Monrepos (archaeology)
Monrepos is the Archaeological Research Center and Museum of human behavior evolution on Monrepos in Neuwied. There the development of our current practices on the one hand explored in the Old and Middle Stone Age, and on the other hand, the knowledge gained will be taught in the museum. Monrepos is one of the leading institutions for the study of early human history.
Structure
Monrepos is an institution of the Roman-Germanic Central Museum - Research Institute for Archaeology ( RGZM ), which is among the research museums of the Leibniz Association. The Prince Maximilian of Wied Foundation is a further support of Monrepos, also the support group support Paleolithic eV, research, communication and teaching. Monrepos works closely with the Institute of Prehistory and Early History of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
Location
Monrepos (Fr. " My rest " ) is a historic recreation area on the Middle Rhine Valley. The former princely summer residence on the heights above the town of Neuwied midst of forests on the edge of the Westerwald. Here, long-distance paths cross as the Rhine riser, the Limes hiking trail and the Rheinhöhenweg. Monrepos forms the center of the historical building ensemble of the Prince of Wied from the 18th and 19th centuries
History
By 2012 Monrepos called " research area Paleolithic " RGZM and " Museum of the Archaeology of the Ice Age ." As part of the redesign of the museum and the strategic realignment of research institute and museum, they were renamed Monrepos Archaeological research center and museum of human behavior evolution. The discovery and exploration of world-famous locations of the Fund Paleolithic in the Neuwied Basin ( eg low Bieber, patron village, Bad Breisig ) led in 1984 to the establishment of research area Paleolithic RGZM. Since 1988 it is located together with the Museum of Archaeology of the Ice Age on Monrepos, Neuwied. The former estates, originally called " Waldheim ", was built in 1909. Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Wied took the castle in 1986 in the Prince Maximilian of Wied foundation launched
Under its founder Gerhard Bosinski research area Paleolithic was closely associated with the Institute of Prehistory and Early History of the University of Cologne. Since 2003, Sabine Gaudzinski - Windheuser, Institute of Prehistory and Early History of the University of Mainz, head of the house.
In 2005, the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Archaeology of the Ice Age was modernized. Extensive renovation and expansion projects at Monrepos conditional 2011, a temporary closure of the museum. With a new concept, it is currently being refurbished and reopened expected in summer 2014.
Temporal and geographical research framework
Research in Monrepos include the early human history of the ancient world, from its origins to the beginning of agriculture and animal husbandry. In the 80s and early 90s, the focus was on the exploration of the rich sites of the Neuwied Basin and its surroundings: The 600,000 -year-old finding place Miesenheim one of the oldest settlement sites in Central Europe. The Neanderthal Age sites on the Osteifelvulkanen like the pig's head, the " troughs " of Tönchesberg and Plaidter Hummerich are the world's only settlement sites of this type of Neanderthals with the Fund places Andernach and Gönnersdorf important archives of the Magdalenian were excavated and researched. In the late Ice Age ( penknife ) the date researched by Monrepos sites Niederbieber, Bad Breisig, Kettig, land register and Andernach -Martin Berg, whose correlation allows unique insights into the landscape use this time
Since the late 90s, the geographical scope of the research in Monrepos has expanded. In international cooperation projects, the references Ubeidia and Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (Israel ) were studied. With Dmanisi (Georgia) Monrepos has unearthed the oldest Eurasian reference with human remains. Current excavation projects fathom the earliest sites of Eastern Europe in Romania and the behavior of early modern humans in Morocco, at the site Taforalt. Here the oldest jewelry of humanity was found.
Research on the Mesolithic as to the places of discovery Duvensee or Bedburg- Königshoven are the chronologically latest in Monrepos.
Research Mission Statement
The aim of the research and educational work is the understanding of the essential behavioral characteristics of modern man, whose foundations developed in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic 2.5 million years ago until about 7500 years.
Monrepos one of the few archaeological research facilities that are based on their own research model. It defines the research goal and transported the necessary for its attainment approach. The research model is based on an integrative, holistic understanding of research. Thus, it removes the traditional faculty boundaries between the humanities and natural sciences. Through the research model various sources and contexts are linked to one another diachronically. They are bundled in three units of analysis: " time slices ", " strategies " and "social organization". " Time slices " is devoted to the question set, where, when and under what conditions manifested human behavior. The units of analysis " strategies " and "social organization" Search strategies for survival and behavior patterns as well as to identify their social embeddedness.
The research model is aligned and diachronic perspective. This means it takes a systematic point of view different time and resolution levels. Large screens offer guidance, a smaller selective high resolution. Through the synthetic comparison of the three units of analysis and the comparative transfer between the various time and resolution levels, the development of human behavior can be reconstructed in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods.
Research priorities
Particularly relevant research topics for the understanding of early human behavioral development are the development of nutrition, mobility, settlement behavior and landscape use the Old and Middle Stone Age hunter-gatherers.
Calibration and dating programs
Since the mid- 80s Monrepos working on the development and refinement of the absolute chronology of the European Paleolithic. This requires comprehensive dating programs have been initiated to Upper Palaeolithic Innovative calibration methods were discovered by Olaf Jöris ( Monrepos ) and Bernhard Weninger (University of Cologne). They allow by linking with high-resolution climate data improve the accuracy of calibration of getting older radiocarbon dates. The calibration program based on it Calpal was developed by Olaf Jöris and Bernhard Weninger mid 90s.
Nutrition
In the development of early human diet big game hunting plays a special role. In their exploration Monrepos has set by a sophisticated set of methods archaeozoological and diachronic research international standards. For the first time succeeded archaeological evidence of early human hunting big game and their evolutionary significance Currently, the neanderthals time hunting in the context of land use is particularly studied in cave sites places like the Balve cave or Kulna Cave and the largest free- find spot of Mittelpaläolithikums, in Neumark -Nord.
Other research projects on nutrition focus on the late- glacial period and early Holocene. Work on the living quarters of Duvensee were able to demonstrate the importance of plant food (hazelnuts ) in the early post-glacial period for the first time.
Settlement behavior
Analysis of the evolution of settlement behavior and landscape use or deciphering them from the archaeological findings are a further focus of research in Monrepos. Large area excavation of Paleolithic outdoor Fund places like va in Gönnersdorf presented from the beginning the systematic study of settlement patterns in the foreground. Recent research using innovative GIS-based geostatistical methods that allow verifiable quantitative analyzes of settlement dynamics. The wide range of examined settlements enables a diachronic reconstruction of the evolution of settlement behavior and land use in response to environmental change and socio-economic backgrounds. Current research projects investigate the development of settlement behavior and land use in Bilzingsleben, Neumark -Nord, Niederbieber, Breitenbach, the Magdalene cave Duvensee, patron village, Andernach, Oelknitz.
Art
The analytical and integrative approach of Paleolithic art is another feature of my work in Monrepos. It began with the discovery and processing of famous magdalénienzeitlichen engraved slates in Gönnersdorf by Gerhard Bosinski. For the first time succeeded in the comprehensive detection Paleolithic art creation in Central Europe. Women from the "Type patrons village" have since been fixed and internationally adapted size in art research. The art analyzes in Monrepos distinguished by their contextual approach and focus on the design principles and manufacturing techniques. They are currently being investigated by 3D analyzes of slates
Experimental Archaeology
In Monrepos already since the 80s systematic controlled experiments are carried out under laboratory conditions to hunting techniques, animal dissection and taphonomy.
Teaching and promotion of young
The human behavioral development in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic is regularly the subject of various classes of employees of Monrepos the Institute of Prehistory and Early History of the University of Mainz. The archaeological training is supplemented by internships, field trips and training excavations and allows direct participation in research and education. By its own mentoring program young scientists be funded and supported through scholarships such as the Prince Maximilian of Wied financially scholarship.
Museum
The museum's permanent exhibition presents the results of archaeological research on the early development of human behavior. Because of the conversion work on Monrepos the museum was temporarily closed in late 2010 and re-designed the exhibition. They expected to open late 2013.
Mediation
In addition to the museum and university placement a number of new mediation formats were developed in Monrepos that make a wide audience the latest research results understandable. So one of the Rudolf Virchow Lecture of the oldest public lecture series on Old and Middle Stone Age archeology. The "Stone Time Travel" at Pentecost makes the practical, tactile approach to life in the Paleolithic. Experiments to stone age crafts, food preparation, hunting and archaeological practice can be tested by anyone
Innovative concepts like the special exhibition " ALL ALT - the archeology of the Ice Age implemented by Otmar Alt" connect the Paleolithic modern art and current social issues.
Collections
Osteological collection
The osteological collection includes mainly animal bones next to a small foundation of human skeletal parts. The focus of the collection is on the faunas of Europe today and during the ice age. In addition to large mammals, it also contains a collection of recent small animal residues. A special feature is the taphonomic collection. It includes reference material for age determination and identification of cutting and pitting in contrast to natural modifications such as root damage or pathologies.
Lithothek
The raw material collection includes samples of flint, which were processed in the Old and Middle Stone Age tools. Currently, the collection of good 230 rock samples from different origins is focused on the Rhineland.
Study Collection
The study collection contains about 4,500 artifacts from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic of the ancient world. There are originals and high quality copies from the restoration workshops of the RGZM. An important part of the study collection is the Venus statuettes archive. With over 50 statuettes, it is the world's largest collection of its kind addition to some originals casts it contains almost all discovered to date female figures of the middle Upper Paleolithic. Engraved slates patrons village and statuettes of early and late Upper Paleolithic form another collection priorities.
Library
The library at Castle Monrepos includes more than 70,000 titles to Old and Middle Stone Age archeology, and is continuously updated with new releases. An extensive reprint collection and an electronic journal library round out the collection.