| Philipp J. J. Valentini | |
| Birth Date: | 1828 |
| Birth Place: | Berlin, Germany |
| Death Place: | New York, United States |
| Occupation: | explorer and archaeologist |
| Nationality: | German / American |
| Alma Mater: | University of Berlin, University of Jena |
| Subject: | Maya civilization, Mexican calendar stone |
Philipp Johann Joseph Valentini (1828 – March 16, 1899)[1] was an explorer and archaeologist of the Central American Pre-Columbian cultures. He worked extensively on deciphering the Mexican calendar stone.
Philipp J. J. Valentini was born to a German mother and Italian father in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, in 1828. His father was probably a tutor at the royal court of Prussia. He attended the Gymnasium of Torgau and later the University of Berlin before he left Germany for Costa Rica where he founded the seaport Puerto Limón under government auspices in 1854.[2]
In 1858 he returned to Germany to obtain a PhD at the University of Jena, writing his dissertation about the early history of Costa Rica. From 1861 to 1871 Valentini went back once again to Costa Rica to work as a coffee planter, but travelled extensively in Central America. After 1871 he went to New York where he spent the rest of his life until his death in March 1899. Valentini was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1879.[3] He wrote a number of scholarly articles on his archaeological work in Central America that were published in the proceedings of the society.
Most of these were released later in book format.
Note: Most of the texts have been translated to English by Stephen Salisbury Jr.