Ian Hodder
Encyclopedia
Ian Hodder FBA
(born 23 November 1948 in Bristol
) is a British
archaeologist and pioneer of postprocessualist
theory in archaeology
that first took root among his students and in his own work between 1980-1990. At this time he had such students as Henrietta Moore
, Ajay Pratap, Nandini Rao, Mike Parker Pearson
, Paul Lane, John Muke, Sheena Crawford, Nick Merriman, Michael Shanks
and Christopher Tilley
. , he is Dunlevie Family Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University
in the United States
.
Hodder's fieldwork involves excavating of the 9,000 year-old Neolithic
site of Çatalhöyük
in the central Anatolia
(modern Turkey
). He is Director of the Çatalhöyük Archaeological Project which aims to conserve the site, put into context, and present it to the public. He has endeavoured to explore the effects of non-positivistic
approaches on method in archaeology which includes providing each excavator with the opportunity to record his or her own individual interpretation of the site.
He obtained a Bachelor of Arts
degree
with First-Class Honors in Prehistoric Archaeology from the University of London
in 1971, and a PhD
on "spatial analysis in archaeology" at the University of Cambridge
in 1974. He was a lecturer at the University of Leeds
from 1974 to 1977 before moving back to Cambridge, where he held several academic positions, including Professor of Archaeology from 1996 to 1999. He moved to Stanford in 1999 and became Dunlevie Family Professor in 2002, and a Fellow
of the British Academy
in 1996.
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
(born 23 November 1948 in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
) is a British
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...
archaeologist and pioneer of postprocessualist
Post-processual archaeology
Post-processual archaeology, which is sometimes alternately referred to as the interpretative archaeologies by its adherents, is a movement in archaeological theory that emphasizes the subjectivity of archaeological interpretations...
theory in 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...
that first took root among his students and in his own work between 1980-1990. At this time he had such students as Henrietta Moore
Henrietta Moore
Henrietta L. Moore is a British social anthropologist. She is the William Wyse Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. Previously Moore was a Governor of the LSE; LSE Deputy Director for research and external relations 2002-2005, and served as the Director of the Gender...
, Ajay Pratap, Nandini Rao, Mike Parker Pearson
Mike Parker Pearson
Michael "Mike" Parker Pearson is a professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield in England. His books include The Archaeology of Death and Burial, Bronze Age Britain, Architecture and Order and In Search of the Red Slave...
, Paul Lane, John Muke, Sheena Crawford, Nick Merriman, Michael Shanks
Michael Shanks (archaeologist)
Michael Shanks is a British archaeologist who has specialized in Classical archaeology and archaeological theory. He received his BA and PhD from Cambridge University, and was a lecturer at the University of Wales, Lampeter before moving to the United States of America in 1999 to take up a Chair...
and Christopher Tilley
Christopher Tilley
Chris Tilley is a British archaeologist known for his contributions to postprocessualist archaeological theory. He is currently Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at University College London....
. , he is Dunlevie Family Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Hodder's fieldwork involves excavating of the 9,000 year-old Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
site of Çatalhöyük
Çatalhöyük
Çatalhöyük was a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlement in southern Anatolia, which existed from approximately 7500 BCE to 5700 BCE...
in the central Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
(modern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
). He is Director of the Çatalhöyük Archaeological Project which aims to conserve the site, put into context, and present it to the public. He has endeavoured to explore the effects of non-positivistic
Positivism
Positivism is a a view of scientific methods and a philosophical approach, theory, or system based on the view that, in the social as well as natural sciences, sensory experiences and their logical and mathematical treatment are together the exclusive source of all worthwhile information....
approaches on method in archaeology which includes providing each excavator with the opportunity to record his or her own individual interpretation of the site.
He obtained a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
with First-Class Honors in Prehistoric Archaeology from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in 1971, and a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
on "spatial analysis in archaeology" at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1974. He was a lecturer at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
from 1974 to 1977 before moving back to Cambridge, where he held several academic positions, including Professor of Archaeology from 1996 to 1999. He moved to Stanford in 1999 and became Dunlevie Family Professor in 2002, and a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
in 1996.
Selected publications
- Spatial analysis in archaeology (1976, with C. Orton)
- Symbols in action. Ethnoarchaeological studies of material culture (1982)
- The Present Past. An introduction to anthropology for archaeologists (1982)
- Reading the Past. Current approaches to interpretation in archaeology (1986) (revised 1991 and, with Scott Huston, 2003)
- The Domestication of Europe: structure and contingency in Neolithic societies (1990)
- Theory and Practice in Archaeology (1992) (Collected papers)
- On the Surface: Çatalhöyük 1993-95 (1996) As editor, Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara. ISBN 0-9519420-3-4.
- The Archaeological Process. An introduction (1999)
- Archaeology beyond dialogue (2004) (Collected papers)
- The Leopard's Tale: Revealing the Mysteries of Çatalhöyük (2006)
Further reading
- Balter, Michael. The Goddess and the Bull: Çatalhöyük: An Archaeological Journey to the Dawn of Civilization. New York: Free Press, 2004 (hardcover, ISBN 0-7432-4360-9); Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2006 (paperback, ISBN 1-59874-069-5).
- Kerig, Tim. Ian Hodder und die britische Archäologie. In: M. K. H. Eggert & U. Veit (Eds.): Theorien in der Archäologie: Zur englischsprachigen Diskussion. Tübinger Archaeologische Taschenbucher 1. p. 217-242. Münster: Waxmann 1998 (paperback ISBN 3-89325-594-X).
External links
- Home page at Stanford University
- Interview with the Society for California Archaeology in 1999