Once upon a time, say 50 years ago, the only background you needed in order to appreciate what was known about human evolution was a familiarity with a relatively sparse hominid fossil record, what limited information there was about the context of the sites, some knowledge of gross anatomy and simple analytical methods, and an appreciation of general evolutionary principles. Times have changed. The fossil record has grown exponentially, imaging techniques have advanced dramatically, quantitative methods have burgeoned, molecular biology has revolutionized our understanding of genetics, evolution
Wiley-blackwell student dictionary of human evolution