AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 82:235-241 (1990)

Book Reviews

HUMAN EVOLUTION. AN ILLUSTRATED INTRODUC- TION, 2nd ed. By Roger Lewin. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Scientific Publications Inc. 1989. vi + 153 pp., figures, glossary, index. $33.95 (cloth); $16.95 (paper).

Paleoanthropology is the only natural sci- ence devoted to the study of a single family of vertebrates, thus even “completely revised and updated books on the subject are usu- all out of date

olution. Furthermore, the book is a highly accurate and readable reflection of the con- temporary concerns, discoveries, and ap- proaches employed in hominid evolutionary studies, coverin the full range of chronolog-

the field. The author also conveys a sense of the many directions in which paleoanthro- pology is headin . There are some omissions

characterize the state of the art. The 153 pa es (30 units) are illustrated

and maps, which not on1 represent a handy

equitable summary of the diverse hypothe- ses that have been presented as explana- tions for various phases, adaptations, and revolutions that have been perceived in the archaeological and fossil record of hominid evolution. Perha s the greatest strength of

devoted to lacing the study of human evolu-

The units on the development of the field (units 1-4) are standard but clearly written. The ex osition of the interdisciplinary na-

flects the diversity ofthe field. Units 10-16 not only emphasize the zoological perspec- tive of comparative primatology but also sup- ply a clear explanation of why we accord so much importance to the study of both living primates and dead bones.

The units on early hominid origins (13- 161, phylogeny (17-19), and behavior (20) are

lisied. This is

ical and metho ! ological subspecialieties of

and mistakes, % ut even these accurately

with clear an % useful charts, photographs,

compilation of revious r y widely dispersed materials but a P so, in most cases, present an

Lewin’s work is t R e nearly half of the volume

tion in its R istorjcal and zoological contexts.

ture o P paleoanthro ology (units 5-7) re-

up to date and com rehensive. The approach is an even-hande B treatment of a complex subject evident in Lewin’s Bones of Conten- tion. Lewin presents a review of possible explanations for the evolution of bipedalism presented by Lovejoy and by Rodman and McHenry. Althou h they are cited as key

licit discussion of the influence that Wash- B urn, Jolly, and Simons (not referenced) had on theories of bipedalism, tool use, and en- cephalization. What does emerge clearly from the hominid origin section is the uni- versally held interpretation that bipedalism, tool use, large brains, and complex culture were mosaic and nonsynchronous develop- ments in hominid evolution.

In many cases Lewin’s own preferences are emphasized. In his considerations of Homo erectus (unit 21) and the origin of modern humans (22 and 23), the presenta- tion seems somewhat skewed toward an ac- ceptance of Andrew’s and Stringer’s view- point that H. erectus is a cladistically undefinable taxon that was not ancestral to H. sapiens. However, in reviewing the mtDNA (the “Eve” hypothesis) evidence, the author diligently points out the numerous objections of geneticists to the methodologies and assumptions employed by the propo- nents of replacement models for the origin of modern humans.

With the amount of attention that the “African Eve” hypothesis has received in the opular ress, I think that a student-level ook suc as this should take ains to point

out that this interpretation is ar from being universally accepted by paleoanthropolo- gists. It is also somewhat disappointing to see that archaic H. sapiens and Neander- thals are discussed only in relation to the replacement vs. regional continuity debate. A student can read this section and not come away with the knowledge that Neanderthals are still classified as H. sapiens.

As a paleoanthropolo ’st who concen- trates largely on Asian pa eoanthropolo was somewhat dismayed to see that an- giran and Trinil,” “Modjokerto,” “Lantiau” (sic), and “Choukoutieu” (sic) are the only Asian hominid sites to appear on the map.

references, I wou 7 d have preferred an ex-

P B E

T “f’ I

@ 1990 WILEY-LISS, INC

The latter two are misspelled and Zhoukoud- ian (not Choukoutien) is the correct ortho- graphic rendering of the largest single H. erectus locality in the world. If we employ Lake Turkana instead of Lake Rudolf in Africa, we can certainly use the standardized orthography that has been in use for more than 20 years in China. Furthermore, very few, if any, Asian specialists consider Mod- jokerto to be Early Pleistocene in age with an antiquity of [1.5?] million years B.P. These points may be pedantic, but, as suggested earlier, they accurately reflect a widespread ignorance in the paleoanthropological com- munity about the important and diverse ev- idence from Asia. This evidence has taken on heightened significance; new finds such as Dali and Jinniu Shan are beginning to play crucial roles in arguments about the emer- gence of our own species. Similarly, the in- clusion of well-known Middle European hominid sites (Steinheim, Swanscombe, Vertesszollos, and others) as “major Homo erectus sites” also neglects the widely held

236 BOOK REVIEWS

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suspicion that none of these controversial hominids can be definitely shown to repre- sent H. erectus. The one European hominid that does seem to exhibit definitive H. erec- tus characters, Bilzingslaben, is omitted.

These criticisms are not meant to detract serious1 from what is a very useful volume

ber of instructors, including myself. Instruc- tors will, however, have to decide at what level to employ this book. It contains both the easily comprehended diagrams for which un- dergraduates constantly plead and an accu- rate summary of the phylogenetic alterna- tives that graduate students must master. I think the hook has a part to play at both levels. For this achievement, Lewin is to be commended.

that wil P undoubtedly be employed by a num-

GEOFFREY POPE Department of Anthropology University of Illinois Urbana, Illinois

THE ANATOMY AND BIOLOGY OF THE HUMAN SKEL- ETON. By D. Gentry Steele and Claud A. Bramblett. College Station, Texas: Texas A & M University Press. 1988. ix + 291 pp., figures, tables, glossary, index. $55.00 (cloth); $29.50 (paper).

The Anatomy and Biology of the Human Skeleton is a human osteology text and hand- book written by two students of Thomas W. McKern, based on his undergraduate course and their experiences in teaching human skeletal anatomy to anthropology and biol- ogy students. The book begins with two very short opening chapters: an introduction in which anatomical terms are defined and top- ics such as the evaluation of gender, age, stature, and biological affinities are dis- cussed in summary fashion and following that a very brief survey (eight pages) of bone biology, with a short section on pathology. The remainder of the book is or anized ana-

specific region of the skeleton (the skull, the dentition, the vertebral column, etc.)

Each of these nine chapters describes in detail the structure of the individual bones, is illustrated by abundant photographs, and

tomically, with each chapter 2 evoted to a

includes a discussion of “common varia- tions.” The last section of each of these chap- ters is entitled “ap lications” and provides

stature, biological affinities, disorders (pa- thology), and cultural modifications common in that portion of anatomy. Each chapter also contains a useful list of measurements and accompanying definitions. Every bone is shown in several standard views, with im- portant morphological features labeled on the photogra hs. My preference in anatomy

that do not show u well in even the best photographs can be i hlighted by a skillful

tographs in this book is for the most part excellent, although the labeling is somewhat inconsistent. Orientation is not given on the hotographs, and, although this can always e worked out from the caption, it would robably be a help to begmning students to R ave the orientation indicated on the fig-

ures. At the end of the book is an excellent

glossary, which includes the names of bones of the skeleton, sutures, anatomical land- marks, anatomical directions, anthropomet- ric instruments, skeletal disorders, etc. In

(where relevant) in P ormation on gender, age,

texts is for B rawings, since many features

artist. Nevertheless, R t t e quality of the pho-

1