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In total, the Neanderthals endured for an astonishing 350,000 years, until we lose sight of them – or, at least their fossils and artefacts – somewhere around 40 ka. So far, so dizzying. But it‘s not just time: Neanderthals also spread across a remarkably vast swathe of space. More Eurasian than European, they lived from north Wales across to the borders of China, and southwards to the fringes of Arabia‘s deserts.

February #nonfiction #readingbracket2023 @chasjjlee

Forget everything you think you know about Neanderthals - this book is likely to prove you wrong! (Will explain the racism warning in comments).

#pop23 #justtextoncover #atyin52books23 #interracialrelationship #naturalitsybingo2023 #humanecology

It's extremely likely we all have a bit of Neanderthal DNA in us!

@Cinfhen @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB @Ruthiella @AllDebooks @Bluebird @LeeRHarry @RaeLovesToRead

I liked this one but it did lean more textbook than general reader engagement. If you're interested in learning about neanderthals, you won't be disappointed with the information packed into this book. If you're picking it up on a whim, it's slow material with a lot of details and footnotes.

First book I've DNF'd in quite a while. Had this on hold at the library, and it seemed like the kind of book I like. It's also gotten great reviews.

Nope. I was expecting a history of how views of the Neanderthals have changed over time. Instead it's in-depth chapters on the archaeological evidence we have, and how its been interpreted. Dry, dry, dry.

😡 I wanted to make 2021 a no bail year, but I just can't get into this book. I've had it over two weeks, and barely finished 16%. Maybe I'll come back to it later when I'm in a different mood.

I've nearly finished this now! It's been so fascinating the whole way through, though I'm least interested in this bit about how the Neanderthals are related to us; I know a fair bit about that already because I'm interested in genetics, but also I'm not convinced it's the important thing about them.

Finally made a start on this, and spent a good amount of time so far info-dumping at folks about how exciting half this info is. We have skeletons of Neanderthal newborns! And teenagers! We know how they used some tools! We have splinters from one of their toothpicks!

It's pretty amazing.

I think this will be my next read... I've been trying lately to have a fiction book on the go, plus a non-fiction history, plus a non-fiction science. This feels like it'll straddle science and history a bit, but that's okay. I do find looking at the Neanderthals and what they might have been like pretty darn fascinating.