Hilary John Deacon (10 January 1936 – 25 May 2010)
was a South African archaeologist and academic. He was
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
of
archaeology
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 ...
at the
University of Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...
in
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. His research focused on the emergence of modern humans and African archaeology.
[Deacon, H.J., Deacon, J. 1999]
''Human beginnings in South Africa: uncovering the secrets of the Stone Age.''
Altamira Press. He was principal researcher at the
Klasies River Caves
The Klasies River Caves are a series of caves located to the east of the Klasies River mouth on the Tsitsikamma coast in the Humansdorp district of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The three main caves and two shelters at the base of a hi ...
, one of the oldest known sites of anatomically modern humans, who lived there circa 125,000 years ago.
Early life and education
Hilary Deacon was born in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
and did his undergraduate studies in Geology and Archaeology at the
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
, graduating in 1955. He then worked as an exploration
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...
in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana and the United Kingdom for 6 years.
He returned to UCT to do an Honours degree in Archaeology under Ray Inskeep in 1962. Here he met the archaeologist,
Janette Buckland, whom he married in 1962.
Career
He was appointed Archaeologist and later became Deputy Director of the
Albany Museum
The Albany Museum, South Africa is situated in Grahamstown in South Africa, is affiliated to Rhodes University and dates back to 1855,Chinsamy, Anusuya. (1997). "Albany Museum, Grahamstown, South Africa." ''Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs''. Edited by ...
in
Grahamstown
Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London, Eastern Cape, East London. Makhanda is the lar ...
where he worked from 1963 to 1971.
He was the recipient of a British Council Scholarship in 1967 that enabled him to attend the University College London. It was here that he was able to gain experience in the preparation of pollen samples, charcoal and other organic material from archaeological sites. He then established the Department of Archaeology at the University of Stellenbosch, until his retirement in 1999. He received his
PhD from the
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
in 1974. He was a
visiting professor
In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...
at
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
(1986); a visiting fellow at
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
,
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
(1984); and a visiting professor at 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 ...
(1978).
His research centred around the emergence of modern humans and multidisciplinary African archaeology. He was principal researcher at the well-known sites of Scott's Cave,
Amanzi,
Howiesons Poort
Howiesons Poort (also called HP) is a lithic technology cultural period in the Middle Stone Age in Africa named after the Howieson's Poort Shelter archeological site near Grahamstown in South Africa. It seems to have lasted around 5,000 years bet ...
, Wilton,
Melkhoutboom, Highlands,
Boomplaas and
Matjes River, and latterly at
Klasies River, one of the oldest known cave sites with well-preserved anatomically modern human remains dating from circa 115,000 years ago. Deacon taught archaeology at the University of Stellenbosch and authored over a hundred publications in journals, books, monographs and conference proceedings.
He served on the Council of the University and also as Past-President of the
South African Archaeological Society
The South African Archaeological Society was founded in 1945 to promote public awareness of archaeology and its findings in southern Africa, facilitating interaction between professional archaeologists and people with a lay interest in the subject. ...
, the Southern African Association of Archaeologists, the South African Society for Quaternary Research, and member of the Board of
Iziko Museums in Cape Town.
Personal life
Deacon was married to
Janette Deacon
Janette Deacon (née Buckland, born 25 November 1939) is a South African archaeologist specialising in heritage management and rock art conservation. She has studied the changes in stone tools from sites in the southern Cape in relation to climat ...
,
who also taught archaeology at the University of Stellenbosch.
See also
*
List of fossil sites
This list of fossil sites is a worldwide list of localities known well for the presence of fossils. Some entries in this list are notable for a single, unique find, while others are notable for the large number of fossils found there. Many of t ...
''(with link directory)''
*
List of hominina (hominid) fossils ''(with images)''
*
Late Stone Age
The Later Stone Age (LSA) is a period in African prehistory that follows the Middle Stone Age.
The Later Stone Age is associated with the advent of modern human behavior in Africa, although definitions of this concept and means of studying it ar ...
References
External links
Hilary Deacon at PBS Archive*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deacon, Hilary
1936 births
2010 deaths
Alumni of the University of London
South African archaeologists
People from Cape Town
University of Cape Town alumni
Academic staff of Stellenbosch University
Prehistorians
Presidents of the South African Archaeological Society