Fieldwork

The Department of Human Evolution is currently conducting the following field projects:

Abri Peyrony (France) - In 2009 and 2010 the MPI conducted excavations at the late Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic sites of Abri Peyrony (Haut de Combe-Capelle) and Roc de Combe-Capelle. This year the materials are under study for publication.

Jebel Irhoud (Morocco) - In May of 2004, in conjunction with the INSAP (Rabat), we started a multi-year project to salvage the remaining deposits at this important middle Paleolithic fossil locality.

Jonzac (Chez-Pinaud, France) - From 2004 to 2007, in conjunction with Institut de Prehistoire et de Geologie du Quaternaire (IPGQ) at the University of Bordeaux I, we excavated the Middle to Upper Paleolithic site of Jonzac.

Les Cottés (France) - Since 2006, the Max-Planck-Institute has been working at this site, in collaboration with the French Ministry of Culture, and since 2008 with the INRAP. It is one of the rare sites in Europe with a complete Middle to Upper Palaeolithic sequence with Mousterian, Chatelperronian, ProtoAurignacian as well as Early Aurignacian preserved in situ.

Rhafas Cave (Morocco) - In 2007, the Max Planck Institute began working with the Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP, Rabat, Morocco) at the site of Rhafas, Morocco. The goals of this project are focused primarily on the late Middle Paleolithic and the transition to the Aterian.

Willendorf (Austria) - Willendorf, a site originally excavated nearly a century ago, is one of the more important European Upper Paleolithic sites in part for the discovery of the famous Venus figurine but also for the data it can provide on the earliest Aurignacian. Since 2006, the Max-Planck-Institute has been working with the Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte (IUF) of the University of Vienna at this site. The excavation project focuses on the early Upper Palaeolithic deposits. In 2011 our work at the site will continue.

In addition, the Department and its staff activity supports the following field projects:

Roc de Marsal (France)- Previous excavations at this cave site yielded a nearly complete juvenile Neandertal skeleton and a series of well preserved Mousterian archaeological layers.  New excavations were conducted (2004-2009) to better understand the burial context of this skeleton, the associated industries, and their dates. This year will be a study season.  No new excavations are planned for this site.

Abydos (Egypt)- The Abydos Survey for Paleolithic Sites was a multi-year project to survey the high desert immediately adjacent to the Nile Valley near the historically famous site of Abydos.  Several publications are now available for this work and a monograph is in progress.

Dikika (Ethiopia) - The Dikika Research Project is an on-going effort to document the archaeological and fossil evidence from a large span of early hominin history in East Africa.

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