written, scholarly work by a specialist with a long track record in Russian and Arctic archaeology. * Journal of Anthropological Research *Table of ContentsFigures Tables Foreword Richard G. Klein Preface and Acknowledgments Human Evolutionary Ecology and Eastern Europe Environmental Setting Middle Pleistocene Settlement Neanderthal Adaptations The Transition to Modern Humans People of the Loess Steppe Retrospective Bibliography Index
£35.10
Columbia University Press Modern Humans
Book SynopsisModern Humans is a vivid account of the most recent—and perhaps the most important—phase of human evolution: the appearance of Homo sapiens in Africa less than half a million years ago and their spread throughout the world. John F. Hoffecker demonstrates that Homo sapiens represents a major transition in the evolution of living systems.Trade ReviewThis is an exceptional book on an inherently interesting topic. Most students of human origins agree that fully modern humans represent the surviving tip of an evolutionary lineage that emerged in Africa, probably beginning at least 300,000 years ago. This was a time when other lineages, including the one that led to the Neanderthals, were evolving in Eurasia. Most specialists also agree that fully modern Africans expanded to Eurasia around 50,000 years ago, where they replaced and sometimes interbred with the Neanderthals and other non-modern people. Much has been written on the ‘Out-of-Africa’ dispersal, but now the emphasis is increasingly on indications that invading Africans acquired some genes from resident Eurasians. Fossils are then valued mostly for their ancient DNA and only incidentally for their form and geographic distribution, while relevant archaeological observations are completely ignored, even though they underlie the most plausible explanations for modern human success. John F. Hoffecker considers everything and ignores nothing, and his synthesis is extraordinary not only for its breadth but for its clarity. Modern Humans will satisfy both curious lay readers and specialists who seek a readily intelligible, authoritative update on where we came from. -- Richard G. Klein, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University, author of The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins, Third EditionJohn F. Hoffecker has produced an exhaustively researched but highly accessible account of the evidence—from paleontology, archaeology, material culture, and genomics—for one of the greatest stories ever told: how, from an unremarkable origin in Africa, our species Homo sapiens began behaving in extraordinary and unprecedented ways, and rapidly took over the entire habitable world—with consequences with which we are still grappling. Modern Humans is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in how modern humans came to be the amazing creatures they are. -- Ian Tattersall, Curator Emeritus, Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, author of The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack and Other Cautionary Tales from Human EvolutionEvery so often, a benchmark volume is needed to slow things down a bit and walk readers through the evidence, reminding them of what it all means. This is just such a volume, and, happily Hoffecker's writing style makes the evidence come alive for almost all levels of readers, from the lay public to seasoned professionals. * Choice *An erudite, meticulously researched, and well-presented account of the Spencerian process as applied to deep history. -- Clive Gamble * American Antiquity *Essential reading for anyone involved in human origins research, Modern Humans is a detailed, fact-dense work. -- John J. Shea * Journal of Anthropological Research *Table of Contents1. Information, Complexity, and Human Evolution2. Modern Human Origins and Dispersal: The Synthesis3. An Evolutionary Context for Homo sapiens4. Recent African Origin5. Global Dispersal: Southern Asia and Australia6. Global Dispersal: Northern Eurasia7. Global Dispersal: Beringia and the AmericasNotesBibliographyAcknowledgmentsIndex
£70.40
British Archaeological Reports The Early Upper Paleolithic
Book Synopsis
£62.70
Rutgers University Press A Prehistory of the North Human Settlement of the
Book SynopsisEarly humans did not drift north from Africa as their ability to cope with cooler climates evolved. Settlement of Europe and northern Asia occurred in relatively rapid bursts of expansion. This study tells the complex story, spanning almost two million years, of how humans inhabited some of the coldest places on earth.Table of ContentsVikings in the Arctic Out of Africa The first Europeans Cold weather people Modern humans in the north Into the Arctic Peoples of the circumpolar zone
£31.50
Columbia University Press Human Ecology of Beringia
Book SynopsisHumans first occupied Beringia during a twilight period when rising sea levels had not yet caught up with warming climates. This volume synthesizes research on the archaeological sites and changing climates and biota of the period. It also traces the evolving adaptations of early humans to the cold environments of northern Eurasia.Trade ReviewThis excellent summary and evaluation... should serve as the baseline of interpretation for many years to come... Highly recommended. Choice A concise and readable account of the environmental setting and peopling of the far northern reached of the two continents -- Becky M. Saleeby Ecology Thorough and thought-provoking... a must-have reference. -- Kelly E. Graf Journal of Anthropological Research An original and unparalleled summary of the pre-Holocene archeology and environment of this unique and pivotal region. -- Ben Fitzhugh Human Ecology Useful to students and professionals alike. -- Raymond Le Blanc Artic Hoffecker and Elias' well-written volume is a thorough discussion of the landscape, climate, vegetation, and fauna of what was once Beringia as well as a more than adequate discussion of sites, artefact complexes and their places in Northeast Asia and Alaska. It provides good coverage for both the interested layman and the professional investigator. -- Robert E. Ackerman AntiquityTable of ContentsPreface: Lost Continent 1. An Introduction to Beringia 2. Beringian Landscapes 3. Settlement of Northern Asia 4. The Beginning of the Lateglacial 5. The End of the Lateglacial Interstadial 6. The Younger Dryas and the End of Beringia 7. Beringia and the New World Notes Bibliography Index
£49.60
