From Research to Bookshelves – “The Great Journey (through time)” Reinterprets Our History

How did modern humans actually come to Europe?

This question has fascinated scientists for decades – and now it’s captivating young readers as well!
The new youth non-fiction book “The Great Journey (through time). Our Way to Europe” takes children and teenagers on an exciting journey into the deep past of humankind.
The book grew out of an interdisciplinary research project involving the Universities of Cologne, Bonn, and Aachen – with Dr. Janina Nett from our Geomorphology & Geochronology Working Group among the contributors.

From Research Project to Book

The idea for this remarkable publication emerged from the work of a scientific team of postdoctoral researchers and doctoral candidates within the Collaborative Research Centre SFB 806 “Our Way to Europe – Culture-Environment Interaction and Human Mobility in the Late Quaternary.”
Under the direction of Dr. Stephanie Kusch and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Richter (University of Cologne), the concept was developed in close collaboration with author Cornelia Ziegler. The design and illustrations were created by Andreas Stobbe, who transformed complex scientific findings into vivid and accessible visuals.

Content and Aim of the Book

“The Great Journey (through time). Our Way to Europe.” tells the story of humankind – and of the science that uncovers it. It invites young readers to explore the great questions of our past: Where do we come from? How did our early ancestors live? And how did they make their way from Africa to Europe and beyond?

Drawing on current scientific knowledge, the book explains how research works, why our understanding of human history continues to evolve, and what modern science can tell us about the migrations of early Homo sapiens.

The book will be published in two versions – first in standard language, and later in simplified language – making it accessible to a broad young audience.

Contributing Scientists

Dr. Birgit Gehlen, Dr. Wei Chu, Dr. Jacopo Gennai, Dr. Hannah Hartung, Dr. Elena Hensel, Dr. Karin Kindermann, Dr. Nicole Klasen, Dr. Stephanie Kusch, Prof. Dr. Andreas Maier, Dr. Andrea Miebach, Dr. Janina Nett, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Richter, Prof. Dr. Silviane Scharl, Prof. Dr. Gerd-Christian Weniger, and Dr. Melanie Wunsch.

Book title: Die große (Zeit-) Reise: Unser Weg nach Europa
Author: Cornelia Ziegler
Scientific editing: Interdisciplinary research team of archaeologists and geoscientists (SFB 806)
Illustrations & design: Andreas Stobbe
Foreword: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Richter (University of Cologne)
Publication year: 2025