The Quest for Food: Its Role in Human Evolution and Migration - Hardcover

Crowe, Ivan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0752414623 ISBN 13: 9780752414621

Publisher: NPI Media Group, 2000

Synopsis

This text aims to describe how humankind succeeded in its quest for food - from the first primates to the earliest civilisations.'

About this title

From the Back Cover

Evolution and cultural development have enabled humans to find food in a vast array of different environments. This has resulted in our species colonising practically every landmass on the planet. Drawing on a wide range of disciplines - primatology, zoology, palaeontology, anthropology, archaeology, nutrition and food sciences - Ivan Crowe describes how this came about.

The story begins 65 million years ago with the appearance of the first primates that inhabited the earth's vast forests and ends with the advent of the first farming communities and early civilisations, such as those of Mesopotamia and in the Indus Valley. The author explains how the dietary needs of our primate ancestors and their quest for food were to influence our own species' physical evolution and cognitive characteristics. He describes how migrations, climatic fluctuations and environmental transitions affected the ways in which our hominioid ancestors and later our human forebears acquired their food. Each of these factors influenced our evolution and the development of our culture.

The energy obtained from food must exceed that used to acquire it. The book explains how the unique formula that humans have adopted to fulfil this requirement - which has remained pivotal to our survival and success as a species for thousands of years - is now placing our present-day civilisation in jeopardy.

A text of great clarity (which will appeal to the general reader as well as to the student) is enhanced by a fine range of illustrations specially prepared for this book by the author himself.

Edition details

• Publisher: NPI Media Group
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0752414623
• ISBN 13: 9780752414621
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272