William R. Coe (archaeologist)
Encyclopedia
William Robertson Coe II (28 November 1926 — 23 November 2009) was an American academic, archaeologist and Mayanist
scholar, renowned for his extensive field work
and publications on pre-Columbian
Maya civilization
sites. He is best known for his decades of work and investigations at Tikal
, the major site in the Petén Basin
region of modern-day Guatemala
and one of the largest and most dominant Maya sites of the Classic period
. Coe led the excavation and investigation project at Tikal during the 1960s, and was responsible for coordinating much of the site's restoration work and compiling the voluminous documentation of the field seasons' reports. His academic career was spent in association with the University of Pennsylvania
where he studied and later taught as professor in anthropology, and its Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
where he curated the museum's American collection.
Mayanist
A Mayanist is a scholar specialising in research and study of the Central American pre-Columbian Maya civilization. This discipline should not be confused with Mayanism, a collection of New Age beliefs about the ancient Maya....
scholar, renowned for his extensive field work
Archaeological field survey
Archaeological field survey is the method by which archaeologists search for archaeological sites and collect information about the location, distribution and organization of past human cultures across a large area...
and publications on pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Maya civilization
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
sites. He is best known for his decades of work and investigations at Tikal
Tikal
Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala...
, the major site in the Petén Basin
Petén Basin
The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of Mesoamerica, located in the northern portion of the modern-day nation of Guatemala, and essentially contained within the department of El Petén...
region of modern-day Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and one of the largest and most dominant Maya sites of the Classic period
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
. Coe led the excavation and investigation project at Tikal during the 1960s, and was responsible for coordinating much of the site's restoration work and compiling the voluminous documentation of the field seasons' reports. His academic career was spent in association with the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
where he studied and later taught as professor in anthropology, and its Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, commonly called The Penn Museum, is an archaeology and anthropology museum that is part of the University of Pennsylvania in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:An internationally renowned...
where he curated the museum's American collection.