1954 in archaeology explained

The year 1954 in archaeology involved some significant events.

Excavations

• Mixco Viejo, Guatemala Musée d'Homme project under the direction of Henri Lehmann starts (continues through 1967).
• Neolithic-era site of Ashkelon discovered and excavated by French archaeologist Jean Perrot.
• Excavations at Beycesultan by Seton Lloyd of the British Institute of Archaeology in Ankara begin (continue to 1959).
• Excavations at Filitosa, Corsica, begin.
• Excavations at Nagarjunakonda by the Archaeological Survey of India begin (continue to 1960).
• Excavations at Nevasa, Maharashtra, begin (continue to 1956).
• Excavations of the London Mithraeum conducted under the direction of W. F. Grimes.^[1]
• Systematic excavations at Niah Caves begin under the direction of the Sarawak Museum.

Finds

• September 18 - Marble head of Mithras from London Mithraeum unearthed in Walbrook Square by W. F. Grimes's excavation.
• Panlongcheng Erligang culture site in China discovered.
• Khufu ship discovered in Giza pyramid complex by Kamal el-Mallakh.
• Cape Gelidonya shipwreck discovered.

Miscellaneous

• Sir Mortimer Wheeler is named Television Personality of the Year in the U.K. due to his contributions to Animal, Vegetable, Mineral?^[2]

Publications

• Maurice Beresford - The Lost Villages of England.
• R. Allen Brown - English Medieval Castles.
• Grahame Clark - Excavations at Star Carr, an early Mesolithic site at Seamer near Scarborough, Yorkshire.
• V. E. Nash-Williams - The Roman Frontier in Wales.
• Stuart Piggott - The Neolithic Cultures of the British Isles: a study of the stone-using agricultural communities of Britain in the second millennium B.C.

Births

• July 1 - William Rathje, American archaeologist and garbologist (d. 2012)
• Barbara Tsakirgis, American classical archaeologist (d. 2019)

Deaths

• March 6 - Sir John Myres, English archaeologist of Cyprus (b. 1869)
• April 10 - Ludwig Curtius, German Classical archaeologist (b. 1874)
• July 16 - Henri Frankfort, Dutch-born Egyptologist (b. 1897)
• October 5 - Alfred Tozzer, American Mesoamerican archaeologist (b. 1877)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Plans to dismantle and move the reconstructed roman temple of Mithras to temporary storage, ahead of a more faithful reconstruction, will begin on the 21 November 2011 by Museum of London Archaeology. Heritage Daily. 2011-11-18. 2012-12-28.
2. Book: Kulik, Karol. A Short History of Archaeological Communication. Archaeology and the Media. Clack, Timothy . Brittain, Marcus . Left Coast Press. Walnut Creek, CA. 2007. 9781598742336. 111–124.