Charles Brian Montagu McBurney
Encyclopedia
Charles Brian Montagu McBurney (18 June 1914 – 14 December 1979) was an American
archaeologist who spent most of his working life in England
.
Charles McBurney was born in Stockbridge
, Massachusetts
, the son of Henry McBurney and Dorothy Lillian Rundall and the grandson of Charles McBurney
, the American surgeon (McBurney's point
). His mother was English, the daughter and granddaughter of British Army officers. He spent his childhood in the USA and then in Switzerland.
In 1933, he entered Kings College, Cambridge, reading French and German, and then Archaeology
and Anthropology
. Graduate studies were interrupted by war service in the RAF. He completed his PhD (a study of European flint assemblages) in the years immediately following World War 2.
In 1952, he became a lecturer in archaeology at Cambridge, and later Reader and finally Professor of Quaternary Prehistory. His work included studies of the Upper Palaeolothic in Britain, important excavations in the Channel Islands, extensive excavations in Libya
(the Haua Fteah cave) and, in later years, excavations in Iran
and Afghanistan
. He also published on French prehistory, archaeological work in the Soviet Union
, and on cave art. His continuing influence is felt in the work of his many distinguished pupils.
He was the father of the composer and writer Gerard McBurney
and the actor and director Simon McBurney
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
archaeologist who spent most of his working life in England
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Charles McBurney was born in Stockbridge
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, the son of Henry McBurney and Dorothy Lillian Rundall and the grandson of Charles McBurney
Charles McBurney (surgeon)
Charles Heber McBurney, MD was an American surgeon known for describing McBurney's point in appendicitis.-Biography:Charles McBurney was born in 1845...
, the American surgeon (McBurney's point
McBurney's point
McBurney's point is the name given to the point over the right side of the abdomen that is one-third of the distance from the anterior superior iliac spine to the navel...
). His mother was English, the daughter and granddaughter of British Army officers. He spent his childhood in the USA and then in Switzerland.
In 1933, he entered Kings College, Cambridge, reading French and German, and then Archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. Graduate studies were interrupted by war service in the RAF. He completed his PhD (a study of European flint assemblages) in the years immediately following World War 2.
In 1952, he became a lecturer in archaeology at Cambridge, and later Reader and finally Professor of Quaternary Prehistory. His work included studies of the Upper Palaeolothic in Britain, important excavations in the Channel Islands, extensive excavations in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
(the Haua Fteah cave) and, in later years, excavations in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. He also published on French prehistory, archaeological work in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and on cave art. His continuing influence is felt in the work of his many distinguished pupils.
He was the father of the composer and writer Gerard McBurney
Gerard McBurney
Gerard McBurney — British composer, arranger, broadcaster, teacher and writer.Born 20 June 1954, in Cambridge, England. He is the son of Charles McBurney, an American archaeologist, and Anne Francis Edmondstone , who was a British secretary of English, Scots, and Irish ancestry...
and the actor and director Simon McBurney
Simon McBurney
Simon Montagu McBurney, OBE is an English actor, writer and director. He is the founder and artistic director of Théâtre de Complicité in England, now called Complicite.-Early life:...
.