1780s in archaeology
Encyclopedia
The decade of the 1780s in archaeology involved some significant events.
Explorations
- 1786: Antonio Bernasconi and Colonel Antonio del Rio examine the ruins of PalenquePalenquePalenque was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that flourished in the 7th century. The Palenque ruins date back to 100 BC to its fall around 800 AD...
, making the first map of the site and some crude excavations.
Finds
- 1780: Tomb of the ScipiosTomb of the ScipiosThe Tomb of the Scipios , also called the hypogaeum Scipionum, was the common tomb of the patrician Scipio family during the Roman Republic for interments between the early 3rd century BC and the early 1st century AD...
rediscovered in RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. - 1789: The Stony Stratford Hoard uncovered in EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. - Xagħra Stone Circle first discovered in MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
Publications
- 1785: Engineer Diego Ruiz visits and publishes the first account of El TajínEl TajínEl Tajín is a pre-Columbian archeological site and was the site of one of the largest and most important cities of the Classic era of Mesoamerica. The city flourished from 600 to 1200 C.E. and during this time numerous temples, palaces, Mesoamerican ballcourts and pyramids were built...
. - 1789: Saggio di lingua Etrusca by Luigi LanziLuigi LanziLuigi Lanzi was an Italian art historian and archaeologist.Born in Treia, Lanzi was educated as a priest. He entered the Order of the Jesuits, resided at Rome and in 1773 was appointed keeper of the galleries of Florence, where he became president of the Accademia della Crusca...
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Other events
- 1780: The Society of Antiquaries of ScotlandSociety of Antiquaries of ScotlandThe Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body in Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum, Chambers Street, Edinburgh...
is formed. - 1783: The Society of Antiquaries of ScotlandSociety of Antiquaries of ScotlandThe Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body in Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum, Chambers Street, Edinburgh...
is incorporatedIncorporation (business)Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
.
Births
- 1783: June 13 - Thomas YoungThomas Young (scientist)Thomas Young was an English polymath. He is famous for having partly deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphics before Jean-François Champollion eventually expanded on his work...
, EnglishEnglish peopleThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Egyptologist. - 1784: July 25 - Richard William Howard VyseRichard William Howard VyseMajor-General Sir Richard William Howard Vyse, KCMG was a British soldier, anthropologist and Egyptologist. He was also Member of Parliament for Beverley and Honiton .-Family life:...
, English soldier, anthropologist and Egyptologist. - 1787: March 28 - Claudius James RichClaudius James RichClaudius James Rich , British business agent, traveller and antiquarian scholar,-Biography:Rich was born near Dijon....
, English traveller and scholar. - 1788: September 10 - Jacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de PerthesJacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de PerthesJacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de Perthes , sometimes referred to as Boucher de Perthes, was a French archaeologist and antiquary notable for his discovery, in about 1830, of flint tools in the gravels of the Somme valley....
, FrenchFrench peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
archaeologist. - 1788: December 29 - Christian Jürgensen ThomsenChristian Jürgensen ThomsenChristian Jürgensen Thomsen was a Danish archaeologist.In 1816 he was appointed head of 'antiquarian' collections which later developed into the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. While organizing and classifying the antiquities for exhibition, he decided to present them chronologically...
, DanishDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
archaeologist.