Kindred does for Neanderthals what Sapiens did for us, revealing a deeper, more nuanced story where humanity itself is our ancient, shared inheritance. Planning, co-operation, altruism, craftsmanship, aesthetic sense, imagination, perhaps even a desire for transcendence beyond mortality. Much of what defines us was also in Neanderthals, and their DNA is still inside us. Above all, they were successful survivors for more than 300,000 years, during times of massive climatic upheaval. Her critically acclaimed and bestselling first book KINDRED: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art is a deep dive into the 21st century science and understanding of these ancient relatives. She reveals them to be curious, clever connoisseurs of their world, technologically inventive and ecologically adaptable. Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes is an archaeologist, author and Honorary Fellow in the School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool. Since their discovery more than 160 years ago, Neanderthals have metamorphosed from the losers of the human family tree to A-list hominins.Rebecca Wragg Sykes uses her experience at the cutting-edge of Palaeolithic research to share our new understanding of Neanderthals, shoving aside cliches of rag-clad brutes in an icy wasteland. Kindred is the definitive guide to the Neanderthals. 'Important reading not just for anyone interested in these ancient cousins of ours, but also for anyone interested in humanity.' Yuval Noah Harari 'Beautiful, evocative, authoritative.' Professor Brian Cox The complex and fascinating story of the Neanderthals shoving aside the cliche of the brutish figure in an icy wasteland, this book showcases the culture, ecology and biology of these people, areas of research that have seen astonishing recent advances.

Kindred by rebecca wragg sykes