Gallery of Researchers
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In 1861,
Oscar Fraas (1824-1897) excavated Bärenhöhle, part of the Hohlenstein cave complex in the Lone valley, and laid the foundation for Stone Age research in Württemberg. Beginning in 1855, Fraas was a commissioner at the Königliches Naturalienkabinett in Stuttgart. As a geologist and palaeontologist, he was mainly interested in the bones of the fossil bear. At that time, he did not take notice of the deposits of Ice Age people. Only when he excavated at Schussenquelle near Federsee Lake in 1866 did he become aware of incised antlers and flint tools that could only have been produced by human beings. With this knowledge, he explored the Lone valley once more and discovered traces of Ice Age people here as well.
Excavations in the Hohlenstein cave near Schelklingen commenced in 1870.
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Robert Rudolf Schmidt (1882-1950) established the Urgeschichtliche Institut (Prehistoric Institute) at the University of Tübingen, which is still very active in archaeological investigations in the Alb-Donau county (Alb-Donau-Kreis).
In 1906, he explored Hohle Fels near Hütten in the Schmiech valley. However, only comparatively small quantities of ice-age flint tools were found.
After that, he investigated Sirgenstein in the Ach valley and excavated it entirely.
In 1912, his famous standard work "Die diluviale Vorzeit Deutschlands" ("The Diluvial Prehistory of Germany") was published, which describes systematic investigations of the Alb caves. For the first time he classified the prehistory in Germany based on an established French system, which explains the use of many French terms for the periods of prehistoric archaeology.
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Gustav Riek (1900-1976) explored the floor of the Bärenhöhle in the Wolfstal valley as early as 1931 and afterwards excavated
Vogelherd cave - one of the most important prehistoric sites, discovered by H. Mohn.
Since 1934, Riek was head of Urgeschichtliche Institut at the University of Tübingen.
From 1955 to 1964, he explored the Ach and Blau valleys near Blaubeuren, including Brillenhöhle cave and the large grotto Große Grotte. He also conducted a first test excavation in the famous Geißenklösterle cave.
In 1965, he was in charge of the exhibition of a collection of artefacts in Blaubeuren from which the later Urgeschichtliches Museum evolved.
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Rudolf Wetzel (1898-1962)
Rudolf Wetzel (1898-1962), anatomist and anthropologist .He definitely has to be mentioned in connection with the Lone valley. He excavated the Bockstein cave and conducted excavations at the Hohlenstein. Here the famous "Lion-Man"was discovered.
Photo: Willy Kettner. Robert Wetzel, from the excavation records in 1960. Ulmer Museum.
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Eberhard Wagner (1930 - 1999)
archaeologist at the Landesdenkmalamt Baden-Württemberg and professor at the University of Tübingen. In 1973, he led a further test excavation in the Geißenklösterle at the trench that Gustav Riek had already excavated. Together with Joachim Hahn, he later began more extensive excavations in Geißenklösterle. Further projects in the Alb-Donau county (Alb-Donau-Kreis) and beyond followed.
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Joachim Hahn (1942 -1997) ,professor at the Institut für Urgeschichte in Tübingen, led the excavations at
Geißenklösterle from 1973 to 1996 after the test excavation by Eberhard Wagner from the Landesdenkmalamt Baden-Württemberg. In addition, he excavated Hohle Fels near Schelklingen in the years 1977-1979 and 1988-1996.
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Claus-Joachim Kind (born 1953) excavated
Felsställe, a rock-shelter near Ehingen, from 1975-1980 with Wolfgang Torke, and then evaluated the finds. Thousands of artefacts were found in this Stone Age site, including a piece of limestone with an engraved representation of a female figure. C.-J. Kind later also investigated Kogelstein near Schmiechen from the Neanderthal period and the Neolithic site at Ulm-Eggingen. Today his main research focuses on the Mesolithic, the Middle Stone Age.
Professor Kind is in charge of the Stone Age department at Landesdenkmalamt Baden-Württemberg and lectures at the University of Tübingen.
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Since 1995,Nicholas Conard is head of the department Ältere Urgeschichte und Quartärökologie (Older Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology) of the Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters (Institute for Prehistory and Medieval Archaeology) at the University of Tübingen, formerly the Institut für Urgeschichte und Jägerische Archäologie (Institute for Prehistory and Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology).After some test excavations, for the most part in the Lone valley, he has temporarily completed excavations in the Geißenklösterle
supported by the Landesdenkmalamt Baden-Württemberg. Now he and Professor Dr. Dr. Hans-Peter Uerpmann are investigating Hohle Fels near Schelklingen.
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