Ray T. Matheny (15 February 1925 – 1 July 2020) was a professor of anthropology at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU).

Biography

Matheny was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Matheny was in the United States Air Corps during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was shot down while flying over Germany in January 1944, and spent over a year as a prisoner at Stalag 17-B near Krems, Austria. After the war he was a mechanic for Western Air Lines and then joined the military again to serve in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. By the time he began his studies at BYU he was a 32-year-old freshman with a wife and four children. He earned his BA and Master's degrees at Brigham Young University in 1960 and 1962, and a PhD degree in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in 1968. He was involved in many archaeological expeditions to

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

cities. He was closely connected with the New World Archaeology Foundation. Matheny was also involved in archaeological studies of the Southwestern United States,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, Great Basin, and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. He directed archaeology field schools in Montezuma Canyon and Nine Mile Canyon, Utah. He edited a volume on the rock art of the inter-mountain region of the United States. In 2002 the government of

Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...

recognized Matheny for his contributions to Mayan archeology. Matheny was also closely connected with the establishment of the BYU Field School in Southern Utah. The University of Utah press published a collection of essays in his honor, written by colleges, many his former students, which focused heavily on south-west US and Meso-American archeology. Matheny was an active member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

.Matheny obituary
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References

External links

''list of articles by Ray T. Matheny''another ''BYU Magazine'', Fall 2001 article on MathenyRay T. Matheny interview, MSS SC 3195
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matheny, Ray 1925 births 2020 deaths American Latter Day Saints Brigham Young University alumni University of Oregon alumni American anthropologists American Mesoamericanists Brigham Young University faculty