Eberhard Fraas
Encyclopedia
Eberhard Fraas was a German
geologist
and paleontologist. He worked as a curator
at the Stuttgarter Naturaliensammlung and discovered the dinosaurs of the Tendaguru
formation in then German East Africa
(now Tanzania
).
, the son of Oscar Fraas (1824–1897), a curator and professor at the geological and paleontological department of the Württemberg
Royal Natural Cabinet. After attending the Gymnasium, he studied at Leipzig University with Hermann Credner and Ferdinand Zirkel
, and later in Munich under Karl Alfred von Zittel
,
August Rothpletz (1853−1918) and Paul Groth. Here, he received his Ph.D in 1886 with a dissertation about Jurassic
starfish. His geological work enabled him to publish the first coherent account about the history of the Alps
.
In July of 1888, he received his Habilitation
(second Ph.D.) from Munich University, and in 1891 became an assistant at the Stuttgarter Naturaliensammlung. In 1894, he became curator of its geological, paleontological and mineralogical departments. In that capacity, he was responsible for a multitude of geological maps of his native Swabia
. Many of these were published in co-operation with Wilhelm Branco (who would later change his name to Wilhelm von Branca
). Fraas was also curator of Friedrich Alfred Krupp
's mineral collections, and taught him from 1898 to his death in 1902.
Trips to Spain
, Sardinia
, Italy
, the Balkan, the west of North America (1901), Egypt
and Syria
(1897 and 1906) and finally to German East Africa
(1907) broadened his view and filled the museum with new acquisitions.
His discovery of dinosaurs in East Africa would spawn many expeditions to the Tendaguru
, first by the Berlin Museum für Naturkunde, and by British institutions once the Germans had lost control of the colony after World War I
.
Fraas died unexpectedly on March 6, 1915, in Stuttgart, from dysentry which he had caught while in East Africa.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and paleontologist. He worked as a curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
at the Stuttgarter Naturaliensammlung and discovered the dinosaurs of the Tendaguru
Tendaguru
The Tendaguru Beds are a fossil-rich formation in Tanzania. It has been considered the richest of Late Jurassic strata in Africa. Continental reconstructions show Tendaguru to have been in the southern hemisphere during the Late Jurassic. Tendaguru is similar to the Morrison Formation except in...
formation in then German East Africa
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
(now Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
).
Life
Eberhard Fraas was born in StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, the son of Oscar Fraas (1824–1897), a curator and professor at the geological and paleontological department of the Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
Royal Natural Cabinet. After attending the Gymnasium, he studied at Leipzig University with Hermann Credner and Ferdinand Zirkel
Ferdinand Zirkel
Ferdinand Zirkel was a German geologist and petrographer.-Biography:He was born in Bonn. He was educated in his native town, and graduated Ph.D. at the University of Bonn in 1861. His training and initial interest was in mining...
, and later in Munich under Karl Alfred von Zittel
Karl Alfred von Zittel
Karl Alfred Ritter von Zittel was a German palaeontologist.-Biography:He was born at Bahlingen in Baden, and educated at Heidelberg, Paris and Vienna. For a short period he served on the Geological Survey of Austria, and as assistant in the mineralogical museum at Vienna...
,
August Rothpletz (1853−1918) and Paul Groth. Here, he received his Ph.D in 1886 with a dissertation about Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
starfish. His geological work enabled him to publish the first coherent account about the history of the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
.
In July of 1888, he received his Habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
(second Ph.D.) from Munich University, and in 1891 became an assistant at the Stuttgarter Naturaliensammlung. In 1894, he became curator of its geological, paleontological and mineralogical departments. In that capacity, he was responsible for a multitude of geological maps of his native Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
. Many of these were published in co-operation with Wilhelm Branco (who would later change his name to Wilhelm von Branca
Wilhelm von Branca
Carl Wilhelm Franz von Branca was a German geologist and paleontologist.-Biorgaphy:He was born at Potsdam....
). Fraas was also curator of Friedrich Alfred Krupp
Friedrich Alfred Krupp
Friedrich Alfred Krupp was a German steel manufacturer of the company Krupp.- Biography :Krupp was born in Essen, Germany. His father was Alfred Krupp. In 1887, Friedrich took over the leadership of his father's company. He married Margarethe Krupp...
's mineral collections, and taught him from 1898 to his death in 1902.
Trips to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the Balkan, the west of North America (1901), Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
(1897 and 1906) and finally to German East Africa
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
(1907) broadened his view and filled the museum with new acquisitions.
His discovery of dinosaurs in East Africa would spawn many expeditions to the Tendaguru
Tendaguru
The Tendaguru Beds are a fossil-rich formation in Tanzania. It has been considered the richest of Late Jurassic strata in Africa. Continental reconstructions show Tendaguru to have been in the southern hemisphere during the Late Jurassic. Tendaguru is similar to the Morrison Formation except in...
, first by the Berlin Museum für Naturkunde, and by British institutions once the Germans had lost control of the colony after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Fraas died unexpectedly on March 6, 1915, in Stuttgart, from dysentry which he had caught while in East Africa.
Works
- Die Asterien des Weissen Jura von Schwaben und Franken : Mit Untersuchungen über die Structur der Echinodermen und das Kalkgerüst der Asterien. Palaeontographica 32: 229 – 261, Stuttgart : E. Schweizerbart (Koch), 1886
- Die Labyrinthodonten der schwäbischen Trias. Palaeontographica 36: 1-158, Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart (Koch), 1889
- Scenerie der Alpen. 325 S., Leipzig: Weigel, 1892
- Die Triaszeit in Schwaben ; Ein Blick in die Urgeschichte an der Hand von R. Blezingers geologischer Pyramide. 40 S., Ravensburg: O. Maier, 1900
- Die Meer-Crocodilier (Thalattosuchia) des oberen Jura unter specieller Berücksichtigung von Dacosaurus und Geosaurus. Palaeontographica 49 (1): 1-71, Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart, 1902
- Führer durch das Königliche Naturalien-Kabinett zu Stuttgart Teil 1: Die geognostische Sammlung Württembergs im Parterre-Saal, zugleich ein Leitfaden für die geologischen Verhältnisse und die vorweltlichen Bewohner unseres Landes. 82 S., Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart, 1903
- Neue Zeuglodonten aus dem unteren Mitteleocän vom Mokattam bei Cairo. Geologische und Palaeontologische Abhandlungen, N.F. 6 (3): 1-24, Jena: Fischer, 1904
- Der Petrefaktensammler: ein Leitfaden zum Sammeln und Bestimmen der Versteinerungen Deutschlands. 249, 72 S., Stuttgart: K. G. Lutz, 1910
- Branca, W., Fraas, E.: Das vulcanische Ries bei Nördlingen in seiner Bedeutung für Fragen der allgemeinen Geologie. Abhandlungen der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin: 1-169 S., 1901
- Branca, W., Fraas, E.: Das kryptovulcanische Becken von Steinheim. Abhandlungen der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin: 1-64, 1905
- Proteroehersis, eine pleurodire Schildkröte aus dem Keuper. Jahreshefte des Vereins für Vaterländische Naturkunde in Württemberg, 69, S. 13-90. Online verfügbar. Universität Frankfurt.
Literature
- Stromer, Ernst Freiherr von Reichenbach: Eberhard Fraas. In: Centralblatt für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie 15 (1915) 12, S. 353-359 (in German)
- Walther, J.: Eberhard Fraas. Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte. 87: 334-336, Leipzig : Vogel, 1922 (in German)
Links
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart
- Richard Markgraf, Fraas' fossil collector: (in German)
- Compsognathus by Eberhard Fraas (1862-1915) from Scientific American 1893 United States