Jack Golson (13 September 1926 – 2 September 2023) was a British-born Australian archaeologist who carried out extensive field work in Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia.
Jack Golson was born in Rochdale, England on 13 September 1926.[1] He studied history and archaeology at Cambridge University. In 1954, he lectured at the archaeology department of Auckland University in New Zealand where he began studies on pre-history in the Pacific Islands. Golson also worked towards improving standards and methods of archaeology in New Zealand and organised the New Zealand Archaeological Association.[2]
In 1957, he carried out the first systematic survey of archaeological remains on Savai'i island in Samoa.[3] In 1961, he was appointed Fellow in Prehistory at the Australian National University[4] and carried out research in Australia and Papua New Guinea. He was the president of the World Archaeological Congress (1990–1994).[5]
In 1991, Golson retired after 30 years at the Australian National University. He became a visiting Fellow there while focusing his work on Papua New Guinea.[6] In the 1997 Queen's Birthday Honours Golson was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "service to education, particularly in the fields of pre-history and archaeology research in Asia and the Pacific Region".[7] In 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal.[8]
In 2002, he became a Life Member of the Australian Archaeological Association. In 2009 he, along with Clare Golson, was awarded the World Archaeological Congress Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.[9]
Golson died on 2 September 2023, at the age of 96.[10]