The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) is an international membership organization founded in 1934 to advance research and training in archaeology and to promote the conservation of archaeological resources of the Americas. It publishes American Antiquity, one of the premiere journal of archaeology of North America, since 1935, and has hosted an Annual Meeting since that same year. Other areas of activity include the development of professional standards and ethics, promotion of the public's understanding of archaeology, advocacy for Federal legislation protecting archaeological resources, and encouragement of connections between professional and avocational archaeologists. The Society for American Archaeology records contain materials related to the ongoing administration, management, and interests of the SAA through mainly correspondence, reports, research, mailings, financial records, and program planning documents.
Scope and Contents:
The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) records contain administrative and professional correspondence, reports, surveys, publication records, journals, books, member and grant applications, programs, memorandums, contracts, ballots, mailings, research, notes, planning materials, certificates and awards, press releases, financial records, meeting minutes, teaching materials, sound recordings, video recordings, and photographs. These materials relate to a wide range of the SAA's activities including administration and management, finances, publishing, membership, awards, the Annual Meeting, public education, public archaeology, professional standards, government affairs and cultural property law, work with allied organizations, ethics, and special workshops.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
The Society for American Archaeology records are arranged into 13 series: 1) Records of the Secretary-Treasurer and Secretary, 1934-1962; 2) Records of the Treasurer, 1935-1950; 3) President's correspondence, 1947-1948; 4) Executive Committee Meeting minutes, 1945-2003; 5) Records of Officers, 1950-2000; 6) Administrative records, 1934-2022; 7) Annual conference, 1935-2020; 8) Public and professional program committees, 1966-2016; 9) Government affairs, 1968-2021; 10)Affiliated and allied organizations, 1968-2005; 11) Special conferences, workshops, and projects, 1974-2006; 12) Published materials, 1983-2007; and 13) Photographs, 1985-2018
Historical note:
The Society for American Archaeology grew out of the Committee on State Archaeological Surveys of the National Research Council's Division of Anthropology and Psychology. Appointed in 1920 to "encourage and assist" eastern and midwestern states in the organization of archaeological surveys, the Committee came to act as a coordinating body and information clearinghouse for archaeologists and government agencies engaged in archaeological field work. The Committee expanded its activities and network through the 1920s but lacked long-term financial support. By 1933 its leaders identified the need for a permanent, independent organization to take up the work of the Committee and address the lack of standards, training, and communication among professional researchers and avocational archaeologists, which they saw as impediments to the preservation of archaeological data. Carl E. Guthe, then Chairman of the Committee, led the work of establishing the new organization.
In 1934, Guthe drafted a constitution and bylaws for the nascent group and distributed the documents among the Committee's network to solicit comments and generate interest among potential members. The Society for American Archaeology was formally established at an "organizational meeting" on December 28, 1934, when attendees approved Guthe's final version of the constitution and bylaws and elected the first cohort of officers: Arthur C. Parker, President; M. R. Harrington, Vice President; Carl E. Guthe, Secretary-Treasurer; W. C. McKern, Editor. In keeping with its goal of bridging the divide between professional and non-professional archaeologists, anyone with an interest in "furthering the objects of the Society" could apply for membership, regardless of professional affiliation.
The SAA is governed by a constitution and bylaws which are voted on by members and implemented by an Executive Committee, referred to as the Council in the early years. The Executive Committee composition has varied through the years. Until the 1960s, most administrative duties were carried out by the Secretary, who assembled the minutes of Executive Committee meetings, circulated background materials among its members, and collected reports from SAA committees. The Secretary's office also acted as a "clearinghouse and advisory center on archaeological matters" for SAA members and the public. Without a true business headquarters, the Secretary's office essentially served as the SAA's central office, with the outgoing Secretaries passing on their files to the incoming Secretaries at the end of their terms.
In the 1960s, SAA began contracting with the business office of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) to manage its business operations. That arrangement lasted until the early 1980s, when AAA stopped providing business services to smaller organizations and offered SAA the option to become part of AAA. SAA members voted against merging with AAA, and in 1983 SAA contracted with Bostrom Management to administer its business affairs, an arrangement that included hiring a part-time Executive Director. In 1987, the Executive Committee enlisted a management consultant to conduct a business analysis and identify options for improving SAA's finances and administration. The result of this analysis, referred to as "The Evans Report," was circulated the following year, leading to a major reorganization that would occupy the Executive Committee through the early 1990s. Those efforts ultimately resulted in the establishment of a central office in Washington, D.C., and the hiring of SAA's first full-time Executive Director in 1992. It was during this intense period of reorganization that the structure and governance of SAA began to resemble that of the present day.
Works Consulted:
"Archival Sources Sought." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology 1, no 4 (September 1983): 5. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1983_volume-1/saa-bulletin-1-4_sept.pdf?sfvrsn=d6c0f71a_2
"Articles of Incorporation." SAA Records, Acc 1998-85, Box 4, folder: 1972 (mimeograph from Lehman/AAA) - Final box/folder location TBD. Society for American Archaeology records, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
"The Constitution of the Society for American Archaeology." American Antiquity 1, no. 2 (1935): 146–48. http://www.jstor.org/stable/276027.
"Constitution and By-Laws of the Society for American Archaeology." American Antiquity 13, no. 2 (1947): 198–200. http://www.jstor.org/stable/275700.
Dincauze, Dena F. "Office of the President: 52nd Annual Meeting." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology. 5, no. 3 (July 1987): 1-2. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1987/saa-bulletin-5-3.pdf?sfvrsn=30b9179d_4
Fowler, Don D, and Green, Dee. "Change in SAA Management Announced." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology 1, no 4 (September 1983): 1-4. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1983_volume-1/saa-bulletin-1-4_sept.pdf?sfvrsn=d6c0f71a_2
Goldstein, Lynne. "The Structure of the SAA." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology. 9, no. 8 (June 1988): 8. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1991/saa-bulletin-9-3_june.pdf?sfvrsn=b101aaac_2
Guthe, Carl E. "Prospectus." Department of Anthropology Records. Division of Archaeology. Office Files. Box 14, Museum-Misc. Lists - O. Folder: National Research Council [ca. 1932-1945], folder 2 of 2. Society for American Archaeology records, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Guthe, Carl E. "Reflections on the Founding of the Society for American Archaeology." American Antiquity 32, no. 4 (1967): 433–40. https://doi.org/10.2307/2694072.
O'Brien, Michael J. and Lyman, R. Lee. "Gentle Persuasion: The National Research Council and Southeastern Archaeology." Journal of Alabama Archaeology 46, no. 1 (2000): 1-42. [https://cladistics.coas.missouri.edu/assets/pdf_articles/AlaA46.pdf]
Wendorf, Fred, and Raymond H. Thompson. "The Committee for the Recovery of Archaeological Remains: Three Decades of Service to the Archaeological Profession." American Antiquity 67, no. 2 (2002): 317–30. https://doi.org/10.2307/2694569.
"Society for American Archaeology." American Antiquity 34, no. 4 (1969): 499–506. http://www.jstor.org/stable/277764.
"The Society for American Archaeology Organization Meeting." American Antiquity 1, no. 2 (1935): 141–46. http://www.jstor.org/stable/276026.
"Organization of the Society for American Archaeology." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology 9, no. 2 (March 1991): 6. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1991/saa-bulletin-9-2_march.pdf?sfvrsn=75834181_2
Rice, Prudence M. "Surveying the Field." Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology 10, no. 1 (January 1992): 3-4. https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/saa-bulletin/1992/saa-bulletin-10-1.pdf?sfvrsn=d095e8fd_2
List of abbreviations commonly referenced:
Includes abbrevations used throughout the Society for American Archaeology's records.
AAA - American Anthropological Association
AAAS - American Association for the Advancement of Science
AAM - American Alliance of Museums
AAQ - American Antiquity
ACHP - Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
ACOE - Army Corps of Engineers
AFFA - Association for Field Archaeology
AIA - Archaeological Institute of America
AIRFA - American Indian Religious Freedom Act
AM - Annual Meeting
A&PE - Archaeology and Public Education
ARPA - Archaeological Resources Protection Act
BLM - Bureau of Land Management
BOR - Bureau of Reclamation
CCONAS - Coordinating Council of National Archaeological Societies
CEHP - Centre for Environment, Heritage and Policy
CoAS - Council of Affiliated Societies
COPA - Committee on Public Archaeology
COSWA - Committee on the Status of Women in Archaeology
CRM - Cultural Resource Management
DCA - Departmental Consulting Archaeologist
DOI - Department of the Interior
GAC - Government Affairs Committee
ICOMOS - International Council on Monuments and Sites
LAQ - Latin American Antiquity
NCPTT - National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
NCSHPO - National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers
NEH - National Endowment for the Humanities
NHPA - National Historic Preservation Act
NPCC -National Preservation Coordinating Council
NPS - National Park Service
NSF - National Science Foundation
OSM - Office of Surface Mining
PEC - Public Education Committee
PMOA - Programmatic Memorandum of Agreement
ROPA - Register of Professional Archaeologists
SAA - Society for American Archaeology
SHA - Society of Historical Archaeology
SOPA - Society of Professional Archaeologists
Chronology:
Includes a concise chronology of SAA events related to the content of this collection.
1920: Committee on State Archaeological Surveys created by NRC/NAS
1934: Society for American Archaeology formally established
1935: First issue of -- American Antiquity
1935: First Annual Meeting of the SAA
1937: Committee on State Archaeological Surveys disbanded
1939: First issue of the -- SAA Notebook -- distributed to membership
1942: Last issue of -- SAA Notebook
1942: Revised and amended constitution, splitting the Secretary-Treasurer into two separate roles, and eliminates Fellow/Affiliate distinction (among other changes) is approved and takes effect.
1943: No Annual Meeting; executive business conducted by mail
1969: Membership applications now handled through the AAA business office rather SAA Secretary
1970: Major revision to constitution
1972: Incorporated in D.C.
1974: The Archeological and Historic Preservation Act (APHA) and "Moss-Bennett Act" passed, with goal of providing federal funding to mitigate destruction of archeological sites in specific circumstances.
1974: Arlie House Seminars held ("Six Seminars on the Future Directions of Archaeology")
1983: Resolved against merger with AAA (aka "the break with AAA")
1983: Change from AAA to Bostrom firm to manage business activities
1983: First issue of -- SAA Bulletin
1985: SAA and SOPA co-host the Conference on Reburial Issues
1988: Evans Report on Management announced
1989: Changes to Articles of Incorporation
1989: New Bylaws adopted that change the organizational structure of SAA
1989: SAA Hosts Anti-Looting Conference in Taos
1990: First issue of -- Latin American Antiquity
1990: Executive Board approves plan to establish in-house admin/operations office
1992: Transition to "independent home office" and hiring of full-time Executive Director
1993: Last year of last term in which Editor of -- American Antiquity -- is an Officer
1997: SAA, SOPA, and Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) approve formation of Register of Professional Archaeologist (ROPA), which begins work in 1998.
1998: Executive Board name change to Board of Directors
2000: Last issue of -- SAA Bulletin
2001: Begin publishing -- The Archaeological Record
Restrictions:
Some material in Subseries 6.6: Membership, is restricted until 2070. Born digital media is restricted due to preservation concerns, contact the repository for further information.
Access to the Society for American Archaeology records requires an appointment.
American Association for the Advancement of Science Search this
American Association of Physical Anthropologists Search this
Extent:
70 Linear feet (Approximately 70 linear feet of textual materials and over 30,000 photographic items.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1930s-1980s
Summary:
The papers of John Lawrence Angel present a complete portrait of the professional life of one of the most important and influential physical anthropologists in the United States. Angel was best known for his work with cultures in the eastern Mediterranean and for his work in forensic anthropology; but his contributions were widespread. His influence was felt in studies of human microevolution, the relationship between environment and disease, human evolution, and paleopathology. His research was said to be ten years ahead of its time.
The papers include correspondence with many of the leading anthropologists of the time; honors and awards bestowed on Angel; materials on Angel's educational career, both as an undergraduate and as a teacher; extensive photographs; a virtually complete collection of his writings; materials concerning his research and his work in forensic anthropology; and his activities in professional organizations. The bulk of the papers reflect Angel's life-long interest in examining the relationship between culture and biology in human groups through time. There are a few records on Angel's administrative involvement in the Department of Anthropology of the United States National Museum/National Museum of Natural History.
Scope and Contents:
Angel began his undergraduate studies at Harvard University in the classics, following in the footsteps of his American mother (who trained as a classicist and was the daughter of a Yale University professor of Greek) and his British father, who was a sculptor. While still an undergraduate, Angel came under the influence of Clyde Kluckhohn, Carleton S. Coon, and Earnest A. Hooton, and his interest turned to anthropology. The combination of anatomy and classicist training developed into a life-long interest and work in the social biology of the peoples of Greece and the Near East.
In addition to his work in Greece and the Near East, the papers include Angel's studies of American populations of colonial peoples and slaves; his forensic anthropology analyses of skeletal remains for law enforcement groups and the United States military; his studies of obesity and other diseases and the possible genetic link behind them; Angel's analysis of the skeletal remains of James Smithson; his involvement in early reburial issues concerning American Indians, particularly the return of the remains of Captain Jack and other Modocs; and Angel's concern and involvement in civil liberty matters and in community affairs.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
(1) Miscellaneous personal papers, 1933-1986; (2) correspondence, 1936-1986; (3) research in the eastern Mediterranean, 1936-1986; (4) anthropology of chronic disease, 1943-1965; (5) Harvard University-Johns Hopkins University Hospital anthropology study, 1959-1964; (6) five generation study, 1962-1985; (7) skull thickness project, 1968-1976; (8) biological and cultureal microdifferential among rural populations of Yugoslavia, 1981-1986; (9) First African Baptist Church, Philadelphia, 1983-1987; (10) other research projects (bone density change, Catoctin Furnace site, Virginia colonial sites), 1945-1986; (11) education, 1940-1986; (12) legal matters, 1962-1986; (13) reference materials, 1930-1986; (14) writing of J. Lawrence Angel, 1932-1988; (15) Smithsonian Department of Anthropology, Division of Physical Anthropology, 1961-1968; (16) professional organizations and meetings, 1942-1987; (17) writings by other authors, 1950-1985; (18) grants, 1951-1962; (19) miscellany, 1937-1985; (20) photographs, 1936-1986
Biographical Note:
J. Lawrence Angel was educated in the classics in his native England and at The Choate School in Connecticut. He studied anthropology at Harvard University (A.B., 1936; Ph.D., 1942). He was an instructor at the University of California at Berkeley in 1941-1942 and at the University of Minnesota in 1942-1943. In 1943-1962, he was on the staff of the Daniel Baugh Institute of Anatomy at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, starting as an assistant and rsising to a professor. In 1962, he became the curator for physical anthropology in the Smithsonian Institution's Department of Anthropology and continued in that position until he died. Angel was also a research associate with the University Museum of the University of of Pennsylvania, 1946-1962; civil consultant in surgical anatomy of the United States Naval Hospital in Philadelphia, 1957-1962; visiting professor of anatomy, Howard University, 1962-1986; and professorial lecturer at the George Washington University, 1962-1986. He was also a lecturer in forensic pathology at the department of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, and visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley in 1962.
Angel summarized his research interests as (1) human social biology, involving the "interrrelations of health, disease, body build, longevity, genetic mixture and variability with each other, with climate and ecology, and with level of culture, nutrition and achievement as seen in history, in evolution, or clinically"; (2) palaeodemography as related to the rise and decline of disease (falciparum malaria)"; and (3) "relation of structure to function and to genetic determinants as seen in form of joints and in density, mineral historology and muscularity of bones, or in process of 'arthritic' change in relation to aging."
The single most enduring interest in Angel's career was the pre- and proto-history of the population of Greece and nearby areas of the eastern Mediterranean. Beginning in 1937, Angel made repeated trips to the region, only highlights of which are provided here. In 1938, he studied skeletal material from Troy which W.T. Semple, of the University of Cincinnati had deposited in the Archaeological Museum at Istanbul. In 1938, he studied skeletal material mostly excavated in the area of Corinth. He worked at the Cyprus Museum in 1949, studying skulls from Vasa and skeletal material from Bamboula. During that year, he also studied living people at a Cypriote village. In 1952, he worked with Carleton S. Coon on skeletal material from Hotu Cave. In 1954, he studied materials from the Agora excavations and from Eleusis. During the same year, he also visited the British Museum and many sites in Greece studying Myceanean skeletons excavated by George E. Mylonas, John Papadimitrious, and A.J.B. Wace. In 1954, he again studied skeletal material excavated at Bamboula and, in 1957, skeletons from Eleusis. In 1965, he studied human bones from twenty-two sites in Greece and Turkey that dated from the paleolithic to moderntimes, including material from a Bryan Mawr College excavation at Elmali, an excavation at Karatas-Semeyuk in Lycia, and collections in the Archaeological Museum of Ankara and in the museum at Verroia in Macedonia. In 1969, he worked on material from Kephala, and in 1972, skeletons from Asine in Greece. In 1984, he studied upper paleolithic skeletons from Wadi Kubbaniya.
Angel also carried out work on American populations--prehistoric, historic, and contemporary. In 1944, he worked on skeletal remains from excavations at Tranquillity, California, that were deposited in the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania and in the Museum of Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley. In the same year, he was one of several researchers involved in an endocrinological, anthropological, and psychological study ofobesity initiatec by the Jefferson School of Medicine.
The first hase of the study lasted until 1948 and was followed by restudy of the subjects in 1954-1957. Around 1959-1961, with Carl Seltzer, he was involved in a study of the relation between constitution and health of students at Harvard University and Johns Hopkins Unviersity, Angel primarily taking care of the work in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he studied skeletal material from Matin's Hundred and other sites of colonia Virginia which resulted, in part, in comparisons with the modern American population. In the 1980s, with Jennifer O. Kelly, he worked on skeletons of African American slaves from Catoctin Furnace, Maryland, and on remains of free African American from the First African Baptist Church in Philadelphia.
Angle was highly regarded for his keen seight and other senses which he used with great effect in examining human remains. Consequently, he was frequently sought as a consultant and regularly carried out forensic work for the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement authorities. In addition, military authorities, archeologists involved in both the study of history and prehistory, and museum people sent him specimens for examination. At the Smithsonian, he not only used and improved the excellent skeletal collection, he had the opportunity to exmaine the bones of Smithsonian benefactor James Smithson and was involved ine arly studies connected with the return of American Indian skeltal materials to appropriate receipents.
Active with several professional organizations, Angel was president of the Philadelphia Anthropological Society in 1956-1958 and associate editor of the American Anthropologist. In 1952-1956, he was the secretary-treasurer of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and, in 1959-1960, vice president of that organization. In 1952-1956, he was an association editor of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. He was president of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology in 1980-1985. For his active professional life, he received the Pomerance Medal of the Archaeological Institute of American in 1983 and the distinguished service medal of the American Anthropological Association in 1986.
1915 -- Born March 21 in London, England to John Angel and Elizabeth Day Seymour.
1928 -- Emigrated to the United States from England.
1934 -- Summer field school, University of New Mexico.
1935 -- Summer field work, Museum of Northern Arizona.
1936 -- A.B., Anthropology, Harvard College; summer field work at the Sante Fe Laboratory of Anthropology (Macon, Georgia expedition).
1937 -- Became a naturalized American citizen, 15 June; married Margaret (Peggy) Seymour Richardson, 1 July.
1937-1939 -- Field work in Greece: worked in Greece from early November 1937 until the end of January 1939 when illness forced his return in April; in the winter of 1937-1938, Angel worked in the American excavations in the Agora at Athens, in the American excavations at Old Corinth, and in the Greek National Museum in Athens; in the spring of 1938, Angel worked in the Greek Anthropological Museum in the Athens University Medical School in Goudi, and at the Agora excavations; from May to June, Angel measured villagers and excavated over 100 burials from the Riverside cemetery under David M. Robinson at the American excavations at Olynthus, Macedonia; Angel then worked in Athens and Corinth for a short time; from July to August Angel worked on skeletons from Troy (which W.T. Semple of the University of Cincinnati had deposited) and Babokoy, Anatolia, as well as on skulls from Nippur and Sidon in the Archeological Museum at Istanbul, Turkey; from mid-August to early September Angel studied skeletal material from southwestern Cephallenia in the museum at Argostoli; Angel then measured skulls in the museum at Thebes and at Schematari (Tanagra) in Boeotia; from October to November Angel studied skulls from Corinth; Angel then returned to Athens to study skeletons from the German excavations at the Kerameikos and the material in the Athens Anthropological Museum and National Museum; in 1939 Angel measured people at the Agora excavations north of the Acropolis and studied skulls excavated by T.L. Shear in Athens and Corinth. During these years, Angel made one day trips to many places, including Nauplia, Tolon, Mycenae, Nemea, Aigosthina, Parnos, Aigina, Marathon, Therikos, and Sounion; support was from traveling fellowships from the departments of Anthropology and Classics of Harvard University, half of a Sheldon fellowship, the Albert and Anna Howard fellowship (Harvard), the Guggenheim Foundation, the Viking Fund, the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, the Jefferson Medical College, and the American Philosophical Society.
1939-1941 -- Assistant in Anthropology, Harvard University.
1940 -- Elected to membership in the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
1941-1942 -- Instructor in Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley.
1942 -- Doctor of Philosophy Degree, Anthropology, Harvard University.
1942-1943 -- Instructor in Anthropology, University of Minnesota.
1943-1950 -- Associate, Daniel Baugh Institute of Anatomy of the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
1944 -- Studied skeletal remains from excavations at Tranquillity, California, at the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania and in the [Hearst] Museum of Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley.
1944-1948 -- Research for the anthropological study of chronic disease at the Jefferson Medical College.
1946-1948 -- President, Philadelphia Anthropological Society; Associate Editor, American Anthropologist.
1946-1962 -- Research Associate, University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania-Philadelphia.
1947 -- Organized the Viking Fund summer seminar on growth and evolution.
1949 -- Field work in the Near East: In the spring, studied skulls from Kampi near Vasa in Central Cyprus at the Department of Antiquities museum in Nicosia on a visit to Cyprus and Greece; studied skeletons and living Cypriote villagers at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum headquarters in Episkopi, and skeletal material from Bamboula at the Cyprus Museum; support was from Harvard University, the Guggenheim Foundation (Guggenheim Fellowship), Wenner-Gren Foundation, Viking Fund, American School of Classical Studies, and Jefferson Medical School.
1949-1950 -- President, Philadelphia Society of the Archeological Institute of America.
1950-1951 -- Assistant Professor, Daniel Baugh Institute of Anatomy of the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. 1950-1952
1950-1952 -- Executive Committee member, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
1951 -- Troy: The Human Remains. Supplemental monograph to Troy excavations conducted by the University of Cincinnati 1932-1938.
1951-1954 -- Associate editor, American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
1951-1962 -- Associate Professor, Daniel Baugh Institute of Anatomy of the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
1952 -- Worked with Carleton Coon on skeletal material from Hotu Cave, Iran.
1952-1956 -- Secretary-treasurer, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
1953-1966 -- Trustee for the Council for Old World Archaeology.
1954 -- Field work in the Near East: visited the British Museum (Natural History); studied skeletal material from Eleusis (Greece), at the Anthropological Museum of the Medical School of the University of Athens, and at the Agora Excavations Headquarters; studied Myceanean skeletons (excavated by George E. Mylonas, John Papadimitriou, and A.J.B. Wace), Corinthian skeletons, Bronze Age Lernaean skeletons, and Bronze Age Pylian skeletons; again studied skeletal material excavated at Bamboula; supported by grants from the Harvard graduate school, the American Philosophical Society [Grant No. 1714], and the National Institutes of Health Grant No. A-224, the Jefferson Medical College, the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, and the Agora excavations; helped by Anastasios Pantazopoulous and Nikos Thiraios.
1954-1957 -- Restudy of subjects for the anthropological study of chronic disease originally performed at the Jefferson Medical College from 1944-1948.
1956-1958 -- Council member of the American Society of Human Genetics.
1957 -- Field work in the Near East: visited the Laboratory of Anthropology in the Department of Anatomy at Oxford University; again studied skeletons from Eleusis in Greece; studied skeletons from Lerna, from the French excavations at Argos, from Pylos, from Corinthian sites near the Diolkos at the Isthmus and at Klenia, and from the Athenian Agora; supported by Grant No. 2150 from the American Philosophical Society and the National Institutes of Health; sponsored by Jefferson Medical College and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania; helped by Argyris Marinis and Panayotis Yannoulatos.
1957-1962 -- Civilian consultant in surgical anatomy to the United States Naval Hospital, Philadelphia.
1959-1960 -- Vice-President, American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
1960-1962 -- Member of the advisory panel on Anthropology and the History and Philosophy of Science for the National Science Foundation; consultant for the Harvard University-Johns Hopkins Hospital project on constitution and disease.
1960-1963 -- Associate editor, American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
1962 -- Professor, Daniel Baugh Institute of Anatomy of the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia; Chairman of Schools Committee of West Mt. Airy Neighbors; organized the thirty-first annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.
1962-1986 -- Curator, Division of Physical Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, United States National Museum (later the National Museum of Natural History), Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
1962-1965 -- Advisory panel for evaluating NSF Graduate Fellowships, National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council.
1962-1986 -- Professorial Lecturer in Anthropology at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
1963-1986 -- Lecturer in forensic pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.
1965 -- Field work in the Near East: studied human bones from 22 sites in Greece and Turkey, including Petralona in eastern Macedonia (Palaeanthropic skull), the Peneios River open sites (Theocharis and Miloicic), Tsouka cave on Mt. Pelion in Thessaly, Nea Nikomedeia near the Haliakmon River in Macedonia, Kephala on the coast of the Aegean island of Kea (Caskey), Hagios Stephanos in Laconia (Taylour), Kocumbeli near Ankara (Turkey), the Bryn Mawr College excavation at Elmali (working with Machteld Mellink), Karatas-Semeyuk in Lycia, Catal Huyuk (in the Korya Plain in Turkey) in the Archaeological Museum of Ankara, Argos, Agora Excavation, Attica, Mycanae, Corinth, Sparta, Alepotrypa (Foxes' Hole) in Mani, and in the museum at Verroia in Macedonia; supported through the SI Hrdlička Fund, the American Philosophical Society, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.
1965-1970 -- Visiting Professor of Anatomy, Howard University Medical School, Washington, D.C.
1966 -- Summer Visiting Professor, University of California, Berkeley; Early skeletons from Tranquillity, California.
1967 -- Field work in the Near East: Turkey, studied skeletal remains from Catal Huyuk at the University of Ankara, and skeletons from Antalya, Elmali, and Karatas; Greece, studied skeletal remains from Franchthi cave, Athens, Kea, Nauplion, Corinth, and Asine; supported by the Hrdlička Fund. Organized a symposium on paleodemography, diseases and human evolution at the 66th meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Washington, D.C.
1969 -- Field work in the Near East: studied material from Kephala, Karatas, and Franchthi cave; supported by the Hrdlička Fund and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.
1970 -- Visiting Professor, Harvard University (Spring). Organized the 39th meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists held in Washington, D.C.
1971 -- The People of Lerna: Analysis of a Prehistoric Aegean Population.
1972 -- Field work in the Near East: studied skeletons from Asine and Agora in Greece; supported by the Hrdlička Fund. 1974
1974 -- Organized a symposium in honor of Albert Damon, a medical anthropologist, at the 43rd meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists held in Amherst, Massachusetts.
1974-1975 -- President, Anthropological Society of Washington.
1975 -- Field work in the Near East: studied skeletons at Asine and Agora in Greece and at Elmali, helped by David C. Fredenburg, and supported by the Hrdlička Fund; joined the American Academy of Forensic Sciences as a Provisional Member; published Human skeletons from Eleusis, in The south cemetery of Eleusis; worked on the organizing committees for meetings in Washington, D.C. for the Archaeological Institute of America.
1976 -- Studied skeletons at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, with the help of David Fredenburg (3 trips); organized a symposium in honor of T. Dale Stewart at the 45th meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists held in St. Louis, Missouri.
1977 -- Field work in the Near East: worked in Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Ankara, Elmali, and Athens; field visit to Colonial Williamsburg.
1978 -- Field work in the Near East: studied skeletons from Byzantium and Turkey; skeletons were in Ankara and from Kalinkaya in the Hittite Territory of Central Anatolia; Byzantium specimens came from Kalenderhane Camii in Istanbul; field visit to Colonial Williamsburg.
1979 -- Published symposium in Angel's honor by the American Association of Physical Anthropologists; three days of field work at the British Museum (Natural History) during which he studied Egyptian and Greek skulls.
1979 -- Studied skeletons of African American slaves from Catoctin Furnace, Maryland.
1980 -- Field visit to Colonial Williamsburg.
1980-1985 -- President, American Board of Forensic Anthropology. 1982
1982 -- Field visit to Colonial Williamsburg.
1983 -- Awarded the Pomerance Medal for Scientific Contributions to Archaelogy by the Archaeological Institute of America.
1984 -- Studied upper paleolithic skeletons from Wade Kubbaniya; award from the Physical Anthropology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
1986 -- Died November 3; award from the Physical Anthropology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences; was chosen to receive the Distinguished Service Award of the American Anthropological Association at their annual meeting in December.
1987 -- Memorial session in Angel's honor held at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association.
Related Materials:
Additional materials in the National Anthropological Archives relating to Angel are in the papers of Marcus Solomon Goldstein, Raoul Weston LaBarre, and Waldo Rudolph and Mildred Mott Wedel; the records of the American Anthropological Association, the Central States Anthropological Society, the River Basin Surveys, and the Department of Anthropology of the United States National Museum/National Museum of Natural History; Photographic Lots 7D (photograph taken at the meeting of the American Anthropological Association at Denver in 1965) and 77-45 (group portrait of Smithsonian physical anthropologists); and MS 4822 (photographs of anthropologists in the Division of Physical Anthropology, Department of Anthropology of the United States National Museum/National Museum of Natural History). There are also materials on Angel in the non-archival reference file maintained by the NAA. The names used for ethnic groups were selected to maintain consistency among the archival holdings and are used without regard to modern preferences.
Provenance:
Angel contracted hepatitis following coronary by-pass surgery in 1982 and died of the effects four years later. His papers were obtained by the National Anthropological Archives shortly thereafter. Some papers were obtained as the result of a bequest by Angel's wife, Margaret. The papers date from 1930 to 1987.
Restrictions:
The John Lawrence Angel papers are open for research. Access to some materials is restricted to maintain privacy or confidentiality.
Access to the John Lawrence Angel papers requires an appointment.
The Albert Clanton Spaulding Papers consist of correspondence, field project data, manuscripts, and teaching notes documenting his work at the University of Michigan, University of California Santa Barbara, the National Science Foundation, and field work at the Arzberger Site and Agattu.
Scope and Contents:
The Albert Clanton Spaulding Papers consist of correspondence, field project data, manuscripts, and teaching notes documenting his work at the University of Michigan, University of California Santa Barbara, the National Science Foundation, and field work at the Arzberger Site and Agattu. Although it has been noted that there are significant and inexplicable lucunae in Spaulding's papers, they nevertheless touch on most phases of his professional life. There is, however, relatively little field material.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
1. Correspondence, 1948-1982; 2. manuscript of Spaulding writings; 3. material concerning students; 4. site reports and field project data; 4. material regarding conferences and committees; 6. material related to work as National Science Foundation archeology program director; 7. student notebooks and dissertation; 8. material regarding the Arzberger site; 9. administrative material regarding the University of Michigan; 10. academic papers collected by Spaulding, teaching aids, and lecture notes; 11. Philip C. Phillips and Gordon R. Willey file; 12. James A. Ford file; 13. correspondence regarding publications; 14. miscellany; 15. photographs
Biographical note:
Albert C. Spaulding was trained at Montana State University (B.A. in economics, 1935), the University of Michigan (M.A. in ahthropology, 1937), and Columbia University (Ph.D., 1946). In 1946-1947, he taught at the University of Kansas and was an assistant curator at the university's Museum of Anthropology. From 1947-1961, he taught at the University of Michigan and was curator of that university's Museum of Anthropology. In 1959-1961, Spaulding was first program director for the History and Philosophy of Science Program of the National Science Foundation and the NAS program director for anthropology. In 1963-1966, he was professor and chairman of the anthropology department at the University of Oregon. In 1967-1971, he became dean of the College of Letters and Science at the University of California at Santa Barbara and continued at that institution as professor of anthropology until 1983. Spaulding served the Society for Amercian Archeology as associate editor, secretary, vice president, and president. In 1964, he was vice president for Section H of American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Although Spaulding carried out several significant field projects, he is best rememberd for his theoretical and methodological concerns. In relating his first archeological field work, he declared: "My fundamental interest at the time (and now) was clarification of the basic concepts of archeology, which led me into explicit definitions of archaeological problems in terms of relationship between or among well-defined variables." Spaulding produced many articles and book reviews in which he dealt with such problems. Some of the best-known appeared in the pages of American Antiquity in 1953 and 1954 when be debated James A. Ford in general terms concerning teh most productive methods of archeology in general and the nature of archeological types and methods of defining them in particular. Because of his espousal of rigor in method, Spaulding is considered on of the main forerunners of the "new archeology" of the 1960s. For his work, he received the SAA distinguished Service Award in 1981.
Restrictions:
The Albert Clanton Spaulding papers are open for research.
Access to the Albert Clanton Spaulding papers requires an appointment.
Indians of North America -- Southwest, New Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Copy prints
Prints
Photographs
Place:
New Mexico -- Antiquities
Alaska
Mississippi
Pueblo Bonito Site (N.M.)
Date:
circa 1920-1936
Scope and Contents note:
Photographs depicting crews, camps, artifacts, and excavated areas from various archeological digs and anthropological expeditions. These include Neil Merton Judd's archeological excavations at Pueblo Bonito, Collins and Hermes Knoblock measuring Choctaw people in Mississippi, James Alfred Ford and Paul Silook at Miyowagh on St. Lawrence Island, and Ford at Cape Prince of Wales.
Biographical/Historical note:
Henry B. Collins (1899-1987) began his career in anthropology as an assistant on Neil M. Judd's 1922-1924 expeditions to Pueblo Bonito in New Mexico. In 1924, he became an aid in the United States National Museum Division of Ethnology and shortly afterwards was promoted to assistant curator. He received a Masters in Anthropology from the George Washington University in 1925 and was appointed associate curator in 1938. In 1939, Collins took a position as senior ethnologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology and became acting director in 1963. When the BAE and the Department of Anthropology were merged in 1965, Collins became a senior scientist in the new Smithsonian Office of Anthropology. He was appointed archeologist emeritus in 1967.
Collins' independent field work during the early part of his career focused on the American South, in which he conducted investigations relating to the Choctaw and to areas whose cultural history was little known. Collins is most recognized, however, for his efforts in Arctic archeology. Between 1927 and 1936, he and colleagues, including James A. Ford and T. Dale Stewart, focused on the Bering Sea area and the Arctic coasts of Alaska, including St. Lawrence Island, Nunivak Island, the Diomedes, Punuk Island, Bristol Bay, Norton Sound, Point Hope, Cape Prince of Wales, the Aleutians, and the interior of the Seward Peninsula.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 82-23
Location of Other Archival Materials:
The National Anthropological Archives holds Henry Bascom Collins's papers, as well as those of James Alfred Ford.
Additional photographs by Collins can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 24, Photo Lot 28, Photo Lot 86-42, Photo Lot 86-43, and Photo Lot 86-59.
Additional papers by Collins can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in MS 4908, MS 4976, and MS 4977.
Additional photographs of Pueblo Bonito by O. C. Havens can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo lot 83-16.
Indians of North America -- Southern states Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Photo Lot 82-23, Henry Bascom Collins photograph collection relating to Pueblo Bonito, Mississippi Choctaws, and Alaska, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
23 Photomechanical prints (halftone, photogravure, and collotype)
152 Photographic prints (silver gelatin and albumen)
8 Copy prints
6 Copy negatives
1 Print (offset lithography)
1 Print (probably chromolithograph)
11 Negatives (acetate)
3 Drawings
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Prints
Photomechanical prints
Photographic prints
Copy prints
Copy negatives
Negatives
Drawings
Photographs
Date:
undated
Scope and Contents note:
Photographs relating to physical anthropologists from the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe and the United States. Many of the photographs depict Smithsonian staff, particularly Ales Hrdlicka and T. Dale Stewart, as well as people and artifacts relating to physical anthropology throughout history. Some of the portraits are signed and the collection also includes pamphlets from professional societies, prints mounted for publication, a copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun relating to Adolph Schultz, and some correspondence.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 4822
Location of Other Archival Materials:
The National Anthropological Archives holds the Ales Hrdlicka papers, Thomas Dale Stewart papers, and John Lawrence Angel papers.
Additional photographs collected by the Division of Physical Anthropology held in National Anthropological Archives Photo Lot 8 and Photo Lot 83-41.
Contained in:
Numbered manuscripts 1850s-1980s (some earlier)
See others in:
Division of Physical Anthropology collection of photographs of physical anthropologists, undated
Photo Lot 4822, Division of Physical Anthropology collection of photographs of physical anthropologists, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Wedel, Waldo R. (Waldo Rudolph), 1908-1996 Search this
Extent:
24 Prints (silver gelatin)
7 Negatives
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Prints
Negatives
Photographs
Date:
1922-circa 1980
Scope and Contents:
Photographs include informal and formal portraits and candid images of anthropologists, including William Duncan Strong, Waldo Wedel, Carlyle Smith, Philip Smith, A.T. Hill, Rose Solecki, Robert Stigler, Ruth Bunzel, George Metcalf, and others. Some of the photographs were taken by archaeologist Ralph S. Solecki (1917-2019), but others are not. Handwritten labels on the back of most photographs indicate the photographer and the subjects.
Arrangement:
Some photographs are grouped together in a file, following original order. The collection is then arranged chronologically by date of the photograph or first photograph within a file.
Biographical / Historical:
Stefan Ralph Solecki (1917-2019) was born on October 15th, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from Newtown High School in 1936, he attended the City College of New York from 1936-1941 and received a B.S. in Geology in 1942. Solecki then served in the US Army and fought in World War II. He was discharged in 1945. In 1946, Solecki enrolled at Columbia University to study Anthropology, and he received a M.A. degree in 1950. During this time, Solecki worked for the River Basin Surveys at the Smithsonian Institution. He also accompanied a geological survey to northern Alaska in 1949 (and later in 1961). In 1951, he became an associate curator of archaeology at the Smithsonian Institution. In that same year, he traveled to Iraq to survey prehistoric sites and began Season I of excavation at Shanidar Cave. Solecki then received a Fulbright fellowship to return to Iraq in 1953-1954 to continue excavations at Shanidar Cave (Season II) and conduct research at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. In 1955, he married Rose M. Lilien (b. 1925). From 1956-1957, both Ralph and Rose Solecki travelled to Iraq, where Ralph conducted a third season of excavation at Shanidar Cave and Rose excavated the nearby Zawi Chemi Shanidar village site. In 1958, he received his PhD in Anthropology from Columbia University and accepted a faculty position within the Department of Anthropology at Columbia University. In 1960, the Soleckis returned for a fourth and final field season of excavation at Shanidar Cave and Zawi Chemi Shanidar, where they were accompanied by Smithsonian Institution curator of Physical Anthropology, T. Dale Stewart. Following the final two seasons of excavation at Shanidar Cave, Solecki led a number of Columbia University expeditions to various locations around the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. He also spent three seasons (1963-1964, 1981, 1987) surveying and excavating the site of Yabroud in Syria and three field seasons excavating the sites of Nahr Ibrahim (1969, 1970, 1973) and El Masloukh (1969) in Lebanon. Ralph and Rose Solecki both held positions at Columbia University until Ralph's retirement in 1988. In 1990, Ralph and Rose served as adjunct professors at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. In 2000, they left Texas A&M University and moved to South Orange, New Jersey. Ralph Solecki died in Livingston, New Jersey on March 20, 2019.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 92-35
Related Materials:
The National Anthropological Archives holds the Ralph S. and Rose L. Solecki papers, Ruth Leah Bunzel papers, William Duncan Strong papers, the Waldo Wedel and Mildred Mott Wedel papers, the Carleton Stevens Coon papers, and several collections created by or featuring Frank H. H. Roberts, Alfred Kroeber, James A. Ford, and A.T. Hill.
The National Museum of the American Indian holds the Marshall Saville photograph collection.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Photo Lot 92-35, Ralph S. Solecki photographs of Anthropologists, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Film reels (black-and-white silent; 2000 feet, 35mm)
Culture:
Yuit (Siberian Yup'ik) [Gambell, St. Lawrence Island] Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Film reels
Silent films
Place:
North America
Saint Lawrence Island (Alaska)
Date:
circa 1930
Scope and Contents:
Footage taken by Smithsonian anthropologist Henry Collins and his assistant James Ford in the summer of 1930, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Shots include Eskimos in boats; three men positioning themselves in boulders along seacliffs to catch birds with pole net; dancing and drumming; fishing with both lines and nets; dog teams; the preparation of a walrus skin strecthed out on large frame; men hauling boats overland with the use of dog teams; scenes of the hunting environment including shots of whales, walruses, and polar bear; butchering of a whale and walrus; reindeer being herded into a corral; ships navigating in icy waters and locked in ice; miscellaneous scenes in Washington D.C. in the 1930s with shots of a house burning. Collection includes synchronous sound annotation.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or Anthropology Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Local Number:
HSFA 1982.6.1
Related Materials:
The National Anthropological Archives holds the papers of Henry Bascom Collins and James Alfred Ford.
Provenance:
Received from the National Anthropological Archives in 1982.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Please contact the archives for information on availability of access copies of audiovisual recordings. Original audiovisual material in the Human Studies Film Archives may not be played.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
silent films
Citation:
Henry Bascom Collins films of Yupik Eskimo Life, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Cataloging supported by Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee
Archaeological survey in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, 1940-1947 / Philip Phillips, James A. Ford, and James B. Griffin ; edited and with an introduction by Stephen Williams
Eskimo prehistory in the vicinity of Point Barrow, Alaska. with an appendix, Skeletal remains from the vicinity of Point Barrow, Alaska, by T. D. Stewart
Crooks site, a Marksville period burial mound in La Salle Parish, Louisiana / by J.A. Ford and Gordon Willey ; partially based on field reports by William T. Mulloy and Arden King
A quantitative method for deriving cultural chronology by James A. Ford. Revised version of the working paper prepared for the Teaching Seminar in the Methods of Establishing Chronological Sequences of Pre-Columbian Cultures in the Americas, Barranquilla, Colombia, June 25-July 6, 1961
Teaching Seminar in the Methods of Establishing Chronological Sequences of Pre-Columbian Cultures in the Americas (1961 June 6 : Barranquilla, Colombia) Search this
Analysis of Indian village site collections from Louisiana and Mississippi, by James A. Ford. Published by Department of conservation, Louisiana Geological survey, New Orleans, La., November 1, 1936
Measuring the flow of time : the works of James A. Ford, 1935-1941 / edited and with an introduction by Michael J. O'Brien and R. Lee Lyman ; foreword by Gordon R. Willey
Author:
O'Brien, Michael J (Michael John) 1950- Search this
Teaching Seminar in the Methods of Establishing Chronological Sequences of Pre-Columbian Cultures in the Americas (1961 : Barranquilla, Colombia) Search this
