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From Lucy to Language: Revised, Updated, and Expanded
In 1974 in a remote region of Ethiopia, Donald Johanson, then one of America's most promising young paleoanthropologists, discovered "Lucy", the oldest, best preserved skeleton of any erect-walking human ever found. This discovery prompted a complete reevaluation of previous evidence for human origins.
In the years since this dramatic discovery Johanson has continued to scour East Africa's Great rift Valley for the earliest evidence of human origins. In 1975 this team unearthed the "First Family", an unparalleled fossil assemblage of 13 individuals dating back to 3.2 million years ago; and in 1986 at the Rift's most famous location, Olduvai Gorge, this same team discovered a 1.8 million-year-old partial adult skeleton that necessitated a reassessment of the earliest members of our own genus Homo.
Johanson's fieldwork continues unabated and recently more fossil members of Lucy's family have been found, including the 1992 discovery of the oldest, most complete skull of her species, with future research now planned for 1996 in the virtually unexplored regions of the most northern extension of the Rift Valley in Eritrea.
From Lucy to Language is a summing up of this remarkable career and a stunning documentary of human life through time on Earth. It is a combination of the vital experience of field work and the intellectual rigor of primary research. It is the fusion of two great writing talents: Johanson and Blake Edgar, an accomplished science writer, editor of the California Academy of Sciences' Pacific Discovery, and co-author of Johanson's last book, Ancestors.
From Lucy to Language is one of the greatest stories ever told, bracketing the timeline between bipedalism and human language. Part I addresses the central issues facing anyone seeking to decipher the mystery of human origins. In this section the authors provide answers to the basics -- "What are our closest living relatives?" -- tackle the controversial -- "What is race?" -- and contemplate the imponderables -- "Why did consciousness evolve?"
From Lucy to Language is an encounter with the evidence. Early human fossils are hunted, discovered, identified, excavated, collected, preserved, labeled, cleaned, reconstructed, drawn, fondled, photographed, cast, compared, measured, revered, pondered, published, and argued over endlessly. Fossils like Lucy have become a talisman of sorts, promising to reveal the deepest secrets of our existence. In Part II the authors profile over fifty of the most significant early human fossils ever found. Each specimen is displayed in color and at actual size, most of them in multiple views. With them the authors present the cultural accoutrements associated with the fossils: stone tools which evidence increasing sophistication over time, the earliest stone, clay, and ivory art objects, and the culminating achievement of the dawn of human consciousness -- the magnificent rock and cave paintings of Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.
In the end From Lucy to Language is a reminder and a challenge. Like no species before us, we now seem poised to control vast parts of the planet and its life. We possess the power to influence, if not govern, evolution. For that reason, we must not forget our link to the natural world and our debt to natural selection. We need to "think deep", to add a dose of geologic time and evolutionary history to our perspective of who we are, where we came from, and where we are headed. This is the most poignant lesson this book has to offer.
In the years since this dramatic discovery Johanson has continued to scour East Africa's Great rift Valley for the earliest evidence of human origins. In 1975 this team unearthed the "First Family", an unparalleled fossil assemblage of 13 individuals dating back to 3.2 million years ago; and in 1986 at the Rift's most famous location, Olduvai Gorge, this same team discovered a 1.8 million-year-old partial adult skeleton that necessitated a reassessment of the earliest members of our own genus Homo.
Johanson's fieldwork continues unabated and recently more fossil members of Lucy's family have been found, including the 1992 discovery of the oldest, most complete skull of her species, with future research now planned for 1996 in the virtually unexplored regions of the most northern extension of the Rift Valley in Eritrea.
From Lucy to Language is a summing up of this remarkable career and a stunning documentary of human life through time on Earth. It is a combination of the vital experience of field work and the intellectual rigor of primary research. It is the fusion of two great writing talents: Johanson and Blake Edgar, an accomplished science writer, editor of the California Academy of Sciences' Pacific Discovery, and co-author of Johanson's last book, Ancestors.
From Lucy to Language is one of the greatest stories ever told, bracketing the timeline between bipedalism and human language. Part I addresses the central issues facing anyone seeking to decipher the mystery of human origins. In this section the authors provide answers to the basics -- "What are our closest living relatives?" -- tackle the controversial -- "What is race?" -- and contemplate the imponderables -- "Why did consciousness evolve?"
From Lucy to Language is an encounter with the evidence. Early human fossils are hunted, discovered, identified, excavated, collected, preserved, labeled, cleaned, reconstructed, drawn, fondled, photographed, cast, compared, measured, revered, pondered, published, and argued over endlessly. Fossils like Lucy have become a talisman of sorts, promising to reveal the deepest secrets of our existence. In Part II the authors profile over fifty of the most significant early human fossils ever found. Each specimen is displayed in color and at actual size, most of them in multiple views. With them the authors present the cultural accoutrements associated with the fossils: stone tools which evidence increasing sophistication over time, the earliest stone, clay, and ivory art objects, and the culminating achievement of the dawn of human consciousness -- the magnificent rock and cave paintings of Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.
In the end From Lucy to Language is a reminder and a challenge. Like no species before us, we now seem poised to control vast parts of the planet and its life. We possess the power to influence, if not govern, evolution. For that reason, we must not forget our link to the natural world and our debt to natural selection. We need to "think deep", to add a dose of geologic time and evolutionary history to our perspective of who we are, where we came from, and where we are headed. This is the most poignant lesson this book has to offer.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
11 people are currently reading
909 people want to read
About the author
Donald C. Johanson
13 books60 followersDonald Carl Johanson is an American paleoanthropologist. He is known for discovering the fossil of a female hominin australopithecine known as "Lucy" in the Afar Triangle region of Hadar, Ethiopia.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 8, 2019
I've had the good fortunate to read everything that Donald C Johanson has written from books to small essays where he comments on his work. He's one of the finest Physical Anthropologists working since the 1970s. Nothing but enormous respect for his intellect and ability to work the field, too. He's brilliant and his assessments are excellent. This is a staggering edition that revises and updates what has been one of the most fascinating finds in this field. If you are an outsider in this field and want to read just one books on human evolution, this is the book to read. By exploring and discussing Lucy to understanding the many facets that led to human language, well, this book cannot really be overestimated. There is stark clarity here. Sometimes when I am reading books like this, I think about Johanson who had a C grade student with him on that first find, a student who did not perform as well in the classroom, but Johanson understood his students so well, and he put that guy out in the field in Ethiopia and told him to look for fossils. It's such an impossible moment really, a story I will never forget, because I am better in the lab than in the field, although I love that work. Anyway, that student found Lucy. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and the rest is history. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. BEST BOOK.
June 23, 2017
اعتبر هذا الكتاب قد قطع الشك باليقين عن نظرية اصل الانسان بالاستناد الى الاحفوريات و الاكتشافات و البحث العملي. سهل و سلسل و بالدليل المقنع.
May 25, 2013
I really adored this. A coffeetable book on paleoanthropology? It's like a dream come true. And it is gorgeous. David Brill's photographs of the skulls and other fossils have an almost 3-D feel, showing the diverse textures, colors, and patina of each specimen. Some books on early hominids have beautifully constructed artist's renditions of what these individuals might have looked like, this one leaves it to the reader's imagination.
The text is by Donald Johanson, the paleoanthropologist who discovered the famous "Lucy" skeleton. He gets pretty darn technical in his descriptions of the fossils, delving into the minutiae of teeth, mandibles, fragments of thigh bone and so on... but it's an effective reminder that the science of paleoanthropology requires a great deal of time-consuming, meticulous sleuth-work. I found it fascinating, but I understand that others might find it a bit of a trudge.
Final verdict: Beautiful to look at, extremely detailed. If you're looking for a more accessible or quick-reading summary of early humans and their kin, try The Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins.
The text is by Donald Johanson, the paleoanthropologist who discovered the famous "Lucy" skeleton. He gets pretty darn technical in his descriptions of the fossils, delving into the minutiae of teeth, mandibles, fragments of thigh bone and so on... but it's an effective reminder that the science of paleoanthropology requires a great deal of time-consuming, meticulous sleuth-work. I found it fascinating, but I understand that others might find it a bit of a trudge.
Final verdict: Beautiful to look at, extremely detailed. If you're looking for a more accessible or quick-reading summary of early humans and their kin, try The Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins.
October 21, 2012
This coffee table book does not live up to its extremely intriguing title. About half of it consists of full-page photographs of fossils, with a page of accompanying text for each. I love paleoanthropology, and I realize these fossils are extremely important. But I'm sorry -- to me, one ancient skull looks much like the next. And the accompanying write-ups sometimes include interesting little histories of the fossil's discovery, but more often go into mind-numbing detail about mandibles and craniums. The book does also provide a concise discussion of the study of human ancestry and what is currently known. This teases you by describing the art of reconstructing individuals from their fossils, and mentioning a painting of Lucy (the famous australopithecus afarensis) that appeared in such-and-such an issue of National Geographic but is not included in this book. A coffee table book full of paintings depicting hominids in their prehistoric environments -- now that I could go for.
August 10, 2017
الحفريات هي أبرز الأدلّة الساندة لنظرية التطوّر، هذا الكتاب هو تُحفة كاملة لا يجب ان تفرغ منه مكتبة أحد. يبدأ الكتاب بتعريف المخلوق البشري ومكانه بين الكائنات الحيّة، ثم تبدأ رحلة البحث عن الأصول، والتوّسع في نشوء وتطور الإنسان
تتنوع الأدلّة بداية من السجلات الأولى للأحافير البشرية، مروراً باستخلاص بقايا الإنسان الأول وتاريخ مصنوعاته وتأثير المناخ عليه، وصولاً الى البروتينات والحمض النووي للإنسان
بعدها يمرّ الكاتب على اسلافنا، من أقرب الكائنات الحيّة لنا، الى توضيح آخر سلف مشترك جَمع الإنسان الحالي بالقردة العليا
الهجرة كانت جزئي المفضّل، كان التوضيح رائعاً للهجرة خارج أفريقيا والأمريكيّون الأوائل، وصولاً للمرحلة التي يعمّر الإنسان فيها الكوكب
تنوع الأعراق لم يغفل على الكاتب، كلّ هذا بالإضافة الى المقارنات التشريحية والظواهر المجتمعية البدائية والثقافة القديمة
الكتاب مليء بصور الحفريات ورسومها، هنالك صور تظهر في الكتاب بحجمها الواقعي في الحقيقة، الأمر أشبه بزيارة عدّة متاحف طبيعية أو كهوف للإنسان القديم وأنت في منزلك.
تتنوع الأدلّة بداية من السجلات الأولى للأحافير البشرية، مروراً باستخلاص بقايا الإنسان الأول وتاريخ مصنوعاته وتأثير المناخ عليه، وصولاً الى البروتينات والحمض النووي للإنسان
بعدها يمرّ الكاتب على اسلافنا، من أقرب الكائنات الحيّة لنا، الى توضيح آخر سلف مشترك جَمع الإنسان الحالي بالقردة العليا
الهجرة كانت جزئي المفضّل، كان التوضيح رائعاً للهجرة خارج أفريقيا والأمريكيّون الأوائل، وصولاً للمرحلة التي يعمّر الإنسان فيها الكوكب
تنوع الأعراق لم يغفل على الكاتب، كلّ هذا بالإضافة الى المقارنات التشريحية والظواهر المجتمعية البدائية والثقافة القديمة
الكتاب مليء بصور الحفريات ورسومها، هنالك صور تظهر في الكتاب بحجمها الواقعي في الحقيقة، الأمر أشبه بزيارة عدّة متاحف طبيعية أو كهوف للإنسان القديم وأنت في منزلك.
February 21, 2009
Excellent companion to Lucy exhibit at Pacific Science Center, Seattle, 2008-2009. Clear explanations and diagrams in engaging text laying out the issues in paleoanthropology in Part I; and in Part II, the chronicling of hominid finds from 1830 to 2003 with explanations of the evidence and current analysis from professionals in the field. At times the authors disagree with prevailing current analysis, giving their reasoning in a fair-minded, convincing way. Outstanding illustrations throughout.
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July 23, 2025من مرحلة لوسي الى مرحلة اللغة
تأليف : دونالد جوهانسون و بليك إدغار
ترجمة : اياد ملحم
المجمع الثقافي - ابو ظبي
440 صفحة مع الملحق
يتناول هذا الكتاب قصة تطور جنسنا الهوموسابين من لوسي (القرد الجنوبي افرنسيز) الى حين تطوير اللغة و ظهور الانسان العاقل الهوموسابين .
يبدأ الكتاب بشرح نقاط مهمة عن معنى العرق ، الانسان المنتصب الاول ثم يخوض بالادلة التطورية المتمثلة بتحليل ال
DNA
و اختلاف الاسنان و كيف نستطيع تتبع هذا التطور عن طريق الاسنان كونها من اكثر المتحجرات الممكن الحصول عليها كونها تحوي المينا والعاج بطيء التحلل .
مروراً بالاخلاقيات سواء عن ادلة آكلي لحوم البشر او مراسم الدفن وصولاً الى اللغة والمشاعر .
يصف الكتاب بكل حيادية وجود الادلة عن الموضوع الذي يناقشه او مجرد استنتاج او انه لا يمكن حتى الاستنتاج .
الفصل الثاني من الكتاب يسلط الضوء على أهم الحفريات التي تم العثور عليها سواء كانت مجرد فك سفلي او جمجمة كاملة او هيكل عظمي شبه مكتمل مثل الهيكل العظمي للوسي و بتفاصيل مشروحة بطريقة بسيطة يشرح على اي دليل اعتمد العلماء لتصنيف هذه الاصناف ، وهل هي اصناف البشر المنتصب ام النياندرتال ؟ هل هو القرد الجنوبي افرنسيز الذي يعتبر الصنف الوحيد من اشباه البشر الذي نجى لفترة زمنية طويلة جداً مقارنة ببقية الاصناف ومنها جنسنا الهوموسابيان.
يسلط الكتاب الضوء على انسان هابيليس و انسان هايدلبيرغ ، انسان بكين ، انسان رودولف ، و النياندرتال و يشرح بطريقة علمية لماذا من الممكن ان يكون الصنف المعين يقع في شجرتنا العائلية ام انه صنف انفصل عن شجرتنا و تطور الى صنف خاص لينقرض بعد مدة زمنية. كما يسلط الضوء على الاجناس الانتقالية بين الانواع المختلفة و كيف تكون حاملة لمواصفات مشتركة بين الصنفين و اعمارها التي تهيأها ان تحتل المرحلة الوسيطة بين تطور الاصناف .
يجيب الكتاب عن سؤال مهم ، لماذا لم تتطور القردة الاخرى ؟ ببساطة لان الانسان لم يتطور من القردة الموجودة حاليا و انما من نوع اكثر عمومية و يحمل صفات مشتركة للجميع لتنقسم شجرة العائلة الى نوع تطور الى القردة الحالية و القسم الاخر يتطور الى اشباه البشر منتصبي القامة اصحاب الحوض المنتصب و الارجل المنتصبة واصبع ابهام القدم المجاور للاصابع الاربعة الاخرى و ليس مواجه للاربعة الاخرى ، اصحاب اليد التي من الممكن انها ساعدت صاحبها على تسلق الاشجار و من ثم تطورت الى اصناف تمشي فقط على الارض .
الكتاب ينفع كمدخل لقصة تطور الجنس البشري بلغته السهلة ، يحتاج الى تركيز هائل بسبب كثرة اسماء الاصناف و الادلة .
يحتوي على عدد هائل من الصور الرائعة لكل نوع و جميع الصور تابعة اما لمتحف او جامعة .
و أخيراً من اعظم الجرائم التي سحقت ادمغتنا هو تكفير وشيطنة نظرية التطور ، فهي بالاول والاخير نظرية تم اثباتها و تجاوزت كونها فرضية.
#ريفيو_كتاب
#ريفيو_2025
#enas_lsf
تأليف : دونالد جوهانسون و بليك إدغار
ترجمة : اياد ملحم
المجمع الثقافي - ابو ظبي
440 صفحة مع الملحق
يتناول هذا الكتاب قصة تطور جنسنا الهوموسابين من لوسي (القرد الجنوبي افرنسيز) الى حين تطوير اللغة و ظهور الانسان العاقل الهوموسابين .
يبدأ الكتاب بشرح نقاط مهمة عن معنى العرق ، الانسان المنتصب الاول ثم يخوض بالادلة التطورية المتمثلة بتحليل ال
DNA
و اختلاف الاسنان و كيف نستطيع تتبع هذا التطور عن طريق الاسنان كونها من اكثر المتحجرات الممكن الحصول عليها كونها تحوي المينا والعاج بطيء التحلل .
مروراً بالاخلاقيات سواء عن ادلة آكلي لحوم البشر او مراسم الدفن وصولاً الى اللغة والمشاعر .
يصف الكتاب بكل حيادية وجود الادلة عن الموضوع الذي يناقشه او مجرد استنتاج او انه لا يمكن حتى الاستنتاج .
الفصل الثاني من الكتاب يسلط الضوء على أهم الحفريات التي تم العثور عليها سواء كانت مجرد فك سفلي او جمجمة كاملة او هيكل عظمي شبه مكتمل مثل الهيكل العظمي للوسي و بتفاصيل مشروحة بطريقة بسيطة يشرح على اي دليل اعتمد العلماء لتصنيف هذه الاصناف ، وهل هي اصناف البشر المنتصب ام النياندرتال ؟ هل هو القرد الجنوبي افرنسيز الذي يعتبر الصنف الوحيد من اشباه البشر الذي نجى لفترة زمنية طويلة جداً مقارنة ببقية الاصناف ومنها جنسنا الهوموسابيان.
يسلط الكتاب الضوء على انسان هابيليس و انسان هايدلبيرغ ، انسان بكين ، انسان رودولف ، و النياندرتال و يشرح بطريقة علمية لماذا من الممكن ان يكون الصنف المعين يقع في شجرتنا العائلية ام انه صنف انفصل عن شجرتنا و تطور الى صنف خاص لينقرض بعد مدة زمنية. كما يسلط الضوء على الاجناس الانتقالية بين الانواع المختلفة و كيف تكون حاملة لمواصفات مشتركة بين الصنفين و اعمارها التي تهيأها ان تحتل المرحلة الوسيطة بين تطور الاصناف .
يجيب الكتاب عن سؤال مهم ، لماذا لم تتطور القردة الاخرى ؟ ببساطة لان الانسان لم يتطور من القردة الموجودة حاليا و انما من نوع اكثر عمومية و يحمل صفات مشتركة للجميع لتنقسم شجرة العائلة الى نوع تطور الى القردة الحالية و القسم الاخر يتطور الى اشباه البشر منتصبي القامة اصحاب الحوض المنتصب و الارجل المنتصبة واصبع ابهام القدم المجاور للاصابع الاربعة الاخرى و ليس مواجه للاربعة الاخرى ، اصحاب اليد التي من الممكن انها ساعدت صاحبها على تسلق الاشجار و من ثم تطورت الى اصناف تمشي فقط على الارض .
الكتاب ينفع كمدخل لقصة تطور الجنس البشري بلغته السهلة ، يحتاج الى تركيز هائل بسبب كثرة اسماء الاصناف و الادلة .
يحتوي على عدد هائل من الصور الرائعة لكل نوع و جميع الصور تابعة اما لمتحف او جامعة .
و أخيراً من اعظم الجرائم التي سحقت ادمغتنا هو تكفير وشيطنة نظرية التطور ، فهي بالاول والاخير نظرية تم اثباتها و تجاوزت كونها فرضية.
#ريفيو_كتاب
#ريفيو_2025
#enas_lsf
February 15, 2021
The field of paleoanthropology is a fascinating one, as it examines our human origins based on the fossil record. Donald Johanson is one among many of the experts in this field, and his discovery with Tim White of "Lucy", the more than 3 million year old Australopithecus afarensis, is one of the most important in the field.
Johanson examines, in this then revised and updated edition, the origin of our species, and the main fossils, their taxonomy, and the cladistics of how they relate to us on our rather "bushy" family tree.
Johanson had his share of the typical arguments within the field, particularly about where his discovery lay on the ancestry of our species, and he discusses that in this book. The book is filled with excellent photos of the skulls of everything from Australopithecines, Home erectus, Neanderthals, and the type specimen of Cro-magnon.
It's an excellent work, but one would like to see, in light of the genetic discoveries made in 2010 about how Neanderthals (and Denisovans) interbred with us, a new update to this book, as it is now 25 years old.
Johanson examines, in this then revised and updated edition, the origin of our species, and the main fossils, their taxonomy, and the cladistics of how they relate to us on our rather "bushy" family tree.
Johanson had his share of the typical arguments within the field, particularly about where his discovery lay on the ancestry of our species, and he discusses that in this book. The book is filled with excellent photos of the skulls of everything from Australopithecines, Home erectus, Neanderthals, and the type specimen of Cro-magnon.
It's an excellent work, but one would like to see, in light of the genetic discoveries made in 2010 about how Neanderthals (and Denisovans) interbred with us, a new update to this book, as it is now 25 years old.
August 7, 2020
If you are really into the details of fossils and the history of archeology this book if for you. I found all of the information very interesting and fascinating but will only remember snippets of it. It is a ton of information and a bit overwhelming. The biggest takeaway for me is that all of our ancient human-like ancestors lived many millions of years longer than us modern humans so far. That makes me look at where we are heading with climate change, overpopulation, and politics and realize that we are destined for extinction as humans also. It's just a matter of time.
February 5, 2013
I checked this book out of the library to look at the actual size photos of the fossils. I plan on drawing a few prior to returning it. The writing is fine, but its a fairly old book. Most of the finds and theories were part of current articles collected into a "reader" for an archaeology class I took in college. In any event, it is interesting to take a quick look at some of the biological bits that support our human-ess -- and how we are the same and different as other species.
Again, though, the pictures are very well done and the entire reason I checked this book out.
Again, though, the pictures are very well done and the entire reason I checked this book out.
July 31, 2008
I didn't succeed at finishing this book, but I will add it to my Christmas list. Johanson is skilled at presenting evolutionary information to lay people. I think he has some blind spots in regards to the completeness of evidence for evolutionary theory, but his presentation of material is exemplary. I have a special affection for Lucy, dating back to college, and I enjoyed catching up with the more current research on her role in human history.
July 16, 2014
كتاب رائع لتقديم تصور دقيق ومدعم بالصور والمعلومات لكل ما تم اكتشافه من لقى تنتمي إلى العائلة البشرية منذ أنواع الأردي بيتيكوس الباكرة وصولاً إلى الإنسان العاقل الحديث هوموسيابيان يسبقه قسم خاص بالمفاهيم والخطوط العريضة لعلم الأنتروبولوجيا الجيولوجية الحديث..
كتاب رااائع ومرجع هام..
كتاب رااائع ومرجع هام..
September 11, 2007
Lots of great, life-sized pictures.
February 25, 2009
Informative text, but also a beautiful photographic survey of the hominid fossil record.
May 22, 2013
This was required reading for my first year Anthropology class and I am thrilled that it was. Very informative and still sits on my shelf, to be pulled out and flipped through occasionally!
May 24, 2016
Ultra High Definition Photographs of stunning fossils - Enough Said!
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