In this readable, contemporary account, two of Africa's leading archaeologists present what we have learned about the development of human species in Southern Africa in 150 years of research. Generously illustrated with over 100 photos, drawings, and maps, the Deacons describe our primate ancestors, outline the process of emergence of the modern human species, and follow its development through Khoisan prehistory to the point of European contact. An ideal resource for professionals, text for university students, and reader for avocational archaeology.