num_pages: 208
description: New archaeological evidence suggests that as our ancestors spread out across the planet they battled with colossal predatory mammals, strange birds and chilling reptiles. "Monsters we Met" reconstructs the extraordinary moments when modern humans first encountered these creatures. After the dinosaurs, huge ripper lizards, carnivorous kangaroos, dog-like bears and woolly rhinoceros roamed the earth, but few know our ancestors lived with these now extinct monsters. The first human explorers to leave Africa 50,000 years ago weren't rug wearing cavemen, but fully modern, intelligent humans - our equals and more. With a modern mental capacity, larger brain and linguistic sophistication they explored Earth - through Asia, across into Australia and the Americas, up into Europe, and finally reaching the shores of New Zealand. What they discovered was a bizarre world ruled by "monsters" the like of which they had never seen before. "Monsters we Met" looks at what happened when our ancestors met these extraordinary creatures. Did we hunt them or were we hunted? And why did they disappear? Drawing on the latest evidence from science, archaeology and anthropology, "Monsters we Met" sets out to answer these crucial questions and in so doing reveals much about our ongoing relationships with the world around us.
language: English
title: Monsters We Met
publisher: BBC Books