50 renowned archaeologists from history to the present > CommonSense

50 renowned archaeologists from history to the present, with brief details about each:

Founders and Early Archaeologists
Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890, Germany): Known for excavating the ancient city of Troy.
Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778–1823, Italy): Early Egyptologist who explored tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
Flinders Petrie (1853–1942, England): Father of modern archaeology in Egypt; introduced systematic methods.
Howard Carter (1874–1939, England): Discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922.
Auguste Mariette (1821–1881, France): Egyptologist who established the Egyptian Antiquities Service.
Paul Émile Botta (1802–1870, France): Discovered ancient Assyrian ruins at Nineveh and Khorsabad.
Charles Fellows (1799–1860, England): Uncovered the ruins of Lycia in Turkey.
John Lloyd Stephens (1805–1852, USA): Rediscovered Maya civilization with Frederick Catherwood.
Giuseppe Fiorelli (1823–1896, Italy): Directed excavations at Pompeii and invented the plaster cast technique for voids.
Arthur Evans (1851–1941, England): Discovered and reconstructed the Palace of Knossos in Crete.
Archaeologists of the Americas
Alfred V. Kidder (1885–1963, USA): Pioneer in Maya archaeology and American Southwest studies.
Sylvanus G. Morley (1883–1948, USA): Maya scholar and epigrapher; helped decipher Mayan hieroglyphs.
Tatiana Proskouriakoff (1909–1985, USA/Russia): Key figure in decoding Maya inscriptions.
Michael D. Coe (1929–2019, USA): Expert on the Olmec and Maya civilizations.
Richard MacNeish (1918–2001, USA): Known for research on early agriculture in the Americas.
Anna Roosevelt (1946–present, USA): Specialist in Amazonian archaeology and early human settlement.
Gordon Willey (1913–2002, USA): Developed settlement archaeology methods in Mesoamerica.
David Hurst Thomas (1945–present, USA): Authority on Native American archaeology.
Cyrus Thomas (1825–1910, USA): Studied the Mound Builders of North America.
Matthew Stirling (1896–1975, USA): Discovered major Olmec sites.
Classical and Mediterranean Archaeology
Michael Ventris (1922–1956, England): Deciphered Linear B, an early form of Greek script.
Carl Blegen (1887–1971, USA): Excavated Pylos and Troy; discovered the "Palace of Nestor."
Oscar Montelius (1843–1921, Sweden): Developed the typological dating method for artifacts.
John Boardman (1927–present, England): Renowned for work on Greek art and archaeology.
Jocelyn Toynbee (1897–1985, England): Specialist in Roman art and archaeology.
Sir Mortimer Wheeler (1890–1976, England): Developed grid system excavation techniques.
Brian Fagan (1936–present, England/USA): Archaeological historian and author.
Guiseppe Moretti (1857–1931, Italy): Excavated Roman and Greek ruins in the Mediterranean.
James Mellaart (1925–2012, England): Discovered Çatalhöyük, one of the earliest urban centers.
Marija Gimbutas (1921–1994, Lithuania/USA): Known for work on Neolithic Europe and goddess worship.
Near East and Middle Eastern Archaeology
Kathleen Kenyon (1906–1978, England): Excavated Jericho, revealing one of the world's oldest cities.
Leonard Woolley (1880–1960, England): Excavated the Royal Cemetery of Ur.
Agatha Christie (1890–1976, England): Although better known as an author, she contributed to Middle Eastern archaeology alongside Max Mallowan.
Max Mallowan (1904–1978, England): Specialized in Mesopotamian archaeology.
Jacques de Morgan (1857–1924, France): Explored ancient Elam and Susa in Iran.
C.L. Woolley (1880–1960, England): Renowned for work in ancient Mesopotamia.
David Rohl (1950–present, England): Advocate of controversial chronological revisions in Egyptology.
Robert Koldewey (1855–1925, Germany): Excavated Babylon, including the famous Ishtar Gate.
Donald Wiseman (1918–2010, England): Expert on Assyriology.
Zahi Hawass (1947–present, Egypt): Prominent figure in Egyptian archaeology and media.
Prehistoric and Other Archaeologies
Louis Leakey (1903–1972, Kenya/England): Discovered early hominid fossils in East Africa.
Mary Leakey (1913–1996, England): Found the Laetoli footprints, evidence of early bipedalism.
Richard Leakey (1944–2022, Kenya): Continued the Leakey family's work on early humans.
Donald Johanson (1943–present, USA): Discovered "Lucy," an Australopithecus afarensis fossil.
Tim White (1950–present, USA): Known for work on early hominins, including "Ardi."
Jean-François Champollion (1790–1832, France): Deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola (1831–1888, Spain): Discovered Altamira Cave and its Paleolithic paintings.
Vere Gordon Childe (1892–1957, Australia/England): Developed theories on Neolithic revolution and cultural diffusion.
Ian Hodder (1948–present, England): Leader in post-processual archaeology.
Meave Leakey (1942–present, Kenya): Specialized in paleoanthropology and early human evolution.
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