Erich Friedrich Schmidt (September 13, 1897 – October 3, 1964) was a German and
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
-naturalized
archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
, born in
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...
. He specialized in
Ancient Near East
The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran ( Elam, ...
Archaeology, and became professor emeritus at the
Oriental Institute of the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
. He was also a pioneer in using aerial photography in archaeological research.
Biography
When he was young, his father died, and Erich was sent to the military school (Kadettenkorps) in Karlsruhe. He graduated in 1914 as a lieutenant in the German Army just as WWI started. He fought in the war with distinction, but then was seriously wounded in the fighting in Austrian Galicia in 1916. After the battle, Schmidt was found by the Russians on the battle field, and spent the next four years in a prisoner-of-war camp. In 1920, he found his way home to Germany. There he learned that his mother and three siblings died in the meantime. Then he attended Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität (now
Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
).
In 1923 he moved to the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, and studied anthropology at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, where he was a student of
Franz Boas
Franz Uri Boas (July 9, 1858 – December 21, 1942) was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology". His work is associated with the movements known as historical ...
.
From December 1925 through January 1926, Schmidt conducted stratigraphic test excavations at Pueblo Grande and La Ciudad, two Hohokam sites that he later used for his dissertation. He was one of the pioneers of Hohokam studies.
In 1927, James Henry Breasted of the Oriental Institute invited Schmidt to join the Anatolia-Hittite Expedition as an assistant archaeologist.
He became co-director of the
Oriental Institute Hittite Expedition, with H.H. Von der Osten, and later on dug in sites as
Tepe Hissar
Tepe Hissar (also spelled Tappeh Hesār) is a prehistoric site located in the village Heydarabad just south of Damghan in Semnan Province in northeastern Iran.
The site is notable for its uninterrupted occupational history from the 5th to th ...
near
Damghan
Damghan ( fa, دامغان, translit=Dāmghān) is the capital of Damghan County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 57,331, in 15,849 families. It is situated east of Tehran on the high-road to Mashad, at an elevatio ...
in searching for ancient city
Hecatompylos
Qumis ( fa, قومس; Middle Persian ''𐭪𐭥𐭬𐭩𐭮 Kōmis''), also known as Hecatompylos ( grc, Ἑκατόμπυλος, in fa, صددروازه, ''Saddarvazeh'') was an ancient city which was the capital of the Arsacid dynasty by 200 ...
, and
Rey. His most celebrated survey took place in
Persepolis
, native_name_lang =
, alternate_name =
, image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg
, image_size =
, alt =
, caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.
, map =
, map_type ...
(
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
), from 1934 up to 1939.
Erich Schmidt was pioneer in
aerial photography
Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography.
Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircra ...
of archaeological sites, especially in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. In 1935, Schmidt had to approach
Reza Shah Pahlavi
,
, spouse = Maryam Savadkoohi Tadj ol-Molouk Ayromlu (queen consort)Turan AmirsoleimaniEsmat Dowlatshahi
, issue = Princess Hamdamsaltaneh Princess ShamsMohammad Reza Shah Princess Ashraf Prince Ali Reza Prince Gholam Reza Prin ...
directly for permission to fly over the country. After he obtained it, he made many flights and did a lot of mapping.
He was married twice, in 1934, to Mary-Helen Warden (who later died), and in 1943, to Lura Florence Strawn, with whom they had two children, Richard Roderick (the noted award-winning filmmaker) and Erika Lura. He died in
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...
, in 1964; unfortunately, he was not able to complete many of his plans, and thus much of his excavation work remained unpublished. Some of it was later re-investigated and published by other scholars.
[Ayşe Gürsan-Salzmann, ''The New Chronology of the Bronze Age Settlement of Tepe Hissar, Iran''. University Museum Monograph 142, University of Pennsylvania Museum, 2016]
Notes
Works
*''Time-Relations of Prehistoric Pottery Types in Southern Arizona'', Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History 30, no. 5 (1928)
*''Anatolia Through the Ages: Discoveries at the Alishar Mound, 1927-1929'' (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1931).
*''Excavations at Tepe Hissar, Damghan'' (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1937).
*''Flights Over Ancient Cities of Iran'' (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1940).
*''Persepolis I: Structures, Reliefs, Inscriptions'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,1953).
*''Persepolis II: Contents of the Treasury and Other Discoveries'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957).
*''Persepolis III: The Royal Tombs and Other Monuments'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970).
*''The Treasury of Persepolis and Other Discoveries in the Homeland of the Achaemenians'', OIC 21 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1939);
External links
Schmidt, Erich Friedrich, 1897-1964snaccooperative.org
and
atalog of expedition photographs at th
Oriental Institute websiteBiography and list of papers at the American Museum of Natural History Division of Anthropology Archives (archived)Current version
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, Erich
1897 births
1964 deaths
People from the Grand Duchy of Baden
People from Baden-Baden
German emigrants to the United States
Iranologists
University of Chicago faculty
Naturalized citizens of the United States
20th-century American archaeologists