Who are some famous archaeologists?

Dr. dig responds:
That's not an easy question because so many great men and women have made important copntributions to the field of archaeology. But here are a few names of archaeologists that would be on my list of role models to choose from:

Gertrude Bell (1868-1926. One of the first women to attend Oxford University in England. She was a great traveller and explorer and became one of the foremost mountain climbers of her generation. She went to Jerusalem to learn Arabic, and developed a passion for archaeology during her travels there. She is best known for her bravery in travelling to dangerous countries and for the archaeological discoveries she made in far off places. To learn more about Gertrude Bell, go to www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/home on the web.

Kathleen Kenyon (1906-1978). She was one of the great women archaeologists of the twentieth century and is most famous for her careful excavation of the ancient city of Jericho. She was full of learning, a precise and careful recorder and wrote well. To learn more about Kathleen Kenyon, go here

The Leakey family - Mary, Louis and Richard. This family of archaeologists and anthropologists have made huge strides in our understanding of the development of early man in Africa. Mary Leakey and her son Richard Leakey live and work in Kenya. They are true stewards of the past and besides their archaeological work in the field, they also are active in Kenyan politics and public service.

John Camp was the assistant director of the Agora Excavations in Athens, Greece, which was the first excavation I was on as a student. The excavation was long and hot and dirty, but John Camp was able to keep spirits high and encourage us to work our best to the bitter end of a grueling 3 month season. He was an inspiration to the 40 students who worked that summer, and continues to train students in the Agora today as director of the excavations. When he is not on site in Athens, he teaches at Randolph Macon College in Virginia. To learn more about John Camp, go to www.rmc.edu/academic/departments/clas/johncamp.html

Others:

Leonard Woolley - Archaeologist who excavated the Royal Cemetery at Ur

Sir Arthur Evans - Archaeologist who discovered and excavated the Palce of Minos on the island of Crete

Peter Glob (great name!) - foremost archaeologist of bog bodies, especially Tollund Man

Thomas Jefferson (our own president!) - first American archaeologist

Hiram Bingham - great explorer and archaeologist who put Macchu Picchu (Peru) on the archaeological map

Jacques Cousteau - inventor of the aqualung which led underwater divers to new depths of exploration

Who is or was a famous Australian archaeologist?

Dr. dig responds:
Archaeologist Rhy Jones and Don Ranson have made some pretty exciting discoveries in the remote rainforests of Tasmania. Their discoveries included remains of Late Ice Age hunters from 29,000 years ago.

An account of their thrilling expedition has been published by Brian Fagan in his book Eyewitness to Discovery, Oxford University Press, 1996.

You could search the web for Rhys Jones and Don Ranson. You might also want to go to the website of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. This site will give you a great deal of information on the historical background of archaeological research in Australia.