Anthropology is an exciting science that allows a person to look into their own past and present the stages of evolution, as well as learn about the history of the development of different peoples and ethnic groups. Therefore, leading experts may often not be very well known, but at the same time they are very worthy of attention. Let's take a look at some of them.
Carlos Castaneda
Perhaps the most famous American anthropologist. Carlos Castaneda is not just a scientist, but also a talented writer who chronicled the teachings of an Indian shaman. His works cannot be attributed to a particular genre - this is an original synthesis of literature, psychology, ethnography and mysticism. Some of Castaneda's definitions are now used not only by anthropologists - these are, for example, the concepts of "place of power" or "assembly point". Carlos himself was inspired by the writings of Aldous Huxley, as well as the images of local healers in Lima, where his family lived for some time. In addition, there was an active discussion in his circle of ideas that there was a possibility of dream programming. In 1959, Castaneda graduated from college with a degree in psychology, and in 1960 he entered the university with a specialization in anthropology, where he went even deeper into the study of interestinghis peoples. Traveled extensively to Mexico and Arizona. The main theme of Castaneda's scientific work was the use of hallucinogenic plants for the shamanic rituals of the Indians.
Eugène Dubois
Anthropological scientists often turned out to be specialists in medicine as well. So, the Dutchman Eugene Dubois, who became the discoverer of Pithecanthropus, was a military doctor. It was he who discovered the skulls, fragments of the facial skeleton and femurs of a species that would later be studied as one of the ancestors of man. The search for pithecanthropes was carried out on the island of Java and in Trinil, repeated excavations with similar results were carried out in Leiden, where archaeologists also managed to find skeletons. Interestingly, Dubois' research was not accepted by the anthropologists around him. It seemed too unusual and controversial decision. Paleoanthropology was only in its infancy, and the origin of man was not well understood. Another unusual fact is that Dubois showed the skull to a French specialist, but after dinner he forgot his bag with the finds in the restaurant. Fortunately, it was returned to him - otherwise the most important exhibit could have been lost.
Rudolf Virchow
Anthropology is the science of the origin of man, based on the excavation and analysis of found parts of skeletons and bones. Each opinion is, in fact, only a guess, so the results can be unpredictable. So, Rudolf Virchow became famous for denying the possibility of the existence of Pithecanthropes and Neanderthals, discrediting the results obtained by others.scientists. This significantly influenced the development of science, albeit in a negative sense. Well-known anthropologists have always listened to the opinion of their colleagues, and Virchow's statements could not go unnoticed. He assumed that the Neanderthal bones were the remains of a rickety and mentally retarded person. Finds associated with pithecanthropes, he considered the skeleton of a gibbon. In general, he believed that fossil people are quite possible, but it is impossible to judge by anything from the bones found due to age and pathological changes. Virchow left his mark in archeology. He called the cave with Paleolithic paintings found by de Sautuola a deliberate fake, which slowed down the study of the oldest monument of art in Spain for many years.
Gustav Koenigswald
It's amazing to learn how little things can sometimes be enough to make a big discovery for anthropologists. It can be a piece of bone or just teeth. It was the latter that became the basis of the scientific work of the German scientist Gustav Koenigswald. According to the teeth from the Chinese shops of pharmacists and the finds of archaeologists in Java, he described Meganthropus and Pithecanthropus. With his research, he deepened the research of Eugene Dubois. Using the teeth from the apothecary shops of Hong Kong, he managed to establish the existence of a new species of Sinanthropus, unknown to scientists before. Among other things, he described the hominids from Ngandong, and was active in Java and South China. In addition to humans, also studied the fossil orangutan.
The Leakey Family
Sometimes the anthropology of man captivates not one scientist, but a whole dynasty of specialists. The Leakey brothers, as well as the wife of one of them, children and grandchildren, are a family of anthropologists who have studied Kenyan fossils, the remains of apes and hominids of East Africa. Louis and Mary worked in Olduvai Gorge, while Richard studied Lake Turkana. On account of the Leakey family, a description of many species of both human ancestors and fossil primates. The main discovery was the discovery of Australopithecus in East Africa, as well as the discovery of "handy people." They became a link between the archanthropes and Paranthropus boisei, adding to the evolutionary chain.
Mikhail Gerasimov
Anthropologist, sculptor and archaeologist from Russia made a serious contribution to the development of science. His method of restoring the appearance of a person from his remains is widely used today. Already at the age of thirteen, Mikhail worked at the anatomical museum, and at 18 he wrote his scientific article on Paleolithic excavations. Over the years of his activity, Gerasimov created more than two hundred historical portraits-reconstructions. Of course, anthropology is the science of the origin of man as a whole, but specific individuals and their characteristics are also within the scope of its interests. Therefore, the reconstruction of the appearance of Ivan the Terrible, Yaroslav the Wise or Friedrich Schiller is so valuable. In addition, the technique allows you to create images of ancient people - Australopithecus, Pithecanthropus, Neanderthals. The beginning of the work involved the collection of factual material. Gerasimov proved a direct connection between the bone structure and soft tissues.tissues, on the basis of which reconstructions were created. Interestingly, colleagues once decided to test Gerasimov and gave him a skull without indicating to whom it belongs. He managed to accurately establish the appearance of the Papuan, which was almost identical to the photograph - the skull was brought during the expedition of Miklouho-Maclay.
Sergey Gorbenko
As mentioned above, anthropologists are often doctors, and the named Russian specialist is no exception. Gorbenko trained in the laboratory of the Miklukho-Maclay Institute, where they teach Gerasimov's reconstruction technique. He defended his Ph. D. thesis on the reconstruction of the appearance of Yaroslav Osmomysl. The main achievements were the execution of numerous portraits of the French knights of the Middle Ages, King Louis the Eleventh and other famous heroes of the history of that period. Currently engaged in anthropological research of skulls from Cleri-Saint-André.
