Little species, big mystery : the story of Homo floresiensis / Debbie Argue.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Argue, Debbie, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Flores man.

Fossil hominids.

Fossil hominids--Indonesia--Flores Island.

Human remains (Archaeology)--Indonesia--Flores Island.

Human remains (Archaeology).

Paleoanthropology.

Indonesia--Flores Island.

Physical Description:

xvi, 197 pages : color illustrations, color map ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Victoria, Australia : Melbourne University Press, 2022.

Summary:

"A thrilling tale of discovery and the history of Homo floresiensis. There is only one kind of human on earth today- us. But we are only one of a number of human species - primates of the Hominini tribe - that have existed on our planet across the millennia. In 2004 the world was astounded by the discovery of Homo floresiensis, a species of human never encountered before, on the island of Flores in the Indonesian archipelago. A very short, thickset being, with long arms and feet and an appetite for stegodons (a now extinct relative of modern elephants), it was soon nicknamed 'the hobbit'. As recently as 52,500 years ago, at a time when our own ancestors were spreading around the world, these 'hobbit' cousins lived also, at least on Flores. In Little Species, Big Mystery archaeologist Debbie Argue takes us on a journey of thrilling scientific discovery, recounting the unearthing of H. floresiensis, the archaeological expeditions that have followed, other finds - including that of a small Philippines hominin - and new paths of research and discussion. Argue conveys the excitement of searching for and finding clues to a lost past, and the animated discussions that have flowed from their discovery. She provides much contextual information to strengthen our grasp of the essential coordinates of this field and stimulate our interest in the shadowy, fascinating realm of prerecorded time"--Publisher's description.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. The discovery

2. Controversy from the start

3. Fitting Homo floresiensis on the family tree

4. Fossil bones of the So'a Basin, Flores: The ancestors of Homo floresiensis}

5. Float, walk or swim?: How did Homo floresiensis get to Flores?

6. Big surprise in the Philippines: Homo luzonensis

Reactions to Homo luzonensis

Let's go digging.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0522877915

9780522877915

OCLC:

1294283073