Every Bone Tells a Story

Every bone tells a story : hominin discoveries, deductions, and debates / Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw. -- Watertown: Charlesbridge, c2010.
185 p. : col. ill., col. maps ; 24 cm.
ISBN: 9781580891646

1. Archaeologists – Biography. 2. Excavations (Archaeology). 3. Fossil hominids. 4. Human remains (Archaeology). 5. Prehistoric peoples.

930.1

The fossilized skeleton of one of our prehistoric ancestors and the actual bones of two others and the mummy of a fourth (Turkana Boy, Lapedo Child, Kennewick Man, and Iceman, respectively) do tell stories, and the authors have made them very lively stories. As their subtitle promises the narratives start with the discovery by archaeologists, a construction crew, or casual passers-by and then the excitement when the find is publicized. Then the deductions start, what can we learn from their teeth and DNA, and what do the remains tell us about life before we began to record it? When and how did we begin to use language? How did agriculture spread? How did humans spread out from Africa across the globe? Then when tentative answers are put forth the fury of the debate begins, with scientists sometimes taking on their opponents as if they were preparing for a professional wrestling match. All and all this is an accurate, thought provoking and colorful account complete with bibliographies, index, web directories, and color photography.