RESOLUTION of the EUROPEAN ANTHROPOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION during the 3d European Anthropological Congress (Petralona 25-29/9/1982)
At its last plenary session, the 3rd European
Congress of Anthropologists, held in Petralona, Greece, resolved:
Thanks be expressed to the government of Greece (note: i.e.
undirectly the Anthropological Association of Greece) for welcoming the Congress
so warmly. Its proceedings have been extremely productive and stimulating to
the study of the evolutionary history of man.
During its deliberations, ample consideration was given to the famous Petralona
material. Analyses carried out so far by leading physical anthropologists and
palaeontologists of the human fossils, the Palaeolithic tools, and the animal
remains found in the Petralona cave, leave no doubt that the cave is one of
the most important sites of fossil man currently explored. Experts are of the
opinion that Petralona Man may be the most ancient hominid fossil so far found
in Europe, and that the ashes and burned bones found in the cave may constitute
the oldest trace of man-made fire in the world. The exploratory work carried
out in the cave for many years by Dr. Aris Poulianos and his associates is highly
impressive in its scientific standards, its comprehensiveness, and the amount
of effort invested. Particularly welcome is the way in which the site and the
fossils have been made accessible to the general public.
The Congress expresses its hope that proper support be given to the future conservation
and further exploration of this magnificent site and its environs.
THE PRESIDIUM OF THE PLENARY SESSION OF THE 3rd EUROPEAN CONGRESS
Prof. Jan Jelinek Director of Institute "Anthropos",
Brno, Czechoslovakia
Prof. John Huizinga Director of the Institute of Human Biology, Utrecht, Holland
Prof. Tad Bielicki of Director of the Anthropological Institute of the Academy
of Sciences,Vrotzlav, Poland
Note: The above text is also translated in Greek.