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David Brainerd Spooner (February 7, 1879 - January 30, 1925) was an American archaeologist and linguist. He was born at Vernon,
David Brainerd Spooner Papers
housed at Stanford University Libraries
David Brainerd Spooner (February 7, 1879 - January 30, 1925) was an American archaeologist and linguist. He was born at Vernon, Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
.
Spooner graduated from Stanford University in 1899. Spooner first went to Japan to the Prefectural College of Omi at Ōtsu
270px, Ōtsu City Hall
is the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,991 in 153458 households and a population density of 740 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Ōtsu is ...
, as well as the School of Foreign languages, in Tokyo, and the Imperial University. He was the first foreigner to graduate from the Imperial University with a Literature diploma. He later attended the British Government College at Benares
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic tra ...
(1901–02) and the Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
College in Benares, (1902–03). Finally, through a Harvard fellowship, he received a Ph.D. from Frederick William University Friedrich Wilhelm University (German: ''Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität'') may refer to:
* Humboldt University of Berlin, called ''Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität'' from 1828 to 1949, and sometimes known in English as Frederick William University
* ...
in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, 1906.
Spooner worked and wrote extensively in the areas of archaeology, Indian religion, Indian history, as well as languages and linguistics. In India, he worked for the British Archaeological Survey. As Superintendent, Frontier Circle, he excavated Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
sites at Sahri-Bahlol in 1906 and in Takht-i-Bahi
Takht-i-Bahi ( Persian/ ur, , translation=throne of the water spring), is an Indo-Parthian archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery in Mardan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The site is considered among the most important relics of Bu ...
in 1907. He was the discoverer of the Kanishka reliquary at Shaji-ki-Dheri. Later from 1910, as Superintendent, Eastern Circle, he excavated archaeological sites in Basrah
Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is ha ...
(Vaisali
Vaishali district is a district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is a part of Tirhut division. Vaishali is known for being the birthplace of Mahavira of the Jain religion. Hajipur, its largest city and district headquarters, is known for its ...
), Patna
Patna (
), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...
(where he excavated the archaeological site of Kumhrar
Kumhrar or Kumrahar is the area of Patna where remains of the ancient city of Pataliputra were excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India starting from 1913. It is located 5 km east of Patna Railway Station.
Archaeological remains of ...
and small portions of Bulandi Bagh), and Nalanda.
He assisted 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 Alexand ...
Director General, John Marshall. In 1919 he was nominated Deputy Director General. For his works and services, he received an O.B.E.
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
He died in Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, at the age of 46, on January 30, 1925.
Works
* The Zoroastrian period of Indian history, by David Brainerd Spooner, 1915External links
David Brainerd Spooner Papers
housed at Stanford University Libraries
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spooner, David Brainerd 1879 births 1925 deaths American orientalists Stanford University alumni American Indologists