Karel Absolon (16 June 1877 – 6 October 1960) was a Czech archaeologist, geographer, paleontologist, and speleologist. He was born in Boskovice.
Karel Absolon | |
|---|---|
 Karel Absolon | |
| Born | 16 June 1877 |
| Died | 6 October 1960 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Paleontology |
Absolon was the grandchild of paleontologist Jindřich Wankel.[1] During his studies at Charles University in Prague he started with speleological research in the caves of Moravský kras (Moravian Karst) in the Moravia of what is now the Czech Republic. In 1907 he became the custodian of the Moravian museum in Brno and a professor of paleoanthropology at the Charles University in Prague in 1926.[1]
His most known works are the paleoanthropologic discoveries at Dolní Věstonice which include a Venus figurine. He worked on the systemic mapping of the Moravský kras, including the Macocha Abyss and the Pekárna, Punkevní and Kateřinská caves. He also explored karstic caves in the Balkans, France, and England.[1] Absolon was very skilled in promoting himself and in popularizing his discoveries as a way to lure sponsors.[2]
Absolon died on 6 October 1960 in Brno.[1] In 1961 a cave on the foot of Mt. Maggiore in the Italian Apuan Alps was discovered and named after Absolon.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Slavné osobnosti - Karel Absolon". brno.cz. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ Cílek, Václav (2007-02-21). "Karel Absolon v pravém světle aneb o knize, která se do soupisu literatury nedostala". Archived from the original on February 21, 2007. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
- ^ 1241 Archived April 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
External links
edit- Absolon biography (in Czech) Archived 2016-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
- Půtová, B.: Natural history objects, casts and reconstructions and their role in scientific work in the 19th and 20th century: Karel Absolon's collecting activity. Anthropologie: International Journal of Human Diversity and Evolution 59(2), 2021, s. 113−132.