A Georgian Professor who holds the role of General Director of the Georgian National Museum was awarded a prestigious award in Germany.
Anthropologist and archaeologist, Professor David Lordkipanidze, corresponding Member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, and General Director of the Georgian National Museum was awarded the Humboldt Prize byAlexander von Humboldt Foundation on March 28 in Germany.
The Humboldt Prize, also known as the Humboldt Research Award, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to internationally renowned scientists and scholars.
Lordkipanidze is best known for his discovery of the hominin fossil, first named Homo georgicus, but later reclassified as Homo erectus. Whilr conducting excavation works at Dmanisi in Georgia, he found skulls of an early hominin thought to be a precursor of Homo erectus.
Lordkipanidze has received many awards, including Georgia's Order of Honour in 2000, Award of the Prince of Monaco in 2001, the French Order of ‘Palmes Academiques’ in 2002, the French Order of Honour in 2006 and the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2004.
The recent award allows scientists and scholars from all over the world to come to Germany to work on a research project they have chosen themselves together with a host and collaborative partner.
Every year the Foundation grants more than 700 competitive research fellowships and awards, primarily going to academics from natural sciences and the humanities.
In 2007 Lordkipanidze became a Foreign Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science.