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Adventures in the Bone Trade

The Race to Discover Human Ancestors in Ethiopia’s Afar Depression

Authors:

  • Kalb is an expert on the Afar Depression, having studied the area for nearly 30 years, and he was co-founder of the expedition that discovered Lucy
  • The viewpoint here is very contrary to the standard accounts of expeditions in the Afar, revealing many of the personalities and conflicts within the search teams, including an assailing assessment of Donald Johanson
  • This is the first book to cover the geology and natural history of this important region
  • It sets the research in its historical and political context: the fascinating, often brutal world of Haile Sellassie' s Ethiopia and its aftermath

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Softcover Book USD 27.99
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Table of contents (28 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xx
  2. An Oceanic Desert

    Pages 3-13
  3. Afar Gold

    Pages 14-20
  4. The Awash Valley

    Pages 21-41
  5. Louis and Mary Leakey

    Pages 42-53
  6. Looking for Leadu Man

    Pages 54-69
  7. Hadar

    Pages 70-89
  8. Transition

    Pages 90-97
  9. Famine and Fame

    Pages 98-110
  10. Storm Clouds

    Pages 111-122
  11. Desert Origins

    Pages 123-137
  12. Dawn of Humanity

    Pages 138-151
  13. A New Mission

    Pages 152-158
  14. An Acheulean “City”

    Pages 159-168
  15. Rebellion

    Pages 169-176
  16. The Oldowan

    Pages 177-188
  17. The “First Movie”

    Pages 189-193
  18. The Miocene

    Pages 194-206
  19. Crossing the Talalak

    Pages 207-215
  20. The Central Awash

    Pages 216-223

About this book

Over the past 25 years, a stream of fossil and artifact discoveries in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia has produced the longest single record of human ancestors in the world. Many of the fossils found in this region are the missing links leading to modern humans. This book chronicles the exploration of this unique desert area, focusing especially on the 1970s when the valley was mapped and many fossils and archeological sites were discovered. The author gives his personal account of the 25 years he spent researching the region.
As co-founder of the team that discovered Lucy, Jon Kalb has first-hand knowledge of the research that was involved in the findings of this region and of the intense rivalry that has accompanied those findings. He discusses the political drama of Ethiopia and the effects this chaos had on the Afar. This book covers the scientific discoveries of the area, the author's own explorations and findings, and the political struggles involved with these discoveries.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Adventures in the Bone Trade

  • Book Subtitle: The Race to Discover Human Ancestors in Ethiopia’s Afar Depression

  • Authors: Jon Kalb

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/b97349

  • Publisher: Copernicus New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media New York 2001

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-387-98742-2

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4757-8821-1

  • eBook ISBN: 978-0-387-21618-8

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XV, 389

  • Number of Illustrations: 42 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Archaeology, Paleontology, Earth Sciences, general

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 19.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 27.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access