Museum
The Institue of Earth Sciences' collection contains an utmost important find of mankind: the lower jaw of Homo heidelbergensis. The 610,000-year-old find was discovered in 1907 in a sand pit near Mauer by the sand pit worker Daniel Hartmann. In addition to the lower jaw, almost 6,000 fossils of vertebrates from the Warm Period in Mauer were discovered. These are individual bones of rhinoceroses, elephants, lions, hippos, bears and deer.
The sensational discovery of that time is now once again the focus of public and scientific interest. The gene sequence of Homo neanderthalensis, which is considered a descendant of Homo heidelbergensis, was decoded in 2010 and traces of it were found in the genome of modern humans.
A small selection of the vertebrate fossils and a copy of the lower jaw are on display in the museum. There are also explanations of the history of the find, the geology of the sand pit and the environment in which the Heidelberg prehistoric man lived.
Geology
In the geological part of the museum, you can marvel at the rocks and the development of Earth over the last 4.5 billion years from the Precambrian to the present day. Representative pieces of the respective geological eras are on display, accompanied by paleogeographic maps of plate tectonics and their typical fossils. A model of the earth provides an insight into the structure of our planet.
In addition to this global theme, geological features of the region are also on display. For example, rocks and fossils from the Germanic Triassic and a model of the Rhine Graben.
Paleontology
Paleontology is the study of extinct life. Most people first think of dinosaurs, but the last 500 million years of the history of life have much more to offer. The paleontology section of the museum is dedicated to various fossils from different eras.
Our own history - the evolution of humankind - is also an important part of palaeontology, in connection with archaeology, anthropology and prehistory and early history. Around the world-famous discovery of the lower jaw of Homo heidelbergensis from Mauer, the Mauer Warm Period is vividly illustrated using large fossils such as the elephant, hippopotamus, lion and bear. In addition, a general overview of the evolution of man is given.
Mineralogy
The collection of minerals and rocks in the mineralogical section of the museum is compiled from important collections (Rosenbusch, Goldschmidt, Ramdohr, Leonhard and Springer). In addition to a collection on the systematics of minerals, the exhibitions offer an insight into the diversity of modern mineralogy.
The showcases "Gemstones" and "Luminescent Minerals" are a delight for every visitor.
The formation of the solar system around 4.55 billion years ago, the structure of the earth, the dynamics of the earth's interior and the formation of minerals and rocks are presented in separate themed areas.
The showcases on X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, electron beam microprobe, secondary ion mass spectrometry and experimental petrology provide an overview of the methods used in this branch of science.
