Monday, August 08, 2005
History Channel's 'Ape to Man' - Review
The History Channel ran its 'Ape to Man' documentary last night and it was okay. I say 'okay' because the premise (the history of discovering human origins) was good - even the cheesy reenactments were good - but why, God, why did they show modern humans beating a Neanderthal to death? All modern scholarship on the subject says that the two species hardly ever came in contact with one another. They weren't two groups fighting over hunting rights in any given area. They were both incredibly small-sized groups - a tribe of humans in France didn't need to kill a tribe of Neanderthals in Spain over hunting grounds. The groups of both were nothing by modern or even ancient standards. When humans began spreading throughout Europe, the Neanderthal population had already been declining for thousands of years. Neanderthals more than likely died out for reasons unrelated to anything involving modern humans. Heaven forbid, though, that we can't see 'people' killing 'people' on TV. Pfft.
If you're interested in human evolution, I strongly suggest reading Extinct Humans by Ian Tattersall and Jeffrey H. Schwartz. Ha ha...if you're reading this blog, you most likely know me, so you can just borrow my copy.
Who's your daddy?
If you're interested in human evolution, I strongly suggest reading Extinct Humans by Ian Tattersall and Jeffrey H. Schwartz. Ha ha...if you're reading this blog, you most likely know me, so you can just borrow my copy.
Who's your daddy?
