Vekua Abesalom

Abesalom Vekua (b. September 1, 1925, Poti – d. February 19, 2014, Tbilisi), paleobiologist, full member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences (2013; corresponding nember 2001), Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences (1969).

From 1981, he was the chairman of the “Commission for the Study of the Quaternary Period of Georgia”, from 1956 – an employee of the Institute of Paleobiology of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, from 2009 – scientific director of the Institute of Paleobiology of the Georgian National Museum. Vekua studied the paleobiology and paleoanthropology of the Upper Neogene and Anthropogene mammals of Georgia and adjacent regions, as well as the vertebrate fauna of the Upper Stone Age of the entire Georgia. The discovery of the oldest (approximately 1,800,000 years old) hominids of Eurasia in Dmanisi by Vekua and a group of scientists (L. Gabunia, D. Lortkipanidze), as well as the determination of their systematic location is of particular importance.

Vekua was the author of many scientific works and 12 monographs. He received the Georgian State Prize in the field of sciences (2004), the Order of Honor (2001).

 

Literary works: ახალქალაქის ქვედაპლეისტოცენური ძუძუმწოვრების ფაუნა, თბ., 1962; დმანისის ჰომინიდები, თბ., 2011 (თანაავტ. დ. ლორთქიფანიძე); Квабебская фауна акчагыльских позвоночных, М., 1972; Грузия в антропогене, Тб., 1981; Дманисская фауна виллафранкских позвоночных, Тб., 2012.