Gibraltar National Museum Director awarded William King Medal

The Director of the Gibraltar National Museum, Professor Clive Finlayson, has been awarded the William King Medal by the University of Galway “for his exceptional contribution to the history and understanding of human evolution.”

The presentation was made by the university’s president, Professor David Burn, ahead of the William King Annual Lecture, which Professor Finlayson delivered on October 22.

In his citation, Professor Burn said: “As a leading international expert on Neanderthals, the granting of the medal, here in the institution where their scientific name was first coined, represents a fitting completion of the scientific circle.”

He added: “The site at Gibraltar is now part of the Gorham’s Cave Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is one of the last places that Neanderthal people are known to have lived on Earth, and it is of immense importance for all humanity.”

“Professor Finlayson directs the archaeological excavations there. The discoveries his team have made have been astonishing and inspiring in equal measure. His work literally forced us to reimagine our preconceptions of Neanderthal people, and addressed one of the most fundamentally important questions we can ask in science, what does it mean to be human?”

Professor Burn also highlighted Professor Finlayson’s long-standing research on Neanderthals and the relationship between climate change and species distributions, comparing his breadth of knowledge to that of William King himself, the first scientist to name the Neanderthal people.

The William King Lecture series was established following a 2014 symposium marking the 150th anniversary of King’s naming of the Neanderthals, when he served as Professor of Mineralogy and Geology at Queen’s College Galway, now the University of Galway.

Professor Finlayson delivered his lecture to a full audience of academics, students and members of the public. At the conclusion of the event, students presented him with a commemorative glass tankard from the university.

Commenting on the award, Professor Finlayson said: “It is absolutely wonderful to see the level of interest in our work, with some people having travelled far to be there, and to see the enthusiasm in the faces of students in particular.”

“For me, personally, the event has represented, as Professor Burn stated, a fitting completion of the scientific circle.”