Customer Reviews

Java Man : How Two Geologists' Dramatic Discoveries Changed Our Understanding of the Evolutionary Path to Modern Humans

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The book "Java Man" is a very interesting story about the dating of the fossil skull found on the island of Java in 1892. The "Homo Erectus" fossil was discovered by the Dutch scientist Eugene Dubois. The early chapters are a short chroncile of the discovery made by Dubois and the subsequent scientific debate created by the discovery of the fossil that was, at the time, touted as the "missing link". The fossil is now known to be a "Homo erectus" child. The book goes on to describe modern geochronology techniques and the farcical attempts by the scientists to obtain some material from the skull for dating. They manage to obtain a very small sample from the mysterious, ethereal professor Jacob on the equally backward and primitive island of Java. The dating of the fossil causes a stir in the cut throat world of paleoanthropology. The story is gobbled up and disseminated by a hungry press. What follows is a polarized account of the geochronologists battle with their patrons at the Institute for Human Origins, founded by the brilliant scientist Donald Johanson, discoverer of the "Lucy" fossil. The "divorce" of the geochronologists from the Institute of Human Origins is laundered with a number of parting shots at Donald Johanson. The latter part of the book is devoted to evaluating current hypotheses about ancient man, the evolution of bipedalism and the evidence for the development of tools and language by our ancestors. Included in this section is the current debate about the spread of man throughout the ancient world, leading to the current, overpopulated state of "Homo Sapiens". The "single-species" versus the "multi-regional" hypotheses are covered in depth, with the scientists clearly favoring the "single-species" hypothesis. The book concludes with the publication of the scientific paper titled, "Latest "Homo Erectus" of Java: Potential Contemporaneity with "Homo Sapiens" in Southeast Asia." The paper buries the "multi-regional" hypothesis and causes a paradigm shift in the world of paleoanthropology.

The book is, at times, needlessly verbose. The story, though interesting, could be told in half the number of pages. The "divorce" from the Institute of Human Origins should have been completely eliminated. I find it tedious that scientists are continually waging their battles with other scientists in print.

In studies of human evolution, dating fossil finds is of paramount importance. Since the fossil bones themselves carry no signature indicating their age, the placement in time must be done by inference. The clues lie in the rocks surrounding the teeth, jaws or skulls unearthed. Ever since Raymond Dart's finding of the Taung Child in 1924, the mysteries surrounding human evolution have been painstakingly revealed. Dart's discovery, which should have confirmed Darwin's predictions of African origins for humanity, had already been usurped a generation before. Dutch army surgeon, Eugene Dubois, had already found fossils in Java. The discovery confirmed what many believed, that human origins were in Asia rather than the Dark Continent. This new collaboration examines the evidence while making a detailed analysis of the controversy that emerged over our evolutionary track in Asia and Africa.

Lewin's hand in this narrative is readily apparent. He's done many books on anthropology, each one as a close collaboration with the actual researchers. He evokes the human side of each trip to fossil sites - storm-tossed aircraft, jungle road trips, the frustration of pinpointing older finds, the clash of personalities. In this case, a fossil unearthed along a riverside seemed to evade identity. The failure of precise location means the dismissal of dating practices. Lewin and his team spend much time going over the ways a site is dated and what it meant for another Child, this one known as Mojokerto.

Amidst the complications of pinpointing sites, verifying dates and the immense burden of funding multi-national investigations, we are suddenly transported into a maelstrom of professional acrimony. Curtiss and Swisher's team had been forced into an uneasy association with Don Johanson's [he of "Lucy" fame] Institute of Human Origins in Berkeley, California. A private establishment, very loosely tied to the University, contributions to keep it running were, as always, the subject of priority discussions. The story Lewin relates is reminiscent of theological disputes, with backstabbing, character assassination and explosive temperaments. While the casual observer would assume the players in this scenario would be working in the same cause, small events exploded into destructive schisms. Lewin's writing is Swisher's voice, yet the hurt feelings are vividly related. You are almost sitting at the table witnessing the vituperation.

Yet another fossil, with yet another dating crisis, brought what should be the resolution of yet another dispute. For many years the idea of human "origins" in Asia persisted, although in different guise. Dubois 1892 artefacts ultimately fit into a species later termed Homo erectus, an early precursor of ourselves. A school of anthropologists, led by Milford Wolpoff, has argued that H. erectus evolved into H. sapiens in parallel tracks in Africa, Asia, and perhaps elsewhere. Known as "multiregionalism", it is one way of explaining human "races". Lewin continues to follow the two researchers as they pursue the dating of an H. erectus specimen that proved only 50 thousand years old. There's not enough time to produce our species from one so recent.

Lewin and his associates have produced a fine overview of a contentious and difficult area. Lewin's writing skills keep the narrative lively and readable. He's to be commended for his clear presentation and full detachment in the account. A collection of old and recent photographs, plus some explanatory graphics adds visual enhancement. The historical background is ably woven into the science, providing meaningful background. A book that provides an intimate view of the life of anthropology. stephen a. haines (...)

This is an interesting story about anthropology and geochronology. I don't know much about the subject, but I am very enthusiastic. I am very attracted by this popular book.

From the authors' description of the crowded roads of Java to the thrill of the island's hominid fossil findings, this book captures the emotional side and intellectual insights of Asian paleoanthropology. Simply stated, it's a great read on a subject we have heard much about from Africa, but not enough from this part of the world.

With excitement and sincere feelings, the volume details a thorough and good discussion of how Homo erectus lived much longer than anthropologists ever could have imagined a mere decade ago.

Perhaps tomorrow, we shall learn that hominid species coexisted even more recently!!

Great job.

(...)This book contains three stories; and as a result none of them get the attention they should have. It is the story of Garness Curtis's retirement from the University of California at Berkley, and the subsequent disasters that followed as he attempted to continue his research outside the proactive environment of the university. It is the story of the evolution of the theories of the evolution of man, and it is the story of the discovery that Java Man was not one of many steps early man made in his evolution from an earlier ape like creature, but in fact a parallel evolution of a second homo species that died off around the time of Neanderthal Man.

All three books were worth writing; it is unfortunate that, for whatever reason they got clumped into a single small volume. I should mention that all three stories were to a large extent interwoven. Much of the more scientific information was presented at conferences, and in journal articles. Nonetheless, it is the only place that two of these three events can be read about.

The result is a readable book, accessible to any reader that allows a view into the messy world of real scientific research.

To Criticize Garness Curtis for not being an anthropologist is a little bit like making the claim the Einstein was a physicist and not a mathematician. Any man who dedicates over 40 years of his life, working with, studying with, and publishing with the anthropologists investigating early man becomes an anthropologist, if not by degree, then by vocation.

The overall quality of the book is far less than I had hoped for, however it is still worth reading if you are interested in the development of man, and the politics of academia.

Found this book to be easy to read and understand. Sheds such interesting light on the understanding and discovery of our evolution.

Java Man mixes history, paleo-anthropology and journalism. It discusses the history of the Java Man find in Indonesia early last century. Then the paleo-anthropological significance of the find and it's associated historical controversies. I think the authors tell us that Java Man has variously been pigeonholed into as many as nine different species since he was dug up. And to round off they provides us with a blow by blow account of the modern controversies surrounding Java Man.

In particular they outline the recent ding dong battle between geo-chronologists (scientists who date dead things for a living) and anthropologists (the 'traditional' custodians of our knowledge of pre-humans). A new age tribal turf war with money, prestige, organisational loyalty and big man reputation at stake. Interestingly enough Java Man himself was probably modern enough to understand all that sort of thing. A worthy read for anyone interested in the real world of bruised ego science.

First, before you get the book, there are three stories within the covers -

1 - The history of the study of human evolution, focused on the debate between single origin and multiregional origins.

2 - The discoveries made by Carl C. Swisher III and Garniss H. Curtis about Homo erectus and how this changed many of the ideas (or just clouded things even more).

3 - How science really works, with the egos, the money issues, the insults, the old guard against the new ideas and how each side slams into each other till somebody screams uncle and somebody wins. Logic seems to have nothing to do with it.

At only 235 pages it does seem small, but the chapters are clear and simple, with more than enough details and examples to make everything easy to understand. They did a great work at explaining how technology has changed over the years when it comes to figuring out the age of an object. Yet I never felt like I was being talked down to.

The only problem is that having been published in 2000 it makes you wonder what the 'hobbits' would have done to their ideas.

Here we have the magnificent tale of a "geochronologist" who gained access to one of the world's most interesting hominid fosils ("Java Man"), makes the acquaintence of several the world's most renowned paleoanthropologists, and whose ego screws up everything. You would think that if Carl Swisher planned to make a living in one of the technological backwaters of paleoanthropology, he would make himself useful as a team player. Instead he has managed to become a pariah at the Institute of Human Origins, and gave them the finger as he walked out the door (his side of the story). To be sure, Teuku Jacob, the Indonesian scientist who summarily confiscates all Indonesian finds to make himself indispensable, is a tough customer. So, Carl, use someone else's fossil, or (here's an inspiration) find your own. What Java Man is all about is how Swisher wasted his sponsors' money in an increasingly acrimonious effort to promote a technology ("advanced potassium-argon dating techniques") which might have been very useful in the hands of an eager-to-please summer intern. Perhaps a more charitable view is that this book is meant to show the sponsors of his research why he failed to have the slightest (positive) impact on his objectives. Honestly, folks, if you are animated by hominid evolution, you'll learn more from any ten consecutive pages of Ian Tattersall than all of this 235 page rant.