Below are notable events in archaeology that occurred in

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

Explorations

* Chaco Canyon is surveyed and photographed by Victor and

Cosmos Mindeleff Cosmos Mindeleff (1863–1938) started his career as assistant to his brother Victor Mindeleff, who was employed by the Bureau of American Ethnology to conduct studies of Pueblo architecture in the 1880s. In 1882, James Stevenson and the Mindel ...

of the

Bureau of American Ethnology The Bureau of American Ethnology (or BAE, originally, Bureau of Ethnology) was established in 1879 by an act of Congress for the purpose of transferring archives, records and materials relating to the Indians of North America from the Interior D ...

. *

Heinrich Schliemann Johann Ludwig Heinrich Julius Schliemann (; 6 January 1822 – 26 December 1890) was a German businessman and pioneer in the field of archaeology. He was an advocate of the historicity of places mentioned in the works of Homer and an archaeologi ...

attempts to locate the

tomb of Alexander the Great The tomb of Alexander the Great is attested in several historical accounts, but its current exact location is an enduring mystery. Following Alexander's death in Babylon, his body was initially buried in Memphis by Ptolemy I Soter, before bein ...

in Alexandria, but is denied permission to excavate.

Excavations

* May 22 -

Augustus Pitt Rivers Lieutenant General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers (14 April 18274 May 1900) was an English officer in the British Army, ethnologist, and archaeologist. He was noted for innovations in archaeological methodology, and in the museum display o ...

begins excavation of Bokerly Dyke. * Excavations of Hawara in Egypt by Flinders Petrie, finds including papyri containing parts of Homer's '' Iliad'' (the "Hawara Homer"), and the Fayum mummy portraits. * Excavations of

Nippur Nippur (Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Nibru'', often logogram, logographically recorded as , EN.LÍLKI, "Enlil City;"The Cambridge Ancient History: Prolegomena & Prehistory': Vol. 1, Part 1. Accessed 15 Dec 2010. Akkadian language, Akkadian: '' ...

sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania begin (continues through 1900). * Excavations of the

Cadmea The Cadmea, or Cadmeia (Greek: Καδμεία, ''Kadmía''), was the citadel of ancient Thebes, Greece, which was named after Cadmus, the legendary founder of Thebes. The area is thought to have been settled since at least the early Bronze Age, ...

(Καδμεία, citadel) in Thebes, Greece, by the German Archaeological Institute at Athens begin. *

Carl Humann Carl Humann (first name also ''Karl''; 4 January 1839 – 12 April 1896) was a German engineer, architect and archaeologist. He discovered the Pergamon Altar. Biography Early Years Humann was born in Steele, part of today's Essen - German ...

directs new excavations in Sam'al and a trial excavation in Tralles (modern

Aydın Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar'', Ancient and Modern Greek: Τράλλεις /''Tralleis''/) is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of B ...

Finds

*December 18 - Discovery of three villages by

Richard Wetherill Richard Wetherill (1858–1910), a member of a Colorado ranching family, was an amateur archaeologist who discovered, researched and excavated sites associated with the Ancient Pueblo People. He is credited with the rediscovery of Cliff Palac ...

and his brother-in-law Charlie Mason while tracking stray cattle: Cliff Palace, Spruce Tree House, and Square Tower House; now part of Mesa Verde National Park. *

Llantwit Major Roman Villa The Llantwit Major Roman Villa was a Roman L-shaped courtyard villa located at what is now Caermead, immediately north of the town of Llantwit Major in the Welsh county of South Glamorgan. The villa was first discovered in 1887 and was fully ex ...

. *The

Mourning Athena The so-called Mourning Athena is an Athenian marble relief dated circa 460 BC. The relief is 0.48 m high and made of Parian marble. It is displayed at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, inventory no. 695. Description The goddess, marked by her h ...

relief is found near the Acropolis of Athens.

Publications

* '' American Anthropologist'' journal is founded. * Archibald Sayce, ''The Hittites: The Story of a Forgotten Empire''.

Miscellaneous

* January 13 - National Geographic Society formed in the United States.

Births

*February 1 - Gertrude Caton Thompson, English archaeologist of Africa (d.

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

) *August 16 -

T. E. Lawrence Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

, British archaeologist of the Middle East, military officer, diplomat and author (d.

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

) *October 6 - Birger Nerman,

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

archaeologist (d.

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

)

Deaths

* March 10 - Lucy Wright Mitchell, American archaeologist (b.

1845 Events January–March * January 10 – Elizabeth Barrett receives a love letter from the younger poet Robert Browning; on May 20, they meet for the first time in London. She begins writing her ''Sonnets from the Portuguese''. * January 23 ...

)

References

{{reflist Archaeology Archaeology by year Archaeology Archaeology