Caves is an account of the scientific study of caves, both its history and its present contributions to the understanding of the past. A large and important amount of evidence about prehistory is preserved in caves, and this is the first synthetic account of the revealing data relating directly to prehistory, paleoanthropology and the paleoenvironment which can be found in them.

This study includes case studies as well as explanatory text boxes which make the book especially suitable for undergraduate students as well as researchers of prehistory, archaeology, and geology.

Case studies include topics such as:

• The overlap of Neanderthals and Antrhropologically Modern Humans
• The early colonisation of Europe
• The problematic dating of the South African caves designated as the Cradle of Humankind
• Paleoenvironmental issues relating to hominid speciation