Definition: Sir Leonard Woolley was a British archaeologist and an expert in Mesopotamian studies, who also acted as intelligence agent for the British during World War I. His most important archaeological investigations were in 1922-1934, at the Sumerian site of Ur, where he led a team from the British Museum and University of Pennsylvania. He also excavated at the Hittite city of Carchemish and the Bronze Age site of Atchana, both in Syria. Educated at Osford, and mentored by Randall MacIver, Woolley was an important figure in the advancement of archaeology as a popular science, with voluminous academic and popular writing.
Woolley's popular science book, Digging Up the Past, published in 1954, is still available in several editions.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
Woolley's popular science book, Digging Up the Past, published in 1954, is still available in several editions.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
