Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology

The Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology is a research institute of the Max Planck Society dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of the interactions between humans and the Earth system across deep time. The institute integrates archaeology, anthropology, Earth system science, ecology, and computational modeling to investigate the long-term coevolution of human societies, environments, and technologies. It is located in Jena, Germany.

WWW shh.mpg.de 𝕏 MPI_GEA IG mpi_gea

History

Max Planck Institute of Economics (1993–2014)

The institutional predecessor of the present institute was founded in 1993 as the Max Planck Institute for Research into Economic Systems. Its original research focus was the transformation of post-socialist economies in Central and Eastern Europe following the end of the Cold War.
In 2004, the institute was renamed the Max Planck Institute of Economics to reflect an expanded research agenda addressing economic change more broadly. Research at this stage encompassed fields such as evolutionary economics, experimental economics, and entrepreneurship studies.
The institute was organized into three research groups:

Evolutionary Economics Group, led by Ulrich Witt
Strategic Interaction Group, led by Werner Güth
Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group, led by David B. Audretsch

Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (2014–2022)

In 2014, the institute underwent a major realignment within the Max Planck Society. After a brief transitional phase, it was officially re-established on 21 November 2014 as the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. This marked a disciplinary shift away from economics toward the integrated study of human history using methods from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
From 2016 onward, the institute consisted of three interdisciplinary departments:

Department of Archaeogenetics, directed by Johannes Krause
Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, directed by Russell Gray
Department of Archaeology, directed by Nicole Boivin

In 2015, the institute assumed responsibility for maintaining Glottolog, previously hosted by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (since 2022)

In June 2022, the Max Planck Society announced the renaming of the institute to the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology. The new name reflects a broadened research focus on long-term interactions between humans, environments, and Earth system processes across deep time, integrating archaeology, anthropology, Earth system science, ecology, and computational approaches.

Location

The institute is located on Kahlaische Strasse, about 1 km south-east of the city center. It is housed in a restored Victorian villa, linked by a glass bridge to a much larger modern building, which includes offices and other facilities for each of the research units, each unit having one floor of the main section of the building.

Administration

The current directors of the institute are: