Wil Roebroeks
Encyclopedia
Wil Roebroeks is the professor
of Palaeolithic Archaeology
at Leiden University
in the Netherlands
. He is widely considered to be the pre-eminent Dutch archaeologist. In 2001 he became a member of the influential Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
. In 2007 Roebroeks won the Spinozapremie
, the most prestigious scientific award in the Netherlands.
student at the Radboud University Nijmegen
where he graduated cum laude in 1979. He then studied prehistory
at Leiden University
, graduating in 1982. In 1989 he obtained his PhD
from the same university, again graduating cum laude. In 1991 he won the Eureka! prijs award for his popular science
work Oermensen in Nederland. In 1996 he became a professor at Leiden University.
In 2005 Roebroeks achieved international fame when challenging the Out of Africa theory
in Nature
. In another article in the same journal Roebroeks published on the discovery of stone tools in Great Britain
, older than expected and contradicting the previously held belief that Northern Europe
was settled much later than the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea
.
In 2007 the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
awarded Roebroeks the Spinozapremie. The jury report highlighted his various original contributions to the study of human prehistory and called him the most prominent Dutch archaeologist nationally and internationally.
In 2009 Roebroeks again made the international news with his work on Krijn
, the first Dutch Neanderthal
fossil. This discovery prompted him to argue for the founding of a North-Sea Institute to deal with the archaeological material found in that sea.
, Nature
and the Journal of Human Evolution
. What follows is a selection of his most prominent publications:
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Palaeolithic Archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
at Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He is widely considered to be the pre-eminent Dutch archaeologist. In 2001 he became a member of the influential Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences is an organisation dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands...
. In 2007 Roebroeks won the Spinozapremie
Spinozapremie
The Spinozapremie is an annual award by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research of 2.5 million Euro, to be spent on new research. The award is the highest scientific award in the Netherlands...
, the most prestigious scientific award in the Netherlands.
Career
Wil Roebroeks began his academic career as a historyHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
student at the Radboud University Nijmegen
Radboud University Nijmegen
Radboud University Nijmegen is a public university with a strong focus on research in Nijmegen, the Netherlands...
where he graduated cum laude in 1979. He then studied prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
at Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
, graduating in 1982. In 1989 he obtained his PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from the same university, again graduating cum laude. In 1991 he won the Eureka! prijs award for his popular science
Popular science
Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...
work Oermensen in Nederland. In 1996 he became a professor at Leiden University.
In 2005 Roebroeks achieved international fame when challenging the Out of Africa theory
Recent African origin of modern humans
In paleoanthropology, the recent African origin of modern humans is the most widely accepted model describing the origin and early dispersal of anatomically modern humans...
in Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
. In another article in the same journal Roebroeks published on the discovery of stone tools in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, older than expected and contradicting the previously held belief that Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
was settled much later than the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
In 2007 the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
The Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek is a scientific research organization in the Netherlands....
awarded Roebroeks the Spinozapremie. The jury report highlighted his various original contributions to the study of human prehistory and called him the most prominent Dutch archaeologist nationally and internationally.
In 2009 Roebroeks again made the international news with his work on Krijn
Krijn
Krijn is the common name of a Neanderthal fossil discovered off the Dutch coast. The discovery is most notable for being the first evidence of a Neanderthal presence in the Netherlands.-Publication:...
, the first Dutch Neanderthal
Neanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
fossil. This discovery prompted him to argue for the founding of a North-Sea Institute to deal with the archaeological material found in that sea.
Publications
Roebroeks has published in a number of academic journals including Current AnthropologyCurrent Anthropology
Current Anthropology is a peer-reviewed anthropology academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press and sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. Founded in 1959 by the anthropologist Sol Tax...
, Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
and the Journal of Human Evolution
Journal of Human Evolution
The Journal of Human Evolution is a peer-reviewed scientific Journal. It is published monthly by Elsevier in print and online on ScienceDirect. The Journal was started in 1972, currently it is in its 56th volume. The current editors are David Begun, Mark Teaford, and Steven Leigh...
. What follows is a selection of his most prominent publications:
- Oermensen in Nederland: De Archeologie van de Oude Steentijd (1990), Amsterdam: Meulenhoff
- "Dense forests, cold steppes and the Palaeolithic settlement of Northern Europe". with Thijs van Kolfschoten and Nicholas Conard (1992), in Current Anthropology 33, No. 5: 551-586.
- "Updating the Earliest Occupation of Europe", (1994), in Current Anthropology 35, No. 3: 301-305
- The Earliest Occupation of Europe, with Thijs van Kolfschoten (1997), Leiden: Leiden University Press
- Studying Human Origins: Disciplinary History and Epistemology, with Raymond Corbey (editors) (2001), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press
- "An Asian perspective on early human dispersal from Africa", with Robin Dennell (2005), in Nature 438: 1099-1104
- "Archaeology: Life on the Costa del Cromer" (2005), in Nature 438: 921-922
- "Time for the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in Europe" (2008), in Journal of Human Evolution 55: 918-926