Thursday, November 13, 2008

Vere Childe -- Australia's gift to archaeology



For sheer adventure, Indiana Jones might outdo the late Vere Gordon Childe. But Indiana is Hollywood. Vere Childe was for real.

I’m supposed to be studying Austria this month but that doesn’t mean I can’t still learn a little more about places of past months and the people therein.

So I will muse momentarily on this man, who was born in Sydney, Australia in 1892 but did not stay put. He spent time in England, Greece, the Balkans, the Orkney Islands, Iraq, India and the U.S. Tragically and ironically, after all that, he died back in his homeland -- falling from a cliff in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales.

Mr. Childe is considered one of the twentieth century’s most important archaeologists … and one who brilliantly synthesized available knowledge of Old World history. He had a gift, a keen ability to discern and illuminate the main currents of prehistory, as shown in one of his best-known works, “The Dawn of European Civilization.”

Aussie, be proud!

5 comments:

Janice Thomson said...

That was interesting - I've not heard of this man.
Did you read that Hawass has just unearthed another Egyptian tomb?

Eastcoastdweller said...

Yes, I did -- isn't it amazing that they keep doing that, scratching over the same ground decade after decade?

BraveHeart said...

The most lucky people are the people that have found something interesting to do during their life time.

Cristina said...

Thanks for the info, Ecd. This was a great post.

Unknown said...

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