Kindred

'Beautiful, evocative, authoritative.' Professor Brian Cox 'Important reading not just for anyone interested in these ancient cousins of ours, but also for anyone interested in humanity.' Yuval Noah Harari Kindred is the definitive guide to the Neanderthals. 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 clichés of rag-clad brutes in an icy wasteland. She reveals them to be curious, clever connoisseurs of their world, technologically inventive and ecologically adaptable. Above all, they were successful survivors for more than 300,000 years, during times of massive climatic upheaval. Much of what defines us was also in Neanderthals, and their DNA is still inside us. Planning, co-operation, altruism, craftsmanship, aesthetic sense, imagination, perhaps even a desire for transcendence beyond mortality. Kindred does for Neanderthals what Sapiens did for us, revealing a deeper, more nuanced story where humanity itself is our ancient, shared inheritance.

Rebecca Wragg Sykes has been fascinated by the vanished worlds of the Pleistocene ice ages since childhood, and followed this interest through a scientific career researching the most enigmatic characters of all, the Neanderthals. Alongside her academic expertise, Rebecca has earned a reputation for exceptional public communication in print, broadcast and as a speaker. Her writing has featured in the Guardian, Aeon and Scientific American, and she has appeared on history and science programmes for BBC Radio 4. She works as an archaeological and creative consultant, and co-founded the influential TrowelBlazers project, highlighting women in archaeology and the earth sciences. @LeMoustier / www.rebeccawraggsykes.com

A Note on Names Introduction Chapter 1: The First Face Chapter 2: The River Fells the Tree Chapter 3: Bodies Growing Chapter 4: Bodies Living Chapter 5: Ice and Fire Chapter 6: The Rocks Remain Chapter 7: Material World Chapter 8: Eat and Live Chapter 9: Chez Neanderthal Chapter 10: Into the Land Chapter 11: Beautiful Things Chapter 12: Minds Inside Chapter 13: Many Ways to Die Chapter 14: Time Travellers in the Blood Chapter 15: Denouements Chapter 16: Immortal Beloved Epilogue Acknowledgements Index