Anthropologist

Born in Berastegi in 1932. He studied philosophy and theology in the seminars of Vitoria and San Sebastian and biology at the Universidad de Madrid.

Throughout his career, the recognised anthropologist has participated in a wide range of fieldwork as a collaborator in archaeological digs directed by a number of archaeologists, particularly J. M. de Barandiaran in the Basque Country and other Spanish and foreign archaeologists elsewhere in the Cantabrian Region, from 1960 to 1972. He participated in the archaeological digs in the Sudanese Nubia commissioned by UNESCO. Since 1973 he has directed a number of digs, especially in the Basque Country.

Teaching as a professor at the Instituto J. M. Usandizaga de Enseñanza Media in Donostia-San Sebastián. From 1980 until his retirement in 2002 he was the Professor of Didactics of Experimental Sciences at the Universidad del País Vasco. His main themes of research and work are archaeozoology of prehistoric sites, palaeolithic art and protection of archaeological heritage.

He has held the positions of director of the department of prehistory at the Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, director of the journal MUNIBE, member of the international committee of ICAZ, member of the editorial committee of various scientific journals, including the Revista Internacional de Estudios Vascos, Doñana, Acta Vertebrata, Archaeofauna, Archaeozoologia, Anthropozoologica, Férvedes, honorary member of the Centre de Recherches d'Ecologie Souterraine and ICAZ.

He has participated in or directed research and excavation projects in the Morín Cave, La Riera, the Ekain Cave dig, Dufaure,  Erralla, the Amalda cave, Vidigal (Portugal), megaliths and caves in Gipuzkoa, Mirón Cave (Cantabria) etc.

He has sat on scientific project assessment panels at the University of New Mexico (USA), the Research Council of Canada, the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (Madrid) and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.

He has published more than 210 titles, including 12 books. Most are research works, but they also include educational and information publications at different levels.
He has won numerous prizes, including the National Ibáñez Martín Prize for Research, Xabier María de Munibe Prize in the field of the arts, awarded by the Basque Parliament and the Real Sociedad Bascongada de los Amigos del País, the Eusko Ikaskuntza and Caja Laboral Prize for Arts and Social Sciences. Lan Onari Award from the Basque Government. Euskadi Research Prize 2004.

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