John Francis Blakiston CIE (21 March 1882 – 8 January 1965) was a British Indian archaeologist who served as Director General of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

(ASI) from 1935 to 1937.

Early life and education

Blakiston was born on 21 March 1882 in the United Kingdom and educated at the

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...

as an architect. In March 1911, Blakiston joined the Archaeological Survey of India. Blakiston was in active military service from 1915 to 1919 including a stint in France in 1917 and 1918.

Career

Blakiston served as Assistant Superintendent of Eastern Circle and later, Superintendent of the Northern Circle during the 1920s. He also served as Deputy Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, the second highest post in the survey during the tenures of John Marshall and

Harold Hargreaves Harold Hargreaves (born 29 May 1876) was a British Indian archaeologist who served as Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from 1928 to 1931. Early life Born on 29 May 1876, Hargreaves specialized in Buddhist iconography ...

before being superseded by

Daya Ram Sahni Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni CIE (16 December 1879 – 7 March 1939) was an Indian archaeologist who supervised the excavation of the Indus valley site at Harappa in 1920 to 1921 But the first report of Harappan excavations came out in 192 ...

in 1931. On Sahni's retirement on 1 June 1935, Blakiston succeeded him as Director General.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blakiston, J. F. 1882 births 1965 deaths Directors General of the Archaeological Survey of India Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian institute directors