Peter Storr Garlake (11 January 1934 - 2 December 2011) was a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

an archaeologist and art historian, who made influential contributions to the study of Great Zimbabwe and Ife,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Life

Garlake began his career in

African art African art describes the modern and historical paintings, sculptures, installations, and other visual culture from native or indigenous Ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and the African continent. The definition may also include the art of the ...

and archaeology as a Nuffield Research Student, British Institute in Eastern Africa from 1962 to 1964, carrying out excavations at Manekweni in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

.M. Sibanda, H. Moyana et al. 1992. ''The African Heritage. History for Junior Secondary Schools. Book 1''. Zimbabwe Publishing House. From 1964 to 1970, Garlake served as the Rhodesian Inspector of Monuments and was on faculty at the

University of Rhodesia The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University ...

. During this time his research focused on the early history of Great Zimbabwe. He argued that Great Zimbabwe was constructed by the ancestors of the current inhabitants of the area, the

Shona people The Shona people () are part of the Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, primarily living in Zimbabwe where they form the majority of the population, as well as Mozambique, South Africa, and a worldwide diaspora including global celebriti ...

, as opposed to being constructed by a non-African or outsider civilization. This research was opposed by the whites-only Rhodesian government, including the prime minister,

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1 ...

, and Garlake was forced to leave the country in 1970. Garlake relocated to Ife, Nigeria, and between 1971 and 1973 was a senior research fellow at the University of Ife, where he researched the early art and archaeology of Ile-Ife. From 1976 to 1981, Garlake held an appointment as lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. Following Zimbabwean Independence, Garlake returned to Zimbabwe and spent the next ten years conducting his research on early Zimbabwean rock art. Garlake had to leave Rhodesia to move to Barnes with his 3 Children and wife. He then returned to the new Zimbabwean Independence once allowed under the new Government. After years of work, he finally settled in Barnes London, where he had 3 Grandchildren, 2 Granddaughters and 1 Grandson, all under the names of Garlake.

Works

*''The Early Islamic Architecture of the East African Coast'' (1966) *''Great Zimbabwe'' (1973) *''The Kingdoms of Africa'' (1978) *''The Hunter's Vision'' (1995) *''Early Art and Architecture of Africa'' (2002)

References

Zimbabwean people of British descent White Rhodesian people Zimbabwean exiles University of Zimbabwe 1934 births 2011 deaths Zimbabwean archaeologists Zimbabwean expatriates in Nigeria Academic staff of Obafemi Awolowo University Zimbabwean expatriates in Mozambique Rhodesian archaeologists Rhodesian people of British descent Academic staff of the University of Zimbabwe {{Zimbabwe-bio-stub