Research areas

Our studies in human evolution are based on the fossil remains they have left. Fossils provide the only direct evidence for the process of human evolution. A hominid fossil supplies us with three kinds of data, i.e. its spatial classification by the place where it was discovered, its temporal classification by datings and its systematic determination according to its morphological features. Further inferences can be drawn from the context of the fossil, e.g. on the habitat in which the creature existed or its ecological and taphonomical environment. A large part of our work consists in the reconstruction of fossil sites and their interpretation. Besides, we carry out fieldwork with the aim to improve our knowledge about localities which are already known and to explore new sites.

Our research projects are attributed to four different topics. On this site you may find only brief summaries. If you want to know more, please choose among the links on the left.

Palaeoanthropology and hominid evolution

Hominid evolution proper started six or seven million years ago in Africa with the emergence of early australopithecines. Those australopithecines differed from apes by their ability to walk at least ocassionally bipedally. 2.5 million years ago the earliest representatives of the genus Homo developed from those australopithecine beginnings. This process is characterised by an entire set of evolutionary changes. Among them are the development of a permanently bipedal mode of locomotion, tool manufacture and usage, exploitation of new food resources, as well as corresponding changes in dentition. 1.8 million years ago some representatives of the genus Homo left their African homes for the first time and moved into Eurasia. Their fossil remains are discovered in the Caucasus in Georgia and as far as Jawa in Indonesia. Those representatives of the genus Homo are attributed to Homo erectus. Europe was colonised for the first time about a million years ago. In Europe, human evolution took a special course leading to the evolution of the Neanderthals. How many dispersal events occurred during the Pleistocene, i.e. in the period between 1.8 million and 40,000 years ago, and which routes they took, is presently not known. 300,000 years ago first representatives of Homo sapiens evolved in East Africa. They settled all continents on Earth except of Antarctica.

We are studying in particular the development of the genus Homo and regional evolution in Homo erectus.

Mammal palaeobiogeography and evolutionary ecology

Early humans were no isolated creatures. The further we move backwards in human prehistory, the more immediate their relations to the biotic and abiotic environment get. For a comprehensive understanding of human evolution it is thus not sufficient, to study exclusively hominind fossils. Moreover, we are studying the evolution of other mammals as well. If we know how other mammal species evolved we can answer the question, whether a certain step in evolution happened exclusively to humans or whether other mammals experienced similar evolutionary pathways.

Islands represent miniaturized laboratories of evolution. Due to their geographic isolation they are most suitable for the study of particular evolutionary processes. The difficulties in invading islands lead to the occurrence only of selected parts of mainland faunas. This peculiarity in faunal composition leads to the differentiation of particular communities and the reorganisation of their ecological relations. These processes can be accompanied by size changes and the development of further morphological peculiarities. The discovery of an 18,000 years old hobbits on the island Flores underlines, that early humans do by no means represent an exception, but are generally subjected to the same processes as other mammals.

Constructional and functional morphology

Particularly the development of an upright posture and the dietary expansions initiated constructional changes in early hominids. When australopithecines switch from a quadrupedal to a bipedal mode of locomotion, more changes are required than only in their legs and feet. A changed posture leads to increased stresses, which are manifest in practically all skeletal elements. The reconstruction of the skeletal apparatus of australopithecines demonstrates, that they regularly walked bipedally. It shows also, that they acquired a bipedal gait in their own manner, which is no longer preserved at present.

The expansion of the diet in early representatives of the genus Homo and particularly tool usage in preparatory crushing of food items enabled changes in the posterior part of the tooth rows. This is evident particularly in structures on the occlusal surface of the teeth, which contribute to the mechanic decomposition of food items. We study these changes on the basis of 3D topometric modelling.

Fieldwork in Africa and Asia

We carry out fieldwork and explorations in Africa and Southeast Asia. In Africa we focus on Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Southafrica. In Southeast Asia we are mainly working in Indonesia. You may find detailed descriptions of the regions we are working in, if you follow the links on the left.

geändert am 27. Oktober 2007  E-Mail: Webmastervolmer@bio.uni-frankfurt.de