The Museum of Human Evolution was one of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco’s stops on his visit to Burgos. During his visit, the Monégasque monarch was accompanied by the Ambassador of Monaco in Spain, Catherine Fautrier-Rousseau, the co-directors of the Atapuerca archaeological sites, Eudald Carbonell and Juan Luis Arsuaga (who is also the scientific director of the MEH and a member of the scientific council of the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology of Monaco), and the general coordinator of the museum, Aurora Martín. They were accompanied by Elena Rossoni-Notter, Director of the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology of Monaco (founded by Albert I of Monaco), Philippe Guillaumet, the Honorary Consulate of Monaco in Castile and Leon, Anna Echassoux, Director General of the Institute of Human Paleontology (Institut de Paléontologie Humaine - IPH) in Paris, Elisabeth Fauquembergue, Administrator of the Prehistory Laboratory in Nice, and Eugénia Ossipova, a researcher at the Prehistoric Research Centre in Tautavel.  

VIDEO OF THE VISIT TO THE MUSEUM OF HUMAN EVOLUTION 

VIDEO OF IMAGES OF THE DAY IN THE ATAPUERCA SYSTEM 

Photo 1. H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco on his arrival at the Museum of Human Evolution. 

Photo 2. The Monégasque prince was accompanied on his visit to the museum by Juan Luis Arsuaga, Eudald Carbonell and Aurora Martín. 

The Prince’s visit began in the section of the museum dedicated to Homo antecessor, a species that is almost a million years old. This species comes from the Gran Dolina site in the Sierra de Atapuerca, where the first fossil was discovered by the current coordinator of the MEH, Aurora Martín. He was surprised to learn that the Museum of Human Evolution displays original fossils. Later, accompanied by Juan Luis Arsuaga, Eudald Carbonell and Aurora Martín, he visited the areas dedicated to the Sima de los Huesos. This area is home to some of the most important Paleolithic fossils in the world, such as 'Skull 5', to which cervical vertebrae were added this year, or the 'Elvis Pelvis,' to which lumbar vertebrae have been added in the last two weeks, a rarity in the fossil registry. 

He also visited the biface 'Excalibur', one of the most iconic objects of prehistory for its unique beauty and the mystery surrounding its discovery. The visit ended at the temporary exhibition 'Standing Upright: The Upright Posture in Human Evolution’ (‘Tenerse en pie. La postura erguida en la Evolución Humana’), where he marvelled at the original fossils on display and asked about the age of the animals whose fossils were discovered at the Atapuerca sites. On leaving the museum, he praised the magnificence of the building, designed by the architect Juan Navarro Baldeweg, and the outstanding views it offers over the historicaquarter of Burgos and its cathedral. 

For years, the Monégasque monarch has been particularly interested in making a scientific and cultural visit to the Atapuerca sites, the Museum of Human Evolution and the National Centre for Research on Human Evolution (CENIEH). These three sites in Burgos are among the most important in the world for the study and dissemination of human evolution. For over forty years, the Sierra de Atapuerca has been the site of excavation that have led to major discoveries, including the identification of new species of hominid. For its part, the Museum of Human Evolution is one of the few museums in the world dedicated to this subject and has an exceptional collection of original fossils in its permanent exhibition. The CENIEH is also an international reference centre for the study of evolution. These three spaces are sponsored by the Junta de Castilla y León.  HRH Prince Albert's visit coincides with a pivotal moment in Atapuerca's history — the discovery of the visage of what may be the first European hominid, dating back some 1.4 million years. This remarkable discovery was made during the latest summer excavation project. 

 Photo 3. From right to left Juan Luis Arsuaga, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and Aurora Martín looking at Skull 5 

Monaco and Atapuerca 

 The Monégasque prince's link to Atapuerca is rooted in his association with Henry de Lumley, the current president of the Institute of Palaeontology in Paris, which is affiliated to the Principality of Monaco. Lumley, winner of the 'Evolution of Atapuerca' award, has been 'twinned' with the research at these sites since he supervised the doctoral thesis in Geology in the French capital for one of the co-directors of the Atapuerca sites, Eudald Carbonell. Lumley, along with his wife, has sponsored a number of prehistoric museums across Europe and has close links with both the Principality and Atapuerca. He has written a number of books and supervised dozens of doctoral theses, including that of Eudald Carbonell's, co-director of the Burgos excavations, on Quaternary Geology.  

Photo 4: H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco looking at the biface 'Excalibur'. 

Photo 5: The Monégasque prince shares thoughts with the co-directors of Atapuerca, Eudald Carbonell and Juan Luis Arsuaga. 

Photo 6: The co-directors of Atapuerca showed the Monégasque monarch the replica of a 'Sabre-toothed' tiger on display at the museum. 

Prince Albert II Foundation 

Albert II of Monaco inherited his passion for science and research from his great-great-grandfather Albert I, the eleventh prince of Monaco. Through the creation of his Foundation, dedicated to promoting oceanography and palaeoanthropology, Albert I sought to promoted and protect science by supporting both scientific institutions and museums. He actively supported and financed research into the paintings in the caves of Cantabria and paid them a visit in 1904. The current prince also paid them a visit in 2010. 

Through his Foundation, Albert II has made a commitment to sustainability and the environment, investing over 80 million euros to support sustainable projects in 170 international organisations. He is committed to preserving biodiversity, ensuring responsible water management, tackling the issue of melting ice, and emphasising the importance of putting young people at the centre of all actions, while striving to improve the living conditions of the planet's inhabitants. His foundation has been up and running in Spain since 2016, undertaking various projects.