Gordon Willey
Gordon Randolph Willey | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | April 28, 2002 | (aged 89)
Occupation | Archaeologist |
Known for |
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Awards | Viking Fund Medal (1953) |
Gordon Randolph Willey (7 March 1913 – 28 April 2002)
Early life and education
Gordon Randolph Willey was born in Chariton, Iowa. His family moved to California when he was twelve-years-old, and he completed his secondary education at Long Beach.[2] Willey attended the University of Arizona where he earned Bachelors (1935) and Masters (1936) degrees in anthropology. He earned a PhD from Columbia University.
Career
After completing his studies at Arizona, Willey moved to
In the fall of 1939, Willey entered Columbia University for doctoral studies. After receiving his Ph.D., Willey worked as an anthropologist for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
In 1941, together with Marshall T. Newman, Willey conducted research at Ancon (archaeological site) in Peru, including in the area of Las Colinas.
In 1950, he accepted the Bowditch Professorship of Mexican and Central American Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University.
Willey headed archaeological expeditions in Peru, Panama, Nicaragua, Belize and Honduras. He discovered Monagrillo ceramics, the earliest known pottery in Panama. He became widely cited for his study and development of theories about the pattern of settlements of native societies.[8] In particular, his study of settlement patterns in the Viru Valley of Peru exemplified Processual archaeology because it focused on the function of small satellite settlements and ceramic scattered across a landscape rather than pottery chronologies.
Honors
In 1973, Willey received the
Add in: He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London from 1956, and its first Honorary Vice-President. He was awarded the Society's gold medal in 2000. (See obituary in The Times, London, May 1, 2002)
Personal life
Willey married Katharine W. Whaley in 1939. They were married for 63 years and had two daughters. Willey died of heart failure in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the age of 89.[3]
Selected works
- Archaeology of the Florida Gulf Coast, 1949
- Prehistoric Settlement Patterns in the Viru Valley, Peru, 1953
- Method and Theory in American Archaeology (with Philip Phillips), 1958
- Robert J. Braidwood and Gordon R. Willey, ed. (1966). Courses Toward Urban Life. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company – via Internet Archive.
- A History of American Archaeology (with Jeremy Sabloff), 1980
See also
- Ceramics of indigenous peoples of the Americas
- Mesoamerican chronology
- Mississippian culture pottery — 800 to 1600 CE.
- Speculative Period, term he coined to describe the early period of North American archaeology
Notes
- ^ Date information sourced from Library of Congress Authorities data, via corresponding WorldCat Identities linked authority file (LAF).
- ^ a b c Sabloff 2004, p.406
- ^ a b c "Renowned archaeologist Willey dies at 89". Harvard Gazette. May 2, 2002. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Willey, Gordon R. "Ceramic Stratigraphy in a Georgia Village Site." American Antiquity 5(2): 140–147. 1939.
- ^ Jstor.org: "Ceramic Stratigraphy in a Georgia Village Site" . accessed 2.2.2013
- ^ Willey, Gordon R., and William H. Sears. "The Kasita Site." Southern Indian Studies 4:2–18. 1952.
- ^ Willey, Gordon R. "Time Studies: Pottery and Trees in Georgia." Proceedings of the Society for Georgia Archaeology 1(2):15–22. 1938.
- ISBN 978-0-8061-3805-3.
- ^ "Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement". Archaeological Institute of America. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter W" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "Gordon R. Willey". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
- American Academy of Achievement.