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Jindrich WankelCzech doctor, archaeologist and speleologist
Date of Birth: 15.07.1821
Country:  Czech |
Content:
- Josef Wankel: A Pioneer of Czech Prehistory
- Revolutionary Involvement and Academic Career
- Cave Exploration and Early Discoveries
- Breakthrough Discoveries
- International Recognition
- Legacy and Contribution
Josef Wankel: A Pioneer of Czech Prehistory
Early Life and EducationJosef Wankel was born on August 15, 1821, in Prague, Bohemia, to a mixed German-Czech family. His father, Damian Wankel, was a civil servant of German descent, while his mother, Magdalena, was Czech.
Wankel studied medicine at Charles University in Prague under the renowned anatomist Josef Hyrtl. He graduated in 1847 and worked at a Prague hospital.
Revolutionary Involvement and Academic Career
In 1848, during the Czech Revolution, Wankel actively participated in the armed uprising. He fought on the barricades and provided medical assistance to the wounded.
After the revolution, Wankel received his medical degree from the University of Vienna and became an assistant to Hyrtl. In 1849, he moved to Moravia, where he worked as a factory doctor for the Salm-Reifferscheidt family in Jedovnice.
Cave Exploration and Early Discoveries
Alongside his medical duties, Wankel embarked on a lifelong passion for cave exploration in the Moravian Karst. He collected and identified animal remains from the Ice Age, assembling complete skeletons.
In the 1850s, he published his findings in scientific journals in Leipzig, Vienna, and Prague. He resided with his family in Blansko, in a house provided by the Salm family.
Breakthrough Discoveries
In 1867, inspired by the artifacts at the Paris World Exhibition, Wankel recognized similarities to his own findings from the Býčí skála Cave. He conducted extensive excavations in Moravian caves, making groundbreaking discoveries.
Among these were the Halstatt Burial, which contained the remains of approximately 40 individuals and various artifacts, including an ornate carriage and a bronze bull figurine.
International Recognition
Wankel's discoveries gained him international renown. He became a founding member of the German Anthropological Society in 1869 and the Vienna Anthropological Society. Danish zoologist Japetus Steenstrup hailed Wankel as the "father of Austrian prehistory" in 1888.
Legacy and Contribution
Wankel's scientific collection, comprising over 8,000 objects, was acquired by the Vienna Anthropological Society for 12,000 guilders and transferred to the Natural History Museum of Vienna, where it remains today.
Wankel's grandson, Karel Absolon, became a renowned Czech anthropologist, geologist, and speleologist. Wankel's contributions to the understanding of the Stone Age in Central Europe continue to be highly valued in archaeological research.
