Provenance research on ancestral remains from African as well as Central and South American contexts at the Institute of Anatomy in Leipzig
The Institute of Anatomy at Leipzig University houses a collection of skulls dating back to the late 19th century, which originally comprised over 1,500 skulls. The most extensive collection, with around 1,300 skulls from more than 40 countries, dates back to the skull collection of Emil Ludwig Schmidt, which is over 130 years old. The anthropologist and ethnologist bequeathed it to the University of Leipzig in 1901. Other skulls come from other smaller collections, such as that of Carl Gustav Carus. The physician and natural scientist Carus collected plaster models and death masks in addition to human skulls.
The aim is to conduct extensive provenance research in the Leipzig skull collection and ultimately to repatriate the ancestral remains. Early communication and close collaboration with the source countries and communities form a central component of the project. Over the period of two years, the provenance of the ancestral remains and casts of more than 600 individuals is being researched and identified. In parallel, the history of the collection will be further investigated. This includes uncovering 19th-century acquisition networks connected to the Leipzig collection, beginning with the largest donors Emil Schmidt and Carl Gustav Carus, as well as the Dutchman Jan van der Hoeven. To this end, an intensive review of state and university archives, including preserved correspondence and personal estates, is carried out. A key foundation of this work is the establishment of diverse research collaborations with individuals from the countries and communities of origin.
Based on present-day borders, the countries and regions of origin of the ancestral remains identified in the project to date are Algeria, Tenerife, Egypt, Sudan, Ghana, Guinea, Benin, the Congo region, and southern Africa, as well as Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile.
Research sponsor: Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste
