Published by Thames & Hudson

For too long the Neanderthals have been seen as dim-witted evolutionary dead-enders who looked and behaved completely differently from us, but in recent years their story has been transformed thanks to new discoveries and advances in scientific techniques. In a compelling narrative one that has not previously been told in a way that encompasses the entire dramatic arc from evolution to expansion to extinction this book takes a fresh and engaging look at the whole story of the Neanderthals, setting out all the evidence, redressing the balance and arriving at a fairer assessment of a species that was closely related to us and in so doing addresses what it is to be human.
Winner of the 2015 Society for American Archaeology Book Award in the Popular category.