Tracing man's history from the hominids to the neolithic age, this book shows how each stage of development of the human cranium was accompanied by new technical and artistic innovations. From the 600 cubic centimeter brain of the homo habilis that marked the appearance of the first tools, to the 1000 cubic centimeters of the homo erectus, that allowed the mastery of fire, to the 1500 cubic centimeters of Neanderthal man that translated into the invention of burial rites, up to the neolithic--modern man who invented civilization as we know it. Abundantly illustrated, this book discusses new excavations and scientific techniques which allow us to reconstruct the old civilizations.
Henry De Lumley is director of the National Museum of Natural History and of the Museum of Mankind.