Bioanthropology

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The bio-anthropological collection of the Hebrew University is a unique resource of knowledge and information regarding human biodiversity in the southern Levant region. The collection allows a unique look at the past cultures that inhabited our region, and presents a wide range of developments in human variation. This collection, being one of the most comprehensive and documented collections in the Near East, is a main source for the study of evolution, pathologies and genetic origins of the various populations throughout history in the southern Levant.

The collection team works dedicatedly on the preservation and restoration of unique items which are an essential part of many studies. Qualified researchers in the fields of biological anthropology in Israel and abroad can get access to the materials of the collections after obtaining special permission from the curators of the collection and in coordination with the management of the collections. This is in order to continue to develop the science of bioanthropology in Israel and to continue to be important partners in the study of human evolution at the international level.

At the same time, the Hebrew University's bio-anthropological collection is always happy to share its uniqueness with the general public, for this purpose the collection has an impressive display of ancient hominid reconstructions. These replicas are based on fossils of utmost importance in the human evolutionary tree that originate both in Israel and around the world. You can hear and learn about these details at the collections' open days.

photo: Dvir Avraham

What is bioanthropology?

Biological anthropology focuses on the study of man through a comparative point of view - when it examines biology, culture and human societies in order to understand the uniqueness of human existence. Bio-anthropological research is based on the development of man on an evolutionary axis of millions of years. When in order to understand human diversity, bio-anthropology is aided by fields such as evolution, genetics, primatology, pathology, anatomy and physiology, and more. With these, we learn about the adaptation, culture and innovation of man in the past and present. With the help of comparative research between humans themselves or between humans and primates and other animals, we learn about the uniqueness of human biology in a given time and space. Furthermore, with the help of comparative research along the timeline we can weave together the story of human evolution over millions of years of development.

photo: Dvir Avraham

History of the collection

the science of anthropology and the anthropological collections in Israel began in the 1950s with the arrival of Prof. Nico Haas and his joining the anatomy department at the Hebrew University School of Medicine. For years Prof. Haas worked in collaboration with many archaeologists in Israel and developed the science of anthropology. Until the 1950s, all paleoanthropological material was processed and studied by foreign researchers. The collection was expanded with the addition of Prof. (now Emeritus) Patricia Smith as part of the academic faculty at the School of Dentistry and Prof. Marina Fairman. Most of the current collection is the result of a long-term partnership with many researchers from around the country in the studies of archaeology, genetics, biology and more. The collection was preserved and cared for over the years by Prof. Smith and Prof. Fairman and many students who studied for advanced degrees and used the materials of the collections for their research and the promotion of the science of biological anthropology in Israel.

Contact info

For general issues, you can contact the director of the collection by email

Regarding visiting, requests for sampling, depositing and borrowing items, information can be found on the Procedures And Forms page.

Our projects

Digitization

Over the tens of years of the collection's activity, many research materials, photos, drawings, archaeological information and many others have been accumulated in it which have helped in the publication of studies during these years. Today, in the modern age, the preservation of the information that was collected and accumulated during all periods of anthropological research is more important than ever. The collections team dedicates itself to preserve any information relevant to the material kept in the paleo-anthropological collection in order to ensure the future of research and knowledge in the field. All the information in the collections is transferred to an extensive digital archive, in order to compile a digital information library that guarantees convenient and easy access even to details that were recorded decades ago.

דיגיטציה

שימור

Conservation

The preservation of the fossils and ancient items found in the collection is the most important goal of the collections team. Proper cleaning and preservation of the items ensures the preservation and availability of the material and the information it contains for many years. The physical condition of each item depends greatly on the location and condition in which it was found by the team of archaeologists in the field. Soil conditions, exposure to the sun, humidity and shade, all these and many other factors affect the preservation of the items. When an item is exposed to new factors such as oxygen and light, it undergoes further degenerative changes, which are important to prevent in order to preserve the item. The collections team makes sure to invest time in learning innovative preservation techniques and spends many hours in delicate handwork that requires knowledge of anatomy, attention to the smallest details and especially a lot of patience.

Catalogue

An electronic database is of primary importance in any bio-anthropological collection and its purpose is to provide the collections staff with available and detailed information about each item within the collections. Cataloging the collections is an ongoing work which consists of building a wide digital library, with maximum detail of all the available information about each and every item. As in every library, we treat each item as a book in itself and because of this the digital database provides us with information about the exact location of the item in the collection, its name and definition. The cataloging project of the anthropological collection goes hand in hand with the conservation project and is intended to prevent both the collections staff and researchers from reducing the amount of contact to which the items in the collections are exposed. This is because any contact with the items contributes to the degradation processes of the items over time and we work to prevent this type of action.

קטלוג

Subcollections

Comparative collection

Paleoanthropological scientific research draws heavily on comparative collections in order to answer a wide variety of questions. Despite the great similarity in the anatomy and physiology of the human body, there is still a great deal of variation in the human race, which is influenced by our environment, employment, diet, and more. The anthropological nature collections of the Hebrew University contain many details that can be used for research in comparative anatomy, pathology, evolution and more in order to answer questions of growth and development. The comparative collection provides various research options such as: research on a specific pathology, the development of a special feature and even changes to the human body caused by some activity.

Pathological collection

Many diseases and traumas to which man is exposed leave their mark on bones and fossils. As part of bio-anthropology research, we learn to interpret and decipher these signs in order to identify ancient diseases or signs of violence between person to person or between populations, which allows us to enrich the knowledge about certain groups throughout the ancient Levant. The paleo-anthropological collection is rich in diverse examples of various trauma cases, such as: bruises, cuts and fractures whether intentional or as a result of accidents. In addition, there are many findings that are identified with various diseases, such as: dental diseases that are affected by poor nutrition and hygiene, various infectious diseases that began to manifest in humans already with the beginning of the agricultural revolution and the sharing of our living space with animals.

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Fracture of neck vertebrae (C2+C3) fused together belonging to an individual who lived in the tenth century BC

A scan of the jaw of a child with a special canine tooth with a double root in a single place, dated to the tenth century BC.

Dental Anthropology Collection

Dental anthropology is a branch of research within the science of bioanthropology, where this field specializes in everything related to oral and jaw health in ancient human populations. In this branch of research we learn about the development, hatching, size, morphology, erosion, and pathology of teeth and many other things related to the field.

The dental collection of the Hebrew University consists of a wide variety of replicas and reconstructions of individual jaws and teeth of many individuals belonging to males, females and children. This follows the close work and long-term cooperation between the paleo-anthropological collection and the School of Dentistry at the Hebrew University. In addition to this, the collection contains many and varied details dating back to ancient times which provide many research possibilities in a wide variety of subjects, such as: diet, evolution, comparative and developmental morphology, infections and more.

Image archive

Imagery is a necessary and inseparable tool of anthropological work nowadays, since the researcher's main ambition is to examine each case and item with the highest resolution without damaging the item itself. Therefore, the imaging provides us with a special glimpse into the texture of the investigated items and answers many questions in the fields of pathology, trauma and more. Whether it's X-rays or scans with advanced CT devices, it's a technology that allows the extraction of vital information without damaging the item itself.

The imaging archive of the bio-anthropological collection is one of the richest and most diverse in the field, as it includes hundreds of imaging photographs of osteological items of scientific importance. The role of the archive is to provide scientific access to the material without the need for contact with the items themselves.