Gudrun Corvinus

Gudrun Corvinus (1932–2006) was a German geologist, paleontologist and archaeologist.

She was murdered in her home in Pune, India, on 7 January 2006.

Education and career

Corvinus was born in Stettin, then part of Weimar Germany, in 1932. She studied geology, vertebrate paleontology and Palaeolithic archaeology at the University of Bonn, and completed her doctoral dissertation on Jurassic Ammonites from France. Later in her career she was affiliated with the University of Tübingen.[1]

After marrying a man from Pune, Corvinus became interested in the geology and prehistory of India, which became the main focus of her research.[1] She also worked in Africa, being part of the team that discovered Lucy, a female hominin belonging to Australopithecus afarensis,[2] and other prehistoric hominin sites in Ethiopia.[3] In the 1970s, she worked for De Beers in Namibia, locating diamond deposits as well as fossil-bearing Miocene sediments.[1]

Gudrun was not recognized immediately following her work and was not credited for her contribution towards her field.[1]

Research in India

In 1964, Corvinus examined the Pravara drainage system in the Nevasa area of Maharashtra through an independent multi-disciplinary project. After a survey on the geomorphology of the entire Pravara Valley, suggested by H.D. Sankalia, Corvinus came across the Archeulian factory site at the junction of Chirki with the Pravara, 2 miles downstream from Nevasa.[4] After being funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (the German Research Council), she decided to excavate the site, which lasted 3 winter seasons from 1966-1969. The lengthy excavation resulted in the revelation of rich Early Archeulian assemblage in fine-grained context in the gullies of Chirki area. Besides this, a great number of well-preserved fossil wood pieces and tree trunks were found in the alluvium. In 1981, Corvinus published two of the most classic monographs, “ A Survey of the Pravara River System in Western Maharashtra, India” and “ A Survey of the Pravara River System in Western Maharashtra, India” in 1983.[5] This makes her the first to publish monographs on the geology and archaeology of an Archaeulian site in the entire Indian subcontinent.

In 1985, following her work at Chirki-on-Neval (India), Gudrun Cornivus began explorations in the foothills of Siwalik Hills of Western Nepal. In the span of twelve years (1988-2006), she was rewarded with findings and discoveries of numerous Paleolithic sites and rich faunal and floral assemblages ranging from the Miocene to the Pleistocene.[5] The discovery of an unexpected wealth of occupation sites from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic were found in the Dun Valleys of Dang-Deokhuri District in the Siwalik Hills, and an area along the Rato River in East Nepal. From a sandstone succession near Rato Khola, Corvinus discovered the skull of Archidiskodon planifrons.[6] Evidence of hand axe indicate human occupation can be dated back at least the late Middle Pleistocene. Most significantly, her finding of the Acheulian sites demonstrates that despite the scarce materials, the early South Asian Acheulian hominins were able to cross the vast Indo-Gangetic floodplain.[5]

Murder

On 7 January 2006, Corvinus was found stabbed and beheaded in her apartment in Pune. Her head was found in a nearby riverbed.[7]

Fakir Mohammed Shaikh, a 27-year-old real estate agent, was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to life in prison and a Rs 11,000 fine. He was also found guilty of destroying evidence and theft, carrying a sentence of seven years and three years of rigorous imprisonment respectively. The public prosecutor of the case, Neelima Vartak, stated that she was murdered for her property.[7]

Selected publications

  • 1981. A Survey of the Pravara River System in Western Maharashtra, India. Volume 1: The Stratigraphy and Geomorphology of the Pravara River System. Tübingen: Verlag Archaeologica Venatoria. ISBN 3-921618-13-4
  • 1983. A Survey of the Pravara River System in Western Maharashtra, India. Volume 2: The Excavations of the Acheulian Site of Chirki-on-Pravara, India. Tübingen: Verlag Archaeologica Venatoria. ISBN 3-921618-14-2
  • 2005. Prehistoric Cultures in Nepal from the Early Palaeolithic to the Neolithic and the Quaternary Geology of the Dang-Deokhuri Dun Valleys

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Chauhan, Parth R.; Patnaik, Rajeev (1 December 2008). "Gudrun Corvinus (1932–2006)—Pioneering paleoanthropologist". Quaternary International. 192 (1): 1–5. Bibcode:2008QuInt.192....1C. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2007.11.023.
  2. ↑ Corvinus, G. (1 June 1976). "Prehistoric exploration at Hadar, Ethiopia". Nature. 261 (5561): 571–572. Bibcode:1976Natur.261..571C. doi:10.1038/261571a0.
  3. ↑ Semaw, S.; Renne, P.; Harris, J. W. K.; Feibel, C. S.; Bernor, R. L.; Fesseha, N.; Mowbray, K. (1997-01-23). "2.5-million-year-old stone tools from Gona, Ethiopia". Nature. 385 (6614): 333–336. Bibcode:1997Natur.385..333S. doi:10.1038/385333a0. PMID 9002516.
  4. ↑ Sankalia, Hasmukhlal Dhirajlal; Deo, Shantaram Bhalchandra; Dhavalikar, Madhukar Keshav (1985-01-01). Studies in Indian Archaeology: Professor H.D. Sankalia Felicitation Volume. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 9780861320882.
  5. 1 2 3 Chauhan, Parth R.; Patnaik, Rajeev (2008-12-01). "Gudrun Corvinus (1932–2006)—Pioneering paleoanthropologist". Quaternary International. 192 (1): 1–5. Bibcode:2008QuInt.192....1C. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2007.11.023. ISSN 1040-6182.
  6. ↑ Corvinus, Gudrun; Nanda, Avinash C. (1993). "Stratigraphy and palaeontology of the Siwalik Group of Surai Khola and Rato Khola in Nepal" (PDF). N. [b. Geol. Palaont. Abh. Stuttgart. 1 (191): 25–68. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Realtor gets life term for murder of German archaeologist". The Times of India. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
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