Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Greystone Books (2020), Edition: Illustrated, 376 pages
Description
"Splendid and important .... Scientifically rigorous and written with a clarity and candor that create a gripping tale ... [Böhme's] account of the history of Europe's lost apes is imbued with the sweat, grime, and triumph that is the lot of the fieldworker, and carries great authority."--Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books In this "fascinating forensic inquiry into human origins" (Kirkus STARRED Review), a renowned paleontologist takes readers behind-the-scenes of one of the most groundbreaking archaeological digs in recent history. Somewhere west of Munich,paleontologist Madelaine Böhme and her colleagues dig for clues to the origins of humankind. What they discover is beyond anything they ever imagined: the twelve-million-year-old bones of Danuvius guggenmosi make headlines around the world. This ancient ape defies prevailing theories of human history--his skeletal adaptations suggest a new common ancestor between apes and humans, one that dwelled in Europe, not Africa. Might the great apes that traveled from Africa to Europe before Danuvius's time be the key to understanding our own origins? All this and more is explored in Ancient Bones. Using her expertise as a paleoclimatologist and paleontologist, Böhme pieces together an awe-inspiring picture of great apes that crossed land bridges from Africa to Europe millions of years ago, evolving in response to the challenging conditions they found. She also takes us behind the scenes of her research, introducing us to former theories of human evolution (complete with helpful maps and diagrams), and walks us through musty museum overflow storage where she finds forgotten fossils with yellowed labels, before taking us along to the momentous dig where she and the team unearthed Danuvius guggenmosi himself--and the incredible reverberations his discovery caused around the world. Praise for Ancient Bones: "Readable and thought-provoking. Madelaine Böhme is an iconoclast whose fossil discoveries have challenged long-standing ideas on the origins of the ancestors of apes and humans."--Steve Brusatte, New York Times-bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs "An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, and exceptionally thought-provoking read."--Midwest Book Review "An impressive introduction to the burgeoning recalibration of paleoanthropology."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member gmicksmith
The miraculous story of how we became human has been touched on by both science and theology. Always open to new research this volume provides an insight into how we evolve into humans and humanity as we know it.
LibraryThing member unclebob53703
Human origins fascinate me, and I've read quite a few books on the subject. A very select few were about discoveries that completely changed the scientific status qu0, and this is one of them. It challenges the long-held notion that the earliest humans evolved in Africa with information from recent
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discoveries. The closest thing I can compare it with is Donald Johanson's LUCY, which also detailed a revolutionary (and still justly famous) discovery. Like that book, this one also does a good job of summarizing the discoveries and ideas that went before. The writing is lively and fast paced--at least as fast paced as a book this dense with information can be. If you haven't read a lot about early humans this would be a good, up to date book to read as it does an excellent job of presenting an overall summary of the field. Show Less
LibraryThing member pbirch01
In 2019, Madelaine Böhme and colleagues discovered the bones of Danuvis guggenmosi, an ancestor of humans that did not fit in with the existing paradigm of evolutionary theory. This in itself is a fascinating discovery and is incredibly newsworthy however I do not think it merits an entire book.
To
As a whole this is an excellent introduction to paleontology and an interesting overview of just how incomplete our understanding of human evolution is even up to present day.
To
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properly tell the story of D. guggenmosi or any ancestral primate requires a significant amount of background and exposition to bring the reader up to speed on paleontology and evolution. Böhme and her co-authors do an excellent job of this in making clear and succinct explanations for laypeople. The history of where D. guggenmosi was discovered and the classfication and subsequent study of these bones are told with infectious enthusiasm. Unfortunately after this the overall narrative of the book seems to fall flat on its face. There seemed to be a need to stretch out the length of the book so there are some odd standalone chapters such as pondering the development of the human hand or a deep dive into issues and controversies within the field of paleontology in European academic circles.As a whole this is an excellent introduction to paleontology and an interesting overview of just how incomplete our understanding of human evolution is even up to present day.
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LibraryThing member Taphophile13
The origin of mankind in Africa has received general acceptance but some anthropologists think our ancestors may have Eurasian origins. Böhme proposes Graecopithecus freybergi, found in Greece in 1944, as an early hominin candidate. Most of the book is a wide overview of how anthropologists work
Böhme is perhaps at her best when describing the ancient world that our distant ancestors may have known. She paints a vivid picture of the savannahs, ponds and forests and various creatures such as fierce bear-dogs, giant salamanders and “a large flying squirrel that looks like a magic carpet” as it glides from branch to branch. She also describes the Messinian salinity crisis when the Mediterranean Sea dried up and the effect that had on plant and animal life. How camels have adapted to desert life, such as reabsorbing moisture as they breathe, was an interesting detail although not germane to the subject of hominin origins.
Ancient Bones seems to be more a general discussion of recent anthropological puzzles rather than evidence that any particular hypothesis is correct. New discoveries may support our current understanding, or more likely, further muddle the picture. There are some drawings and maps but it is a little difficult to discern fine detail because they are all light grayscale and don’t have much contrast. There are endnotes and an index.
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and how they interpret fossil remains such as the Australopithecus Lucy, various Homo genera, the Denisovans first found in Siberia, the Hobbit or Homo floresiensis of Indonesia and Neanderthals, of course.Böhme is perhaps at her best when describing the ancient world that our distant ancestors may have known. She paints a vivid picture of the savannahs, ponds and forests and various creatures such as fierce bear-dogs, giant salamanders and “a large flying squirrel that looks like a magic carpet” as it glides from branch to branch. She also describes the Messinian salinity crisis when the Mediterranean Sea dried up and the effect that had on plant and animal life. How camels have adapted to desert life, such as reabsorbing moisture as they breathe, was an interesting detail although not germane to the subject of hominin origins.
Ancient Bones seems to be more a general discussion of recent anthropological puzzles rather than evidence that any particular hypothesis is correct. New discoveries may support our current understanding, or more likely, further muddle the picture. There are some drawings and maps but it is a little difficult to discern fine detail because they are all light grayscale and don’t have much contrast. There are endnotes and an index.
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LibraryThing member m.belljackson
While this books offered a lot of technological archeo background,
because it failed to supply a Master Timeline of Approximate Dates and Locations,
it offered overlapping chapters pretty much "signifying nothing."
The BIG Sound and Fury is proving that Homo sapiens Sapiens did not wholly evolve in
YES, the author concedes that The ancestral Great Apes which gave birth to the early hominids DID originate
in Africa, but then SEEMS TO SAY (this progression is very unclear) that many of these Great Apes wandered north
at a time when there was no huge desert or salt sea and somehow kept moving into Eurasia and China.
At least I think that is what she is saying. Again, with no viable chart, who knows?
So, each group of Great Apes produced hominoids of different colors/races...?
Then she introduces that the African Great Apes may have returned to Africa from Eurasia...?
And then what...? With NO sequence of movement of each separate group of hominids, little is clear except
a desire to prove that we are not all Black...unless, of course, we recognize that we all did descend from those
noble dark African Great Apes...
because it failed to supply a Master Timeline of Approximate Dates and Locations,
it offered overlapping chapters pretty much "signifying nothing."
The BIG Sound and Fury is proving that Homo sapiens Sapiens did not wholly evolve in
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Africa.YES, the author concedes that The ancestral Great Apes which gave birth to the early hominids DID originate
in Africa, but then SEEMS TO SAY (this progression is very unclear) that many of these Great Apes wandered north
at a time when there was no huge desert or salt sea and somehow kept moving into Eurasia and China.
At least I think that is what she is saying. Again, with no viable chart, who knows?
So, each group of Great Apes produced hominoids of different colors/races...?
Then she introduces that the African Great Apes may have returned to Africa from Eurasia...?
And then what...? With NO sequence of movement of each separate group of hominids, little is clear except
a desire to prove that we are not all Black...unless, of course, we recognize that we all did descend from those
noble dark African Great Apes...
Show Less
LibraryThing member lesindy
An interesting book about Evolution, and a theory that humans originated from great apes in Africa, Europe, and Asia. I don't know much about archaeology, but I learned a great deal.
LibraryThing member MarysGirl
A fascinating look at the newest research into our earliest ancestors. The author pulled together the stories of the varied finds of (sometimes tiny) bones/teeth of early apes and humans in a coherent and straightforward manner. As an amateur archeologist (I volunteer at digs), I loved the
Bohme also explores the "Out of Africa" theory of human migration and gives a good bit of evidence that it might be in error. I kept waiting for her to also address the political implications of overturning this popular and widely-held theory, but she chose not to get into that hot mess. She stuck to the findings and science as we know it now--and pointed out that it might change as we get more evidence. This was an ARC and missing some of my favorite parts of research books, such as an index, but all the notes were provided.
NOTE: The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book through an early reader program in exchange for an honest review.
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descriptions of digs and the science behind the analysis of bones. We have so many more tests available to us now to determine the age and analyze the context of the finds than we did in the middle 20C.Bohme also explores the "Out of Africa" theory of human migration and gives a good bit of evidence that it might be in error. I kept waiting for her to also address the political implications of overturning this popular and widely-held theory, but she chose not to get into that hot mess. She stuck to the findings and science as we know it now--and pointed out that it might change as we get more evidence. This was an ARC and missing some of my favorite parts of research books, such as an index, but all the notes were provided.
NOTE: The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book through an early reader program in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member scottjpearson
Though a fan of science in its many forms, I am much more familiar with the early days of Christian Biblical history than with scientific history of the human species. I have studied it, but the ground seems to be slowly shifting in this realm. Böhme details these shifts in this work as he
Genetic analysis is beginning to teach us much about early humans and human-like species. The story that is emerging is related here (and it’s not a finished story yet). Humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans likely all shared DNA (that is, interbred) until differences united in what came to be known as the species of Homo sapiens. Those species likely came out of a “savannah belt” that included not just Africa but also Eurasia. Thought by thought and concept by concept, Böhme unpacks how we have come to grasp this new story. He does so through finely examining the data from find after find and skillfully integrating it in with existing theory. (That is, he proceeds like a scientist should.)
The translation is clear and flows well. Aside from direct references to Germany, it’s hard to tell that this work was originally composed in the German language. It is quite accessible to general audiences that have an interest in science. It doesn’t bog down in needless detail but keeps perspective on the big picture. The illustrations – particularly the maps – teach a lot.
Paleontology is fascinating because like religion, it can tell us where we came from and thus where we can go. Ideally, it does so in a non-ideologically driven manner, and Böhme represents this field well in this regard. If you’re curious about knowing the latest science on where humans came from, this book provides a compelling investigation. As with all science, it may not contain the final word, but it summarizes our best guess at present. I’m glad Böhme’s research has led my curiosity in digging through the facts as he has done with his hands through some of the finds.
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summarizes the evidence over the last 20-30 years. He does so through a lucid, suspenseful, and engaging manner. He questions many older theories through generally acknowledged facts and does not appear to have an overriding agenda.Genetic analysis is beginning to teach us much about early humans and human-like species. The story that is emerging is related here (and it’s not a finished story yet). Humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans likely all shared DNA (that is, interbred) until differences united in what came to be known as the species of Homo sapiens. Those species likely came out of a “savannah belt” that included not just Africa but also Eurasia. Thought by thought and concept by concept, Böhme unpacks how we have come to grasp this new story. He does so through finely examining the data from find after find and skillfully integrating it in with existing theory. (That is, he proceeds like a scientist should.)
The translation is clear and flows well. Aside from direct references to Germany, it’s hard to tell that this work was originally composed in the German language. It is quite accessible to general audiences that have an interest in science. It doesn’t bog down in needless detail but keeps perspective on the big picture. The illustrations – particularly the maps – teach a lot.
Paleontology is fascinating because like religion, it can tell us where we came from and thus where we can go. Ideally, it does so in a non-ideologically driven manner, and Böhme represents this field well in this regard. If you’re curious about knowing the latest science on where humans came from, this book provides a compelling investigation. As with all science, it may not contain the final word, but it summarizes our best guess at present. I’m glad Böhme’s research has led my curiosity in digging through the facts as he has done with his hands through some of the finds.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Oberon
I got Ancient Bones through LT's Early Reviewer program and it is one of the best books I have received through the program. Ancient Bones is a well written and readable update of the current status of paleontology/archaeology of mankind. To expand, I use paleontology/archaeology as the distinction
Ancient Bones makes the argument that humanity descended more directly from a species in Europe and thus challenges the long prevailing "out of Africa" human migration theory. While interesting and well argued, this section of the book is more a snapshot of one side of an ongoing scientific debate about the origins of humanity. The more relevant and interesting portion of the book to me was the broader update that is provided about the scientific consensus surrounding human evolution and how it can be reconciled with the finding that some of our oldest ancestors were found in Europe.
If it has been awhile since you learned some of this history, the update is a bit of a surprise. Personally, I had the sense that our knowledge of human evolution was built on the discoveries of people like the Leakeys and their work in Olduvai Gorge that established that our first ancestors lived in eastern Africa and eventually migrated north into Europe and Asia. Neanderthals were alternatively part of the line or an offshoot that died out but otherwise modern humans arose in Africa and slowly spread throughout the globe.
Ancient Bones does a marvelous job of updating this understanding. In doing so it incorporates finds like the so called "hobbit" skeleton in Indonesia, Denisovan remains from Russia, and a lot of the information we have learned from detailed genetic analysis of earlier finds . This results in a far more complex story of evolution with different proto-humans appearing and disappearing with substantial evidence that the different species were still closely related enough to interbreed. The genetics also point to other branches of the human tree that we still haven't found.
As Ancient Bones freely acknowledges there remain a lot of unanswered questions and more we need to learn. With that acknowledgment, Ancient Bones serves as a very readable update on the current understanding of where we came from. Highly recommended.
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between the two is generally understood to be that archaeology deals with anatomically modern humans with archaeology and later, human culture while paleontology focuses on the fossils of non-human life. This book focuses distinctly on the transition point (or points) between modern humans and proto-ape ancestors.Ancient Bones makes the argument that humanity descended more directly from a species in Europe and thus challenges the long prevailing "out of Africa" human migration theory. While interesting and well argued, this section of the book is more a snapshot of one side of an ongoing scientific debate about the origins of humanity. The more relevant and interesting portion of the book to me was the broader update that is provided about the scientific consensus surrounding human evolution and how it can be reconciled with the finding that some of our oldest ancestors were found in Europe.
If it has been awhile since you learned some of this history, the update is a bit of a surprise. Personally, I had the sense that our knowledge of human evolution was built on the discoveries of people like the Leakeys and their work in Olduvai Gorge that established that our first ancestors lived in eastern Africa and eventually migrated north into Europe and Asia. Neanderthals were alternatively part of the line or an offshoot that died out but otherwise modern humans arose in Africa and slowly spread throughout the globe.
Ancient Bones does a marvelous job of updating this understanding. In doing so it incorporates finds like the so called "hobbit" skeleton in Indonesia, Denisovan remains from Russia, and a lot of the information we have learned from detailed genetic analysis of earlier finds . This results in a far more complex story of evolution with different proto-humans appearing and disappearing with substantial evidence that the different species were still closely related enough to interbreed. The genetics also point to other branches of the human tree that we still haven't found.
As Ancient Bones freely acknowledges there remain a lot of unanswered questions and more we need to learn. With that acknowledgment, Ancient Bones serves as a very readable update on the current understanding of where we came from. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member LizzieD
In Ancient Bones Madelaine Bohme reviews analysis of current work in paleoanthropology, including her own work, to question the long-accepted theory of Africa as the original home of the human race. The bones of Ethiopian Lucy are 3.2 million years old. Bohme and her team in Germany found bones
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million years old.....to be finished when I am awake! Show Less
LibraryThing member chaz166
I had not given much thought to what was knowable about pre-history before reading this book, which poses a fascinating and compelling theory extending humankind's history 3 million years further into the past from "Lucy".
Not only do the authors explain what changes made us the noblest ape, but
Fascinating stuff. Very grateful to have received an advance reader's copy via LibraryThing.
Not only do the authors explain what changes made us the noblest ape, but
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they also describe the changing environment which forced those evolutionary adaptations - and the methods used to determine. Fascinating stuff. Very grateful to have received an advance reader's copy via LibraryThing.
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Original language
English
Original publication date
2020
Physical description
8.5 inches
ISBN
1771647515 / 9781771647519