Archaeology
Sir Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) – British archaeologist
Evaluate the contribution of your chosen archaeologist to our understanding of the ancient past.
1. Topic Concept
John F. Lehman Jr. acknowledged that “We are opening up an enormous new era in archaeology. Time capsules in the deep oceans.”[1] It is true that the understandings and knowledge of the ancient past have only been made possible from the works and contributions of archaeologists; whether the contribution is diminutive or extensive, a difference will have been made. It is important to evaluate the contributions of archaeologists to determine how their discoveries have impacted on today’s knowledge of the ancient world, to decide if their works were trustworthy and reliable, and to use their methods that were successful while avoiding the errors that they made. Sir Flinders Petrie was a signicant archaeologist, and is called “the father of scientific archaeology.”
2. Name and Define
Among the numerous archaeologists who have made important discoveries about the ancient world, British archaeologist and Egyptologist Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) is one who made great improvements to the techniques and methods of field excavation and invented the sequence dating method. These achievements made it possible for further discovery of remains of ancient cultures, which allowed for the reconstruction of ancient history, thus broadening the world’s understanding of the ancient past. He was particularly interested in Ancient Egypt, beginning with the Great Pyramid of Giza, and also excavated many sites of the Mycenaean civilisation.
3. Describe
Sir Flinders Petrie was born on the 3rd of June, 1853, at Charlton near Greenwich. He received his education at home due to illness, with his mother teaching him Hebrew, Latin and Greek. His father, William Petrie, an industrial engineer and surveyor, taught him how to survey accurately, giving him the foundation for his archaeological
Evaluate the contribution of your chosen archaeologist to our understanding of the ancient past.
1. Topic Concept
John F. Lehman Jr. acknowledged that “We are opening up an enormous new era in archaeology. Time capsules in the deep oceans.”[1] It is true that the understandings and knowledge of the ancient past have only been made possible from the works and contributions of archaeologists; whether the contribution is diminutive or extensive, a difference will have been made. It is important to evaluate the contributions of archaeologists to determine how their discoveries have impacted on today’s knowledge of the ancient world, to decide if their works were trustworthy and reliable, and to use their methods that were successful while avoiding the errors that they made. Sir Flinders Petrie was a signicant archaeologist, and is called “the father of scientific archaeology.”
2. Name and Define
Among the numerous archaeologists who have made important discoveries about the ancient world, British archaeologist and Egyptologist Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) is one who made great improvements to the techniques and methods of field excavation and invented the sequence dating method. These achievements made it possible for further discovery of remains of ancient cultures, which allowed for the reconstruction of ancient history, thus broadening the world’s understanding of the ancient past. He was particularly interested in Ancient Egypt, beginning with the Great Pyramid of Giza, and also excavated many sites of the Mycenaean civilisation.
3. Describe
Sir Flinders Petrie was born on the 3rd of June, 1853, at Charlton near Greenwich. He received his education at home due to illness, with his mother teaching him Hebrew, Latin and Greek. His father, William Petrie, an industrial engineer and surveyor, taught him how to survey accurately, giving him the foundation for his archaeological
Bibliography: Banh, P. (Ed.) (2008). The Great Archaeologists. Anness Publishing: Southwater. Bacon, E. (Ed.) (1976). The Great Archaeologists and Their Discoveries. Illustrated London News. [1] Quote from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/archaeology.html [2] William Matthew Flinders Petrie, Seventy Years in Archaeology, H. Holt and Company 1932. p.10 [3] Quote from http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/archaeology/flinders_petrie.html [4] Quote from http://www.allthingswilliam.com/science.html [5] Petrie, Seventy Years, p.10 Johnson Poole,G. (2013). Sir Flinders Petrie. [Internet]. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Available from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/454163/Sir-Flinders-Petrie [Accessed on 07/04/13] L.Sheppard, Kathleen. Flinders Petrie and Eugenics at UCL. [Internet]. Bulleting of the History of Archaeology. Available from: http://www.archaeologybulletin.org/article/view/bha.20103/45 [Accessed on 07/04/13]