x PREFACE TO VOLUMES 1 .IND 2
Further volumes are envisioned, for example Volume 4
by R. L. Holloway, M. S. Yuan, and D. C. Broadfield,
describing cranial endocasts, and a projected volume
on the postcranial skeleton. Each of the volumes in
the series will be published separately, but as close
together in time as possible.
Clearly, the definitive account of the human fossil
record will never be written. This is partly for the best
of reasons: the paleoanthropological record is already
very extensive, and it is growing at a rate with which it
is hard to keep up. Partly, though, it reflects the fact
that certain hominid fossils, even ones that have been
comprehensively published, are in some cases sur-
rounded by a wall of curatorial protectionism that
amounts almost to paranoia. Interestingly enough,
this attitude is largely foreign to other areas of verte-
brate paleontology, but in paleoanthropology it con-
stitutes a real stumbling block to progress in what is
after all an essentially comparative science. We should
note, however, that the situation is vastly better in the
genus Homo than it is among members of the very
early hominid radiation. Thus, for example, the type
materials of a number of species named and described
several years ago remain even now off-limits to the
general paleoanthropological community due to their
describers’ steadfast resistance to any independent
verification. Such species include the potentially im-
portant Ardipithecus ramidus, Australopithecus garhi,
and Australopithecus babre@azali, as well as described
specimens (e.g. the Konso cranium) that are alleged to
extend significantly the morphological ranges of exist-
ing species. Until access to such specimens is permit-
ted to researchers outside the closed describing
cliques, these species (and specimens) must be re-
garded by the rest of us as hypothetical constructs,
equivalent to such imaginary taxa as Haeckel’s
“Pithecanthropus alalus.” For, at the time of writing,
it is impossible for the general paleoanthropological
community to verify even the physical existence of
these quasi-taxa, let alone their claimed diagnostic
characteristics. What the describers are trying to hide
remains a matter for conjecture.
These remarks having reluctantly been made,
however, it is a pleasure to acknowledge the extraordi-
nary assistance and hospitality extended to us by the
great majority of those responsible for the fossils that
make up the human biological record. Without the
active assistance of our colleagues in many countries
this project would never have been possible, and warm
welcomes and exceptional lundness all over the world
have transformed a potentially Herculean labour into
a pleasure.
In particular, we would like to extend our warmest
thanks and appreciation to the following, who gave us
access to fossils or provided other valuable help: Ao-
mar Akerraz, Susan Anton, Juan-Luis Arsuaga, the
late Antonio Ascenzi, Graham Avery, Fachroel Aziz,
Cecilio Barroso-Ruiz, Peter Beaumont, Abdelwahed
Ben-Ncer, Directrice Joudia Benslimane, Amilcare
Bietti, Luca Bondioli, Gunter Brauer, James Brink,
Tim Bromage, Ralf Busch, Jean-Francois Bussikre,
Miguel Caparros, Chang Mee-Mann, Mario Chech,
Ron Clarke, Jean-Jacques Cleyet-Merle, Silvana Con-
demi, Alfred Czarnetzki, Hilary Deacon, Janette Dea-
con, Miluse Dobisikova, Viola Dobosi, Sigrid Dusek,
Christophe Falgui.res, Noor Farsan, Harald Flass, Larry
Flynn, Rob Foley, Heidi Fourie, Jens Franzen, the late
Leo Gabunia, Lena Godina, Dominique Grimaud-
Hervk, Almut Hoffmann, Hou Yamei, F. Clark How-
ell, Huang Yunping, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Etty Indriati,
Teuku Jacob, At0 Jara Haile Mariam, Don Johanson,
Jan and Kveta Jelinek, Hans-Eckert Joachim, Kebede
Worke, Vitaly Kharitonov, Bill Kimbel, L6szlo Kordos,
George Koufos, Robert Kruszynsky, Kathy Kuman,
Beverly Kramer, Viteslav Kuzelka, Marta Mirazdn
Lahr, AndrC Langaney, Henry and Marie-Antoinette
de Lumley, Meave Leakey, Li Tianyuan, David Lord-
kipanidze, Lu Zune, Angiolo del Lucchese, Roberto
Macchiarelli, Nasser Richard Malit, Mamitu Ydma,
Dietrich and Ursula Mania, Giorgio Manzi, Marie-
Hklkne Marino-Thiault, Emma Mbua, Vkronique
Merlin-Anglade, Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi, Janet Monge,
Rosine Orban, Marcel Otte, Ildiko Pap, Maja
Paunovic, David Pilbeam, Eddy Poty, Stepheny Potze,
Jakov Radovcic, Yoel Rak, Antonio Rosas, Alain Rous-
sot, Friedemann Schrenk, Betsy Schumann, Aldo and
Eugenia Segre, Horst Seidler, Patrick Semal, Suzanna
Simone, Petr Skrdla, Malcolm Smale, Giuseppina
Spadea, Gabriella Spedini, Chris Stringer, Emmy Su-
parka, Jiri Svoboda, Maryse Tavoso, Maria Teschler-
Nicola, Francis Thackeray, Herbert Thomas, Alan
Thorne, Phillip Tobias, Michel Toussaint, Javier
Trueba, Sophie Tymula, Bernard Vandermeersch, John
de Vos, Alan Walker, Wang Youping, Diethard
Walther, Gill Watson, Karin Wiltschke-Schrotta, Wu
Xinzhi, Yahdi Zaim, Zhao Linxia, Zhu Min, Joe Zias,
and Reinhard Ziegler. We apologize to any colleagues
whose names may inadvertently have been omit-
ted from this gratifyingly long list. The institu-
tions in which the fossils reside, and whose official