Publisher's Synopsis
This work brings together essays by archaeologists, anthropologists, biologists and palaeontologists which together provide a portrait of what is currently known about the evolution of our species. It aims to provide an accurate and accessible introduction to the scientific study of human evolution.;The book explains how new ideas and new information are being incorporated into an ever more detailed account of the emergence of the hominids from the world of the apes. Later chapters consider the life-style of our early ancestors and the evolution of human intelligence, and the book concludes with a chapter on the nature and significance of human purpose.;The idea for the book arose out of a public lecture series entitled "Human Origins" which was organized by John Durant in Oxford in 1984.
