Dorothea Bate

Dorothea Bate (1878-1951) was one of Britain’s leading fossil hunters, discovering extinct species across the Mediterranean and helping to establish the foundations of modern zooarchaeology.

Not only was Bate an extraordinary scientist, but she was a pioneer for women in the field, being one of the first women to be employed by the Natural History Museum.

Her discoveries reshaped our understanding of prehistoric animals and the relationship between ancient environments, animals, and people.

Early life and career

Born in Carmarthen, Wales, in 1878, Dorothea Bate developed a fascination with the natural world from an early age. After moving with her family to rural Gloucestershire as a young woman, she spent hours exploring the surrounding countryside and caves, collecting fossils. She had little formal education, instead largely teaching herself through observation, research and fieldwork, developing the skills that laid the groundwork for her future scientific career.

To further understand her collection, in 1900 she travelled to the Natural History Museum in London and asked for work behind the scenes. Her determination impressed museum staff, earning her a position as an assistant and beginning an association with the institution that would last more than 50 years. She published her first scientific paper just a year later in 1901: ‘A short account of a bone cave in the Carboniferous limestone of the Wye Valley’.

Excavations abroad

Bate went on to undertake expeditions across the Mediterranean, often travelling alone to remote caves in search of evidence of ancient life. In Cyprus, she discovered a previously unknown species of dwarf elephant, and in 1909, while in the Balearics, she discovered the Myotragus, an extinct goat-like antelope.

She would travel through rough and inhospitable terrain, often wading through mud and water with her basic toolkit of hammer, nets, and boxes, to reach remote caves where she collected fossils and bones.

Later in her career, Bate worked alongside archaeologists, examining animal bones recovered from ancient cave sites. By studying changes in animal populations over thousands of years, she helped reveal how shifts in climate affected both wildlife and early human communities. This approach helped create what is now known as zooarchaeology.

The Natural History Museum at Tring

During the Second World War, Bate was transferred to the Natural History Museum at Tring. In 1948, she was appointed Officer-in-Charge, becoming responsible for the management and display of the museum’s collections. Despite poor health, she continued to support archaeologists and scientists around the world with her expertise while overseeing the museum during an important period in its development.

Bate published more than 80 scientific papers, despite spending most of her career without a permanent paid position. Her expertise earned the respect of leading scientists, and her work continues to influence researchers today.