Anthropological and Paleontological Research in the Fayum

西蒙斯博士和他的同事将在三个月内 季节性的实地研究，收集灵长类动物和相关的 渐新世沉积物中的脊椎动物和植物化石 位于埃及法尤姆地区。 现场党员 会寻找、挖掘和筛选岩石和沙子来寻找化石。 的 在法尤姆发现的许多种类的灵长类化石包括 物种被认为是已知最古老的共同祖先 猴子猿类和人类 颅后元素的恢复， 头骨和新的灵长类动物 应该能大大提高人们对 早期高等灵长类动物 这项研究将有助于解决 关于哪一个早期灵长类家族产生了这个群体的问题 包括人类猴子和猿类 由于灵长类化石来自几个完全不同的 在法尤姆的水平，只有intimidated日期从一个 上覆玄武岩，通过磁反转更准确地测年 将尝试进行地层学研究。 因为知识的 每个灵长类物种的环境背景有助于 了解它的进化，地质植物和动物 将在每个灵长类动物研究中心收集信息。 这项研究很重要，因为它增加了我们对 历史和力量都导致了 人类血统 西蒙斯博士和他的团队在 法尤姆多年来，在每个季节都发现 重要的新化石 法尤姆是独一无二的，因为它是 东半球唯一一个含有这种化石遗迹的地方 渐新世

Dr. Simons and his colleagues will, over the course of three seasons of field research, collect primate and associated vertebrate and plant fossils from sediments of Oligocene age located in the Fayum region of Egypt. The field party members will seek, quarry, and sift rocks and sands to find fossils. The many kinds of fossil primates occurring in the Fayum include species thought to be the oldest known common ancestors of monkeys, apes, and humans. Recovery of postcranial elements, skulls, and new kinds of primates during these three seasons should significantly advance knowledge of the extent and nature of early higher primates. This research will help solve the question of which earlier primate family gave rise to the group that includes humans, monkeys, and apes. Since the fossil primates come from several quite different levels in the Fayum and are only inferentially dated from an overlying basalt, more accurate dating by magnetic reversal stratigraphy will be attempted. Because knowledge of the environmental context of each of the primate species helps in understanding its evolution, geological floral and faunal information will be collected at each primate site. This research is important because it increases our understanding of both the history and the forces which led to the emergence of the human lineage. Dr. Simons and his team have worked in the Fayum for many years and in each season have discovered significant new fossils. The Fayum is unique because it is the only site in the Old World which contains such fossil remains of Oligocene age.