Famous Archaeologists

Archaeology is the study of human cultures and ancient art and architecture. It deals with the study of artifacts, environmental data and landscapes as also the discovery of ancient civilizations. Let us look at some of the well-known names in the field of archaeology.

Famous Archaeologists

Howard Carter: Born on May 9, 1874, in Kensington, Howard Carter began the study of paintings and inscriptions from an early age of 17. After working on the excavation of Beni Hasan, he sought guidance from William Flinders Petrie, an English Egyptologist. Carter is famous for excavating the remains of the tomb of Queen Hatshepsut. After retiring from archaeology, he became a collector. He died of lymphoma in 1939.

Boyd Wettlaufer: He is regarded as the Father of Saskatchewan Archaeology. His archaeological work in western Canada brought about the discovery of the Northern Plains First Nations people. He is the discoverer of the Belly River meteorite. He was one of the pioneering Canadian archaeologists who used the radiocarbon dating method to date or calculate the age of excavated materials.

John Bryan Ward-Perkins: Born in 1912 in the United Kingdom, John Bryan Ward-Perkins was a student of the Winchester School and New College in Oxford, from where he graduated in 1934. In pursuit of archaeology, he toured to France and Great Britain. He explored the historic region of Tripolitania and its Roman ruins, when he was with the British Royal Artillery in North Africa, during the Second World War. He was always interested in pieces of ancient art and city topography. He introduced the technique of field surveys to access land patterns.

Giacomo Boni: Born on April 25, 1859, Giacomo Boni grew up to become a famous Italian archaeologist. After studying architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in his hometown, he began archaeological work in the Forum Romanum in Rome. He was later a student of the Accademia di Belle Arti, an art academy in Florence, Italy. The discovery of the Iron Age Necropolis, the Lapis Niger and the Regia were some of his contributions to archaeology.

Emil Haury: Born on May 2, 1904, Emil Haury went on to become an important name in the field of archaeology. After graduating from high school in 1923, he attended the University of Arizona. He earned a doctorate from the Harvard University. He is best known for his work at Snaketown, a Hohokam site in Arizona.

Glynn Isaac: He was a South African archaeologist and one of the most eminent figures in the field of archaeology. He earned a degree from the University of Cape Town and later a PhD from Peterhouse, Cambridge. He died at a fairly early age of 47.

Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay: No discussion of archaeology can end, without the mention of the discovery of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa civilizations by Rakhaldas Bandopadhyay, an Indian historian. He was born on April 12, 1885. He graduated from the Presidency College in Kolkata and earned a Master’s degree from the Calcutta University in India. His discovery of Mohenjo-daro, led to the knowledge of the Harappa culture of 3000 BC.

This was a glimpse of some of the prominent names in archaeology that made a mark in history. It was due to their work that we could gain knowledge about life in the ancient times.