The Neanderthal's Necklace: In Search of the First Thinkers - Tapa dura

"...He certainly knows his stuff...necessary evolutionary and environmental background to this complex story, all well told for the general reader..." (New Scientist, 11 January 2003) "...a splendid read...this book will be much admired and valued by academics and those who want an informative account of the human past..." (Fortean Times, May 2003) "...this is good reference work that will benefit students and researchers..." (Focus, September 2003) "...his book proves a valuable counter to accounts relegating this group to a peripheral role..."AC (Times Higher Education Supplement, 6 February 2004) "...I praise Arsuaga for his commitment to all aspects of human and social sciences and for this synthesis that is relevant to the aspirations of every extant culture." (Endevour, March 2004) "a very good and up--to--date introduction to the evolution of consciousness." (Journal of The Royal Anthropological Institute, September 2004)

The Neanderthals were members of a parallel humanity that evolved in Europe for hundreds of thousands of years. They manufactured stone tools like the Cro--Magnons, the modern humans -- with whom they were in direct competition for thousands of years -- and they used language. They were human not only because of their place in our evolutionary group but also in the spiritual nature of their beliefs and in their emotions, in their very human minds. The way they lived and the reasons they disappeared fifty thousand years ago offer a surprising mirror in which we can examine and learn more about our no--so--alien lives. In The Neanderthala s Necklace, Juan Luis Arsuaga -- Europea s most celebrated paleoanthropologist -- displays not only his well--known scientific acuity but also his talents as an engaging teacher and storyteller, giving us a concise and readable description of what we know about who we are and how we came to be so.