Early Humans

image author: Copyright: © Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum Hildesheim Fotograf: Sh. Shalchi

What is life? What is time? These fundamental questions guide all the research of life on earth. They also stand in the centre of the extensive permanent exhibition "The changing times - The earth and its history" concerning the development of life on our planet, which has been presented since the the 21st November 2001 in the basement of the old building.

image author: Copyright: © Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum Hildesheim Fotograf: Sh. Shalchi

The palaeontological collection of the Roman- and Pelizaeus-museum with more than 200.000 objects and many originals of the palaeontological literature of the 19th and early 20th century is not only very comprehensive but also very significant and important from the scientific perspective. A large part of the findings originate from the area around Hildesheim, enriched with significant objects of European descend and also from outer European descend. These objects were bought earlier.

image author: Copyright: © Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum Hildesheim Fotograf: Sh. Shalchi

It is the first time after the war that this collection is presented to the public and it has never been seen in such a comprehensive and structured form. The many minerals and ancient bones give testament as the oldest traces of life 3,4 billion years ago until the appearance of the first mammals.

The visitor receives a fascinating insight into the evolution and discover e.g. evidence of index fossils (ammonites and belemnite) from the Jurassic period (206 - 141 million yers ago), as well as fossil skeletons of fish and flying dinosaurs and fossil findings from the Hildesheimer Jura area. These findings give evidence that Germany was covered with water during the Jurassic period.