ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters in the seventh part of this book. The part of the book approaches the analysis of Ramapithecus from historical and theoretical perspectives–quite different from the approach taken by P. Andrews and J. E. Cronin. It presents the overview of hominoid relationships in a paper entitled "A Late Divergence Hypothesis. The part discusses the broader issue of the adaptations of the Ramapithecinae. It reviews the molecular data that bear on the question of hominoid relationships and presents morphological data that link the Sivapithecus-Ramapithecus species group with the evolution of the orangutan. The part discusses the problem of defining "the earliest hominid. It concludes that habitual bipedalism and a human dental apparatus are two major criteria of the Hominidae.
