The Nariokotome Homo Erectus Skeleton

Richard Leakey, geboren 1944 in Kenia, wurde durch seine spektakulären Fossilienfunde weltbekannt. 1989 wurde er zum Leiter des Kenya Wildlife Service ernannt.Alan Walker zählt zu den führenden Paläoanthropologen der Gegenwart; er hat viele Jahre gemeinsam mit Richard Leakey in Ostafrika nach menschlichen Fossilien gesucht.

The partial skeleton of Homo erectus found in Kenya by Alan Walker, Richard Leakey, and others is truly one of the great discoveries in paleoanthropology, after the world's best paleoanthropologists have diligently searched for traces of Homo erectus in Africa and Asia for a century. In this book, the authors present descriptions and photographs of all parts of the skeleton and accompany these with a thorough analysis. It consists of three parts. The first part covers the geology, dating, paleoenvironments, and the taphonomy of the site. The second part is a description of the specimen and a review of other Homo erectus specimens from the Lake Turkana region. The last part is composed of analytical papers on certain aspects of the boy's biology as they apply to other Homo erectus specimens. "What impresses me most about the volume is that apart from the basic description of the fossil, which itself is of great importance, the editors have sought out leading experts to tackle problems relating to specific issues in the evolutionary biology of Homo erectus. Many of these chapters would stand alone as major contributions. Together, they make a remarkable volume that will become a standard reference." (Robert A. Foley, Professor of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge)

1984 wurde am Turkana-See in Kenia das Skelett eines 1,5 Millionen Jahre alten Jungen gefunden: der weitaus älteste Fund eines Homo erectus - nachdem Wissenschaftler mehr als ein Jahrhundert lang in Afrika und Asien nach dem Ursprung der Menschheit gefahndet hatten. Dieses Buch gibt eine komplett bebilderte Beschreibung des Fundortes sowie aller Skeletteile.

1. Introduction.- I. The Site.- 2. Geologic setting and age.- 3. Microstratigraphy and paleoenvironments.- 4. Taphonomy.- 5. The faunal context.- II. The Specimen.- 6. The skull.- 7. The postcranial bones.- 8. The dentition.- III. Analytical Studies.- 9. The physiological age of KNM-WT 15000.- 10. The reconstruction of the pelvis.- 11. Body size and body shape.- 12. The thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.- 13. The rib cage.- 14. The endocast.- 15. The vertebral canal.- 16. A morphometric study of facial growth.- 17. Perspectives on the nariokotome discovery.- A note on accession numbers.- The preparation and Casting of the specimen.- References.- Acknowledgments.- Contributors.