Dragon Bone Hill: An Ice-Age Saga of Homo erectus 1st Edition

by Noel Thomas Boaz (Author), Russell L. Ciochon (Author)

4 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0195152913

ISBN-10: 0195152913

Why is ISBN important?

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Share <Embed>

Condition: Used - Good

In Stock. Sold by Big Picture, Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

40 Used from $6.50

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Deliver to France

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Only 2 left in stock - order soon.

Ships from and sold by glacier-basin-books.

This item ships to France.

List Price: $35.00
Save: $15.25 (44%)

26 New from $9.00

Deliver to France

$19.75 + $29.99 shipping

Turn on 1-Click ordering

More Buying Choices

26 New from $9.00 40 Used from $6.50 3 Collectible from $5.89

69 used & new from $6.50

See All Buying Options

Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student

"Peking Man," a cave man once thought a great hunter who had first tamed fire, actually was a composite of the gnawed remains of some fifty women, children, and men unfortunate enough to have been the prey of the giant cave hyena. Researching the famous fossil site of Dragon Bone Hill in China, scientists Noel T. Boaz and Russell L. Ciochon retell the story of the cave's unique species of early human, Homo erectus.
Boaz and Ciochon take readers on a gripping scientific odyssey. New evidence shows that Homo erectus was an opportunist who rode a tide of environmental change out Africa and into Eurasia, puddle-jumping from one gene pool to the next. Armed with a shaky hold on fire and some sharp rocks, Homo erectus incredibly survived for over 1.5 million years, much longer than our own species Homo sapiens has been on Earth. Tell-tale marks on fossil bones show that the lives of these early humans were brutal, ruled by hunger and who could strike the hardest blow, yet there are fleeting glimpses of human compassion as well. The small brain of Homo erectus and its strangely unchanging culture indicate that the species could not talk. Part of that primitive culture included ritualized aggression, to which the extremely thick skulls of Homo erectus bear mute witness.
Both a vivid recreation of the unimagined way of life of a prehistoric species, so similar yet so unlike us, and a fascinating exposition of how modern multidisciplinary research can test hypotheses in human evolution, Dragon Bone Hill is science writing at its best.

Frequently bought together

+

Total price: $43.10

These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:Dragon Bone Hill: An Ice-Age Saga of Homo erectus by Noel Thomas Boaz Hardcover $19.75
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by glacier-basin-books.
A New Human: The Startling Discovery and Strange Story of the Hobbits of Flores, Indonesia by Mike Morwood Hardcover $23.35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by De Mirci and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Mike Morwood

14

Hardcover
$23.35
Lydia Pyne

50

Hardcover
$13.95
Lee Berger

107

Hardcover
$16.75
Dimitra Papagianni

155

Paperback
$13.16
Bruce R. Fenton

41

Paperback
$11.95
G. J. Sawyer

39

Hardcover
$40.05

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1

Feedback

John Paul Fay

What happens when one of the most evil men in US history meets a man he trusts to share his darkest secrets with? Letters of darkness.

24

Kindle Edition
$6.99
Feedback

Michael P King

Not White Hats vs. Black Hats. This crime thriller is all fast-paced criminal mischief. “King’s uncommonly solid debut is a must-read.”—Kirkus Reviews

87

Paperback
$9.99
Feedback

Kevin Sullivan

Ten bizarre murder cases from the Bluegrass State that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A real excursion into the weird and strange.

71

Kindle Edition
$4.99
Feedback

T. D. Shields

They killed my dad. I'm next. But can the ruins of Denver really be safe? And will the growing fire within allow me to stay anyway?

46

Paperback
$11.99
Feedback

Steve Jackson

They thought about their evil, dystopian fantasy for months. Then, wound up like clockwork toys ... they acted out unspeakable horrors.

39

Kindle Edition
$5.99
Feedback

Haris Dimitriadis

Find the happiness to which you are entitled by exploring the teachings of Epicurus in this debut philosophical study–cum–self-help guide.

32

Kindle Edition
$6.99
Feedback

Shaun Attwood

Three jaw-dropping true-crime stories packed into a blistering exposé of the War on Drugs.

11

Kindle Edition
$9.99

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dragon Bone Hill is the name of the archeological site in China where Peking Man was found in the 1920s. Although all of the original Peking Man fossils were lost during the Japanese occupation of China, casts remain and have shown that Peking Man should be classified as Homo erectus, an early ancestor of humans. Ross University anatomist Boaz (Evolving Health) and University of Iowa anthropologist Ciochon (The Human Evolution Source Book) tell two entertaining tales as they explore many facets of the Homo erectus story. The first deals with the discovery of Peking Man and provides much insight into the politics of early paleoanthropology. As part of this story, the authors also attempt to resolve the oft-examined question of what happened to the original fossils. They don't present a great deal of new information and come to the same conclusion as many others (notably Nicole Mones in her novel Lost in Translation), suggesting that, after being discarded by Japanese troops, the fossils were ground up and turned into medicinal products by Chinese locals. Their second story addresses the evolutionary place of Peking Man and presents "hypotheses on the origins of the use of fire, the beginnings of human language, the evolution of the brain, hunting, cannibalism, stone and bone tool use and ancient human diet." They conclude that Homo erectus was primarily a scavenger incapable of speech who had learned to tame but not fully control fire. Accessible to the general reader, this volume provides a nice overview of the subject. B&w illus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Homo erectus, among the earliest discoveries of paleoanthropology, has been researched for a century. The entire corpus of knowledge about this human ancestor comes together in Boaz and Ciochon's presentation, which hinges on the most productive site for H. erectus specimens, Zhoukoudian, China. In a famous tragedy, a collection of them vanished in World War II, a mystery that the authors elucidate but are still stymied by; fortunately, much anatomical data about the fossils had been preserved in casts and scientific papers. Incorporating those into subsequent discoveries of H. erectus in Africa, and into modern understanding of the climates with which H. erectus coped, the authors deliver a meticulous, but not forbiddingly technical, survey of evidence from which scientists infer and debate the species' evolution. From areas where consensus reigns--that H. erectus was a head-banging, tool- and fire-using scavenger--Boaz and Ciochon proceed to the most disputatious ground in the field, arguments about whether H. erectus evolved in Africa or elsewhere. Methodically informative, this book best suits readers with a well-developed interest in human origins. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Hardcover: 264 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (February 16, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0195152913
ISBN-13: 978-0195152913
Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 1 x 6.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,615,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #714 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Paleontology
- #802 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Anthropology > Physical
- #2357 in Books > Science & Math > Earth Sciences > Geology

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Be the first video

Your name here

Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features:

See Kindle Edition

Customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars

2 star (0%)

1 star (0%)

Write a customer review

See all 4 customer reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Good Information

October 1, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A lot of this book is dedicated to the disappearance of the "Peking Man" fossils during WWII, and quite a bit about the personalities involved in the discovery ( very political in nature) and excavation of the sites at Dragon Bone Hill. Although historically important, at this distance in time not as compelling as intended. I would have liked even more specific and detailed scientific information about our distant ancestors. There are, however, some very interesting conclusions about the nature of Homo Erectus, and the life he probably lived. A good addition to any library about Ancient Man.

Comment

Excellent material on a very important site

August 24, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Since we were going to Beijing, we decided to go to Choukoutien (Zhoukoudian) to see the fabled sight of the Peking Man. Our inn's driver didn't know how to get there, didn't know any other drivers who had been there, and wanted to know if we wouldn't really rather go to the Great Wall? We hashed things out and were soon on our way. If you go, get a car and driver; public transportation would take forever.
The site is well worth a visit. There are few visitors, but the site is well laid out with paths and informative signs in Chinese, English, and Japanese. (The restaurant, actually the staff's lunch room, even provided us with a delicious, filling su-vegetarian lunch.) At various spots are sculptures of contemporary wildlife, so lifelike that we were startled by the first, a pair of hyenas ready to pounce on you as you come up the path.
However, the statues of the Peking Man and Woman are almost six feet tall. The bust of the Peking Man in front of the museum has the face of a very refined, educated fellow, one you could share a pot of tea with as you discussed the fine points of Wang Yangming's philosophy or Gould's rendition of Bach. This is certainly not the face of a guy who spent his days in a life and death struggle with wild beasts.
After our visit, I recalled that Dragon Bone Hill got good reviews, and I know Ciochon is a good author, so I decided to get this book. I had already read a lot about the Peking Man, in English and in Chinese, so I was familiar with the situation already, but figured that this would give me a good update.
The book fulfilled my expectations. Averaging 156cm for the men, these early people probably spent most of their time scampering up trees to escape from hyenas or saber tooth tigers, and the devil take the hindmost! This was not The Great Hunter striding across a landscape slaying beasts left and right. The book provides a great deal of detail about their circumstances as well as the fruits of almost a century of research.
Only one minor question: the authors say "the Chinese call the site Lunggushan." Apparently we are talking to different people, because it seems to me that everybody just calls it Chouk'outien. Never mind. This book is worth reading, and if you have a chance, take a trip to the site. Just make sure your driver knows how to get there.

5 people found this helpful

Comment

David S. Wellhauser

Good book/Bad eBook

January 7, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Good read, but a little gossipy in the beginning. Also, the Kindle edition was shoddily put together.

As to the subject: Homo Erectus and Dragon Bone Hill outside of Beijing...this was handled quite well.

However, it was an exceptionally dry read.

You've been warned.

One person found this helpful

Comment

A customer

Reads like a mystery novel

February 20, 2004

Format: Hardcover

This overview of old history regarding the worlds' most extensive fossil hominid site is great. The sequence of discovery, the loss of the fossils in WWII confusion, and the telling of the modern rethinking of the site and its significance is really very well done.

16 people found this helpful

Comment

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Mike Morwood

14

Hardcover
$23.35
Chris Stringer

137

Paperback
$10.48
Ian Tattersall

22

Hardcover
79 offers from $2.34
Lee Berger

107

Hardcover
$16.75
Steve Brusatte

228

in Organic Evolution
Hardcover
$20.39

English United States

Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Interest-Based Ads
© 1996-2018, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates