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1955 in archaeology
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April 2026
1955 archaeology science
The year 1955 in archaeology involved some significant events.
Explorations
Thor Heyerdahl organizes the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island (continues to 1956).
Start of extensive discoveries at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery on Loveden Hill in Lincolnshire, England.325833 2015 2019-07-01
Excavations
September - Gustav Riek begins systematic excavations at Brillenhöhle (continues to 1963).
A. C. O'Dell begins excavations on St Ninian's Isle (continues to 1958).
Alexander Sahinian begins excavations at Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Armenia (continues to 1956).
A. Ledyard Smith makes the first archaeological investigation of the Mayan site of Chutixtiox in Guatemala.
Archaeological Survey of India begins excavations at Nagda chalcolithic site (continues to 1957).
A Hebrew University team led by Yigal Yadin begins excavations at Tel Hazor (continues to 1958).
Excavation of Qujialing culture type site in China begins (continues to 1957).
Publications
Cyril Fox - Offa's Dyke: a Field Survey of the Western Frontier Works of Mercia in the Seventh and Eighth Centuries AD.http://www.britac.ac.uk/publications/offa%E2%80%99s-dyke-field-survey-western-frontier-works-mercia-seventh-and-eighth-centuries-ad Offa's Dyke: A Field Survey of the Western Frontier-Works of Mercia in the Seventh and Eighth Centuries A.D. British Academy 3 June 2017
Ivan D. Margary - Roman Roads in Britain, vol. 1.
I. A. Richmond - Roman Britain (Penguin Books).
Finds
May 19 - Greenock Coin Hoard in Scotland.
Pesse canoe, the oldest known boat, in the Netherlands.
First remains of Paranthropus boisei — teeth of Olduvai Hominin (OH) 3 — unearthed in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.P. V. Tobias Phillip V. Tobias 2006 Homo habilis—A Premature Discovery: Remembered by One of Its Founding Fathers, 42 Years Later The First Humans – Origin and Early Evolution of the Genus Homo Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Springer Dordrecht 7–15 978-1-4020-9980-9 10.1007/978-1-4020-9980-9_2
Miscellaneous
The components of a large Statue of Ramesses II from Memphis, Egypt, are moved to a central Cairo location and re-erected.Hawass Zahi Zahi Hawass The removal of Ramses II Statue http://guardians.net/hawass/news/removal_of_ramses_ii_statue.htm 2026-04-06
October - The term "Industrial archaeology" is popularised.Michael Rix Michael Rix (academic) Industrial Archaeology The Amateur Historian U.K. 2 8 October 1955 225–9
Births
January 1 - Mary Beard, English Classicist.
April 20 - Svante Pääbo, Swedish paleogeneticist.
September 30 - Martin Millett, English Classical archaeologist.
Deaths
January 1 - Arthur C. Parker, part-Seneca American archaeologist and ethnographer of Native Americans in the United States (b. 1881).
March 31 - Thomas Dunbabin, Australian-born Classical archaeologist and Greek Resistance leader (b. 1911).
August 17 - Edward Thurlow Leeds, English archaeologist of the Anglo-Saxons (b. 1877).http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/9b44ef3a-caf9-4ba8-b8ad-496fc02deca6 Papers of Edward Thurlow Leeds nationalarchives.gov.uk 25 May 2017
October 29 - Alexander Keiller, British archaeologist and benefactor (b. 1889).http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F52674 Keiller, Alexander (1889-1955), businessman and archaeologist nationalarchives.gov.uk 27 May 2017
December 15 - V. E. Nash-Williams, Welsh archaeologist (b. 1897).Nash-Williams, Victor Erle https://biography.wales/article/s2-NASH-ERL-1897 The National Library of Wales - Dictionary of Welsh Biography 13 November 2017
December 25 - Thomas J. Preston, Jr., American archaeologist (b. 1862).
References
Archaeology
Category:1950s in archaeology
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