The narrative of the progression of the ‘horse family’ through geological time, from dog-sized fruit-eating animals with four toes on their front and three toes on their hind legs, to the valiant long-legged, single-toed modern grazing horses, beloved by racing enthusiasts, is the poster child of evolution. However, like the rhinos or tapirs, the horse-like zebras, wild asses, kulans, kiangs, onagers, and the real horses are often portrayed as being past their evolutionary peak as compared to the more recently evolved ruminants (especially bovids and deer) which now dominate the grazing niche. That story of a species group over its evolutionary zenith is compelling, but anyone who has travelled in the remote savannas of Africa or the cold wild deserts of Central Asia is awed with herds of glorious animals that clearly do not ruminate. It appears as though these, so-named ‘hind-gut fermenters’, are perhaps much better adapted to these environments than one is led to believe. The purpose of this book is to dispel the myth of the inferior Equidae by describing, and investigating, the evolutionary and ecological journey of the horse family in all its glory.

Located at the southwest corner of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, Lothagam represents one of the most important intervals in African prehistory. Early human remains are restricted in distribution to Africa and the acquisition of an upright bipedal striding gait, the hallmark of humanity, appears to be at least circumstantially linked to the reduction of equatorial forests and the spread of grasslands on that continent. The diverse Lothagam fauna documents the end-Miocene transition from forested to more open habitats that were exploited by grazing horses and antelopes, hippos, giant pigs, and true elephants. It also includes spectacularly complete fossil carnivore skeletons and some of the oldest human remains. Enlisting a team of highly qualified specialists, this book provides the geologic context and dating framework for the Lothagam fossiliferous sequences, describes the immense diversity of vertebrate fossils recovered from the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene sediments, and synthesizes the results to interpret the changing paleoenvironments that prevailed at this site. The book will interest anthropologists, paleontologists, geologists, and anyone interested in human origins.

The story—and the science—of nature's greatest engine. Whether we blink an eye, lift a finger, throw a spear or a ball, walk, run, or merely breathe, we are using muscle. Although muscles differ little in appearance and performance across the animal kingdom, they accomplish tasks as diverse as making flies fly, rattlesnakes rattle, and squid shoot their tentacles. Our everyday activities turn on the performance of nature's main engine: we may breathe harder going uphill, but we put more strain on our muscles walking downhill. Those of us who are right-handed can tighten screws and jar lids more forcibly than we can loosen them. Here we're treated to the story of how form and performance make these things happen—how nature does her work. Steven Vogel is a leader in the great new field of bioengineering, which is rapidly explaining the beauty and efficiency of nature. His talents as both scientist and writer shine in this masterful narrative of biological ingenuity, as he relates the story—and science—of nature's greatest engine.

The first international meeting of the Archaeozoology of Southwest Asia and Adjacent Areas (ASWA) working group of the International Council for Archaeozoology (ICAZ) took place at the University of Groningen in 1992. Ever since, ASWA meetings have served as an inspiring gathering for those conducting archaeozoological research in Southwest Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, Central Asia and the Caucasus. This book contains sixteen papers presented at the 12th ASWA meeting hosted at its inaugural institution, the University of Groningen, Groningen Institute of Archaeology, as a continuation of the usual series and to celebrate the career of Dr. Hijlke Buitenhuis, associated member and alumnus of the institute, co-organizer of the first ASWA meeting. Like other ASWA proceedings before it, this volume is full of novel theoretical and methodological approaches and new research results, tackling a large variety of topics, from the geometric morphometrics of sheep in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period to Predynastic fishing in the Upper Nile, to the biogeography of hartebeest and hemione, and covering the vast region stretching between Hungary in the west and Azerbaijan in the east. The volume also features an opening article by ASWA founding member M.A. Zeder on the future of archaeozoology in the region. In honor of Dr. Hijlke Buitenhuis, his full bibliography is featured herein.

Looking at sex and sexuality from a variety of historical, sociological and theoretical perspectives, as represented in a variety of media, Sex in Antiquity represents a vibrant picture of the discipline of ancient gender and sexuality studies, showcasing the work of leading international scholars as well as that of emerging talents and new voices. Sexuality and gender in the ancient world is an area of research that has grown quickly with often sudden shifts in focus and theoretical standpoints. This volume contextualises these shifts while putting in place new ideas and avenues of exploration that further develop this lively field or set of disciplines. This broad study also includes studies of gender and sexuality in the Ancient Near East which not only provide rich consideration of those areas but also provide a comparative perspective not often found in such collections. Sex in Antiquity is a major contribution to the field of ancient gender and sexuality studies.

Have humans always fought and killed each other, or did they peacefully coexist until states developed? Is war an expression of human nature or an artifact of civilization? Questions about the origin and inherent motivations of warfare have long engaged philosophers, ethicists, anthropologists as they speculate on the nature of human existence. In How War Began, author Keith F. Otterbein draws on primate behavior research, archaeological research, data gathered from the Human Relations Area Files, and a career spent in research and reflection on war to argue for two separate origins. He identifies two types of military organization: one which developed two million years ago at the dawn of humankind, wherever groups of hunters met, and a second which developed some five thousand years ago, in four identifiable regions, when the first states arose and proceeded to embark upon military conquests. In carefully selected detail, Otterbein marshals the evidence for his case that warfare was possible and likely among early Homo sapiens. He argues from analogy with other primates, from Paleolithic rock art depicting wounded humans, and from rare skeletal remains with embedded weapon points to conclude that warfare existed and reached a peak in big game hunting societies. As the big game disappeared, so did warfare—only to reemerge once agricultural societies achieved a degree of political complexity that allowed the development of professional military organizations. Otterbein concludes his survey with an analysis of how despotism in both ancient and modern states spawns warfare. A definitive resource for anthropologists, social scientists and historians, How War Began is written for all who are interested in warfare and individuals who seek to understand the past and the present of humankind.

As the first book to examine the origins and spread of agriculture and pastoralism in Europe and Asia as a whole, this major contribution should be essential reading for archaeologists, anthropologists, biologists and geographers. Adopting a novel approach to the subject, the authors examine it first in terms of seven different disciplinary perspectives: social, ecological, genetic, linguistic, biomolecular, epidemiological and geogrpahical. Then, 20 case studies are presented, which are based primarily on archaeological and biological evidence and which relate to three major regions: Southwest Asia, Europe and Central Asia to the Pacific. The book concludes with an overview of Eurasia as a whole.; The transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture had revolutionary consequences for human society. It led to the emergence of urban civilizations and ultimately to humanity's almost complete dependence on relatively few domesticated animals and plants. The subject has been much studied, but the results have tended to be interpreted largely in terms of local cultural sequences, with insufficient comparison made with evidence from other areas. In contrast, this book provides a continental- scale framework, with its scope extended to pastoralism because in Eurasia both the raising of livestock and the cultivation of crops were integral components of the agricultural "revolution" from its inception some 10,000 years ago.; Comprehensive and authoritative, "The Origins and Spread of Agriculture and Pastoralism in Eurasia" should appeal strongly to the wide readership of students and specialists concerned with the prehistoric antecedents of modern civilization.

Zoo and Wild Animal Dentistry ist das erste umfassende Referenzwerk, das sich mit oralen Krankheitsbildern und dentalen Therapien bei exotischen Wildtieren und Exoten in Gefangenschaft beschäftigt. Die Herausgeber sind anerkannte Experten des Fachgebiets und beschreiben die Zahnpflege bei einer Vielzahl von Spezies. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf der Zahngesundheit. Das Praktikerbuch zur Behandlung von Exoten bietet eine Fülle von Fotos und Illustrationen, die Krankheitsbilder klar erläutern und Verfahren vorstellen. Die Publikation greift auf die langjährige Erfahrung der Herausgeber mit exotischen Tieren zurück und ist eine zuverlässige Referenz mit Informationen zur Geschichte der veterinärmedizinischen Zahnheilkunde, zur Zahnentwicklung, zu Zahntherapeutika aus der Praxis und Beschreibungen des Zahnapparats von mehr als 300 Spezies. Zoo and Wild Animal Dentistry behandelt eine Vielzahl von Zoo- und Wildtieren, darunter Katzen, Bären, Primaten, Hunde, Waschbären, Wiesel, Hyänen, Beuteltiere, Pflanzenfresser, zahnarme Säugetiere, Meeressäuger, Vögel, Reptilien u.v.m. Dieses wichtige Referenzwerk - beschreibt umfassend eine Fülle oraler Krankheitsbilder und dentaler Therapien bei exotischen Wildtieren und Wildtieren in Gefangenschaft - unterstreicht insbesondere die Bedeutung der Zahngesundheit für die allgemeine Tiergesundheit. - informiert über die jüngsten Fortschritte und Errungenschaften in dem Fachgebiet. - enthält einen wegweisenden Fundus an Ideen für die Zahnpflege exotischer Wildtiere. Das Buch richtet sich an Wildtierpfleger und Veterinärmediziner, Fachveterinäre für Zahnheilkunde, Veterinärtechniker und Studenten der Veterinärmedizin. Zoo and Wild Animal Dentistry ist ein Praktikerbuch mit allem Wissenswerten rund um die Zahnpflege bei einer Vielzahl von Tierrassen, denen immer wieder zu wenig Beachtung geschenkt wird.

The aim of this book is to provide a new insight on Neanderthal behaviour using the data recovered in level J of Romaní rockshelter (north-eastern Spain). Due to the sedimentary dynamics that formed the Romaní deposit, the occupation layers are characterized by a high temporal resolution, which makes it easier to interprete the archaeological data in behavioural terms. In addition, the different analytical domains (geoarchaeology, lithic technology, zooarchaeology, taphonomy, anthracology, palaeontology) are addressed from a spatial perspective that is basic to understand human behaviour, but also to evaluate the behavioural inferences in the framework of the archaeological formation processes.​

The only book available that covers this subject, Warfare in the Ancient Near East is a groundbreaking and fascinating study of ancient near Eastern military history from the Neolithic era to the middle Bronze Ages. Drawing on an extensive range of textual, artistic and archaeological data, William J. Hamblin synthesizes current knowledge and offers a detailed analysis of the military technology, ideology and practices of Near Eastern warfare. Paying particular attention to the earliest known examples of holy war ideaology in Mesopotamia and Egypt, Hamblin focuses on: * recruitment and training of the infantry * the logistics and weaponry of warfare * the shift from stone to metal weapons * the role played by magic * narratives of combat and artistic representations of battle * the origins and development of the chariot as military transportation * fortifications and siegecraft *developments in naval warfare. Beautifully illustrated, including maps of the region, this book is essential for experts and non-specialists alike.