Society in Prehistory: The Origins of Human Culture

`Though Man lacks the historical depth of other more stable species, it is also the case that our rate of development has been rapid: our brains have tripled in size within record 3 million years. However it is the acquisition of a collection of social and cultural traits that are used as a unique means of adaptation - as the basis for a new way of life - that is the most extraordinary aspect of our evolution' - Introduction . Subtitled `The origins of human nature', Megarry argues that while social behavior is biologically grounded, it is not biologically determined, and that culture is a significant formative agent in the evolutionary emergence of modern humans. `Megarry's lucid and authoritative book... offers an excellent account of the revolution in our understanding of human origins in recent decades' - Paul Hirst, Birkbeck College, London .