George Grant MacCurdy
Encyclopedia
George Grant MacCurdy, A.M., Ph.D. (April 17, 1863 – November 15, 1947) was an American
anthropologist, born at Warrensburg, Mo.
, where he graduated from the State Normal School in 1887, after which he attended Harvard
(A.B., 1893; A.M., 1894); then studied in Europe
at Vienna
, Paris (School of Anthropology), and at Berlin (1894-98; and at Yale
(Ph.D., 1905). He was employed at Yale
from 1902 onwards as instructor, lecturer, curator of the anthropological collections (1902-10), and assistant professor of archæology after 1910.
as the origin of the first humans, in his 1924 book Human Origins, he said: “The beginnings of things human, so far as we have been able to discover them, have their fullest exemplification in Europe”.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
anthropologist, born at Warrensburg, Mo.
Warrensburg, Missouri
Warrensburg is a city in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 16,340 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County. The Warrensburg Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Johnson County. It is home to the University of Central Missouri.-History:Warrensburg...
, where he graduated from the State Normal School in 1887, after which he attended Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(A.B., 1893; A.M., 1894); then studied in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Paris (School of Anthropology), and at Berlin (1894-98; and at Yale
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
(Ph.D., 1905). He was employed at Yale
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
from 1902 onwards as instructor, lecturer, curator of the anthropological collections (1902-10), and assistant professor of archæology after 1910.
European hypothesis
MacCurdy argued for EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as the origin of the first humans, in his 1924 book Human Origins, he said: “The beginnings of things human, so far as we have been able to discover them, have their fullest exemplification in Europe”.
Works
He was the author of:- Obsidian razor of the Aztecs (1900)
- The Eolithic Problem (1905)
- Some Phases of Prehistoric Archœology (1907)
- Recent Discoveries Bearing on the Antiquity of Man in Europe (1910)
- A Study of Chiriquian Antiquities (1911)
- Review of Mayan Art (1913)
- Human Skulls from Gazelle Peninsula (1914)
- Human Origins (1924)