Palaeoanthropology = Fossils?

There’s more to it than that!

Wolpoff (1999, p. Iiii) stated that “Paleoanthropology is the study of our origins. I view it as more than a history or a simple narrative of past events. The subject is a science and not a history because there are reasons for what happened in the past, explanations for why a certain course of events occurred, and because theories offered in explanation of our origins can be proven wrong.”         
Fossils are of course important, however, they are obviously not adequate for direct reading. Scientists operate with hypotheses that exist within the framework of the Darwinian evolutionary theory. Based on appropriate methodological approaches, hypotheses can be verified or falsified.
Palaeoanthropology exemplifies - as other anthropological disciplines -the need for a theory-conducted science based on morphological concepts, hypotheses, and prospects. Basic questions of palaeoanthropology are:

Where and when is the origin of the human stem lineage? Which morphological transformations have occurred (bipedalism, brain expansion, changes of the mastication complex) and what where the reasons? What kind of phylogenetic relationships characterize early hominins as Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Homo?

Palaeoanthropological research is not restricted to human palaeontology but rather includes the approach to elucidate specific mental and physical constitutions of man by applicating the methods of evolutionary biology. Culture (e.g. complex tool production and application, symbolism, historical perspective, social responsibility) can also be explained by the patterns of an adaptational process.      

Modern palaeoanthropology therefore delivers the integration of diverse scientific subfields and consequently increases the validity of the suggested models. 

Fig. 1: Palaeoanthropology - a multidisciplinary approach. (modified after Delson 2000)       
   

As the process of hominization is not directly accessible, empiric research considering non-human primates - via an indirect analysis -  helps  to present plausible solutions concerning our evolution. A general conclusion is to explain hominization as a continuation of evolutionary trends within the primate family. We are a unique species, but the same counts for all other (primate) species.     

Latest results from primatology reduce the hiatus between human and non-human primates and seem to fill the gap very well. Findings clarify that hominization is based on common biological principles. However, human evolution is not only defined by a biogenetic evolution but also by a tradigenetic one (data to be circulated through language). This definitively caused a catalytic function!  

Palaeoanthropology delivers a smooth transition to Prehistoric Anthropology: this discipline focuses intraspecific variability of prehistoric populations.