Ian Wolfran Cornwall (28 November 1909 – 18 November 1994) was a British archaeologist, academic and author. After working for the

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in their

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department from 1939 to 1945, Cornwall began working for the

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as a secretary in 1948. Years later, Cornwall starting teaching

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 London in 1951 and continued to teach at the university until 1974. While at London, Cornwall was part of a 1954 skeletal excavation at Tell es-Sultan. He also took part at excavations held at

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and

Knossos Knossos (also Cnossos, both pronounced ; grc, Κνωσός, Knōsós, ; Linear B: ''Ko-no-so'') is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and has been called Europe's oldest city. Settled as early as the Neolithic period, the na ...

during the late 1950s. As an author, Cornwall wrote several books during the late 1950s to early 1970s. Of his works, ''The Making of Man'' received the 1961 Carnegie Medal.

Early life and education

Cornwall's birth occurred in Coonoor,

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on 28 November 1909. After he attended school in

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as a teenager, Cornwall went to

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

and the

for his post-secondary studies between the 1930s to 1950s.

Career

For his first job, Cornwall sold

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. Other jobs that Cornwall held during the 1930s included working as a

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and making pharmaceutical drugs. From 1939 to 1945, Cornwall worked in the

department for the Ministry of Information. In 1948, Cornwall began his tenure at the archaeology department of London University. He started out as a secretary before beginning his teaching career in 1951. While at London, Cornwall became a

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in 1966 for their archaeology department. In 1974, Cornwall ended his tenure at London. At London, Cornwall worked as an

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 ...

during a 1954 excavation of partial human skeletons in Tell es-Sultan. At Tell es-Sultan, Cornwall sketched the overlapping bones found in each layer and identified which parts of the body they belonged to. In his 1956 paper, Cornwall theorized about the burial and exhumation practices that occurred with the Tell es-Sultan skeletons. Other excavation research that Cornwall took part in the late 1950s include sites in

and

. As a textbook author, Cornwall first published ''Bones for the Archaeologist'' in 1956 and its sequel ''Soils for the Archaeologist'' in 1958. During the 1960s, some of Cornwall's books included ''The World of Ancient Man'' in 1964 and ''Prehistoric Animals and their Hunters'' in 1968. For children, Cornwall first released ''The Making of Man'' in 1960 before the release of ''Hunters Half Moon'' in 1967. His final book was the 1970 publication ''Ice Ages: Their Nature and Effects''. Of his children's works, ''The Making of Man'' received the Carnegie Medal in 1961.

Death and personal life

Cornwall died on 18 November 1994. He was married twice and had two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornwall, I. W. 1909 births 1994 deaths British archaeologists Academics of the University of London British textbook writers Carnegie Medal in Literature winners Place of death missing