IPHES - Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social

Human evolution and Quaternary archaeology

Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES) is a research center based in Tarragona, Spain. It studies human evolution, paleoecology, and Quaternary archaeology, bringing together scientific research, university training, and specialized technical services.

Research and field sites

Research groups and units cover fields including archaeobotany, biomarkers, geoarchaeology, stone-tool technology, paleoanthropology, paleontology, zooarchaeology, and taphonomy. The institute has its own infrastructure, including collections, conservation services, 3D scanning, and specialized photography.

Its field projects include archaeological sites at Abric Romaní, Atapuerca, Barranc de la Boella, Camp dels Ninots, the Guadix-Baza project in Orce, La Cansaladeta, La Cativera, and Molí del Salt. IPHES shares research findings on topics such as the earliest human presence in Europe at Atapuerca and the cranial thickness of Homo antecessor.

University programs

IPHES participates in academic programs with universities, including the bachelor's degree in History at Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV); the bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Human Evolution at URV and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC); the interuniversity master's in Quaternary Archaeology and Human Evolution (Erasmus Mundus); and the doctoral program in Quaternary and Prehistory.

Scientific services and public outreach

Through its Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT) unit, IPHES offers specialized archaeobotany, geoarchaeology, and multiscale microscopy services for archaeology, along with educational resources and public science activities.

Location, hours, and contact

• Address: Zona Educacional 4, URV Sescelades Campus (Building W3), 43007 Tarragona, Spain
• Phone: +34 977 943 003
• Email: info@iphes.cat
• Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. In July and August: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m.