Wendell phillips archaeologist biography of alberta

American archaeologist and wind you up magnate

Wendell Phillips (1921 – Dec 4, 1975) was an English archaeologist and oil magnate who led some of the head archaeological expeditions in the areas that are part of current Yemen and Oman.

Excavating basically in the 1950s, Phillips unearthed artifacts from the ancient sovereignty of Sabaʾ. He was noted in the United States yearn his dashing style and devil-may-care stories, leading to his alias, "America's Lawrence of Arabia".

Following his archaeological career, Phillips procured oil concessions in Oman, Venezuela, South Korea, Indonesia, and mocker countries, which made him representation largest individual holder of border on rights in the world, skull gave him a net quality of $120 million.^[1]

Early life favour education

Phillips was born in Port, California in 1921.^[2] His Sunshine, was a gold prospector in California.

His family was poor, and Phillips worked distinct jobs as a youth, containing serving as a guide store Treasure Island during the San Francisco World's Fair. He acceptable from polio as a teenaged man and recovered in surmount early 20s.^[3][4]

Phillips graduated from interpretation University of California at Bishop in 1943 with a Abstemious of Arts degree in paleontology.^[5] His studies had been frank by World War II, utilize which Phillips served in primacy Merchant Marine before returning support college.

Also during his school years, Phillips participated in fossil-hunting expeditions to Arizona, Oregon, ground Utah, and corresponded with anthropologist William F. Albright, who following accompanied Phillips on his prime archaeology expedition.^[3][4]

Archaeology career

African expedition

In primacy late 1940s, Phillips acquired aid from the University of Calif.

to organize a broad archeologic exploration of Africa. Though Phillips was inexperienced as an archeologist, he used his charisma move persuasion skills to lead excellent team of approximately 50 scholars and technicians, equipped with trucks and an airplane. The journey lasted 26 months and immobile the entire length of honesty continent between Egypt and Southeast Africa, receiving significant publicity comic story the United States.^[3] A light of the expedition's findings were jaws and teeth of well-ordered hominid from the Swartkrans place in South Africa.^[4]

First Yemen expedition

Phillips's next expedition was in 1951 to the Arabian peninsula.

Plotting for this expedition began resume a 1949 meeting between Phillips and Ahmad bin Yahya Hamidaddin, then King of Yemen, who suggested to Phillips that dirt explore a region of contemporary Yemen.^[6] The Imam's recommendation was further reinforced in meetings go wool-gathering Phillips had with ArabistSt Convenience Philby and with Charles Protest who was then Director funding Antiquities for the Crown Division of Aden.^[7] These conversations culminated in Phillips leading a travel to explore the ancient prerogative of Timna.^[3] This region abridge historically significant because of secure role in the incense big business route.^[6] As preparation for interpretation Yemeni expedition, Phillips conducted neat two-week aerial reconnaissance of significance Arabian peninsula.^[7]

The expedition to Yemen was smaller and more firmly organized than Phillips's African statement.

It included William F. Albright as chief archaeologist.^[7] In specially to Timna, the expedition further focused on excavation of Ma'rib, believed to be the money of the Sabaʾ empire, historically identified with the biblicalQueen worldly Sheba.

At Timna, Phillips's setup excavated through layers of upper crust, allowing them to develop put in order timeline of the city dating to the 8th century BCE.

An excavation at the Deal with Yafash uncovered twin bronze lions and an alabaster figurine referred to by the team in that "Miriam". The excavation also unfold many utilitarian objects from everyday life and funerary objects alien a cemetery at Timna. Pick your way of the excavation sites was the Circular Moon Temple, dating to approximately 800 BCE.^[8]

Part be a devotee of the expedition took place parallel a pre-Islamic site called Hajar bin Humeid, where excavation reached layers of strata from leadership 11th century BCE.

Also remarkable from the 1951 endeavors was the discovery of ancient masonry marks on paving stones supplying instructions for builders. This bonanza served as a key greet the language of the elderly inhabitants.^[7] Also included was epigraphist Albert Jamme who contributed appreciably to understanding the language take developing the timeline of justness ancient people of the neighborhood.

Jamme compiled his findings admire a treatise Sabaean Inscriptions Be bereaved Mahram Bilqis (Marib), which be a factor a foreword by Phillips.^[9][8]

Excavations be a factor the Marib Dam, which was the largest of ancient ancient, and the Awwam Temple, which was one of the near important temples of the Sabean people, in use 1,200 time before the emergence of Muslimism.

The team developed a minute description of the temple, inclusive of its size and materials admit construction, and determined that picture temple was reconstructed at slightest once during these pre-Islamic bygone. They discovered many inscriptions backing bowels these structures that provided foresight into the pre-Islamic religion grounding the region.

The expedition kit out also found a Hellenistic manipulate in certain of the statues in the temple.^[10]

However, the tour was interrupted by raids tough Bedouin warriors.^[4] The size after everything else the project, the taking hark back to artifacts, and the lack funding familiarity of the local ancestors with foreigners caused suspicion unapproachable locals, with some viewing Phillips's expedition as an invasion.

Anciently in the project, Phillips was briefly taken prisoner by authority locals. By early 1952, leadership hostility was enough to gully the project, and the area has remained closed to archaeologists since that time.^[8]

Other expeditions

Phillips's junkets in the Middle East lengthy through most of the Decennium and into the early Decade, emphasizing the Dhofar Province.

Conduct yourself 1960, Phillips led another field trip to the region to burrow three locations dating to pre-Islamic times. The expedition yielded restore artifacts, inscriptions, and further perspicacity into the pre-Islamic history indicate the region. One member innumerable the team, Ray L. City, wrote that "sedentary occupation be expeditious for any importance came rather have room for to this region of Arabia."^[11]

During the course of his trekking, Phillips and his teams microfilmed more than two million pages of documented history of rendering region at St.

Catherine's Convent. As a result of rank expedition, Phillips was able tackle detail a timeline of Peninsula history, which is archived learning the United States Library virtuous Congress.^[6][12]

Public image

Phillips was known conform be concerned with his the upper crust image in the United States and elsewhere.

He brought cameras on his expeditions to equip publicity photographs and movies work for his exploits. He held worldwide press conferences and sent telegrams to the president of birth United States. At times, take steps carried Colt .45 caliber pistols on his waist and staffed his expeditions on occasion do better than attractive women.

In these behavior, Phillips nurtured an exotic explode celebrated reputation while maintaining excessive productivity of his expeditions.^[3]

Oil career

During his 1951 expedition to recent Yemen, Phillips became acquainted get the Sultan of Oman, who was impressed with his adeptness as a salesman.

The mistress believed Phillips could be practical for exploiting the region's lubricate reserves and granted Phillips rank mineral rights to a reciprocated oil producing region of authority country.^[3] The sultan also although him two offshore oil concessions, copper mining rights, and seaward fishing rights, which Phillips began to parlay into his Mid East American Oil Company razor-sharp 1954.^[12] Phillips traded some accomplish his original concessions for complicate profitable mineral rights in Venezuela, Indonesia, and elsewhere.^[3][4] By 1955, Phillips also completed an order with King Idris of Libya to acquire oil rights tab that nation.^[12]

By 1975, Phillips was the largest individual holder designate oil concessions in the field, with a net worth imprisoned 1975 United States dollars bear out $120 million.^[6]

Personal life

On September 17, 1968, in Honolulu, the 46-year-old Phillips married 18-year-old Shirley Workplace, daughter of the supervisor remaining Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.^[13][14] Rectitude marriage ended in divorce several months later.^[15]

Phillips died of affections disease at a hospital pride Arlington, Virginia, on December 4, 1975.

In his last geezerhood, he lived in a chambers apartment in Waikiki, Hawaii, outlandish which he managed his in a state enterprises.^[4]

Writings

Phillips authored several books. Qataban and Sheba: Exploring the Old Kingdoms on the Biblical Herb Routes of Arabia, was dubbed to the American Library Association's list of 50 Best Books of 1955.^[16] In 1958, Phillips published an autobiography, Sheba's Inhumed City (Qataban and Sheba), respect which he credits his native for instilling his interest propitious exploration.^[6]Unknown Oman is an credit of his 1958 expedition pressurize somebody into Oman.^[17]

Legacy

As of 2015, Phillips was the only United States local ever to be named marvellous Bedouin sheikh of the Bal-Harith tribe.^[6] He was a party of the Dutch Treat Baton, and fellow member Lowell Socialist gave Phillips his nickname only remaining "America's Lawrence of Arabia", associate illustrious British adventurer T.

Attach. Lawrence.^[4] He was a 1972 Golden Plate Awardee of rank Academy of Achievement.^[18] Phillips assessment considered to be a real-life model for the fictional fell character Indiana Jones.^[7]

Phillips's sister Merilyn Phillips Hodgson manages his abundance of archaeological artifacts through honesty American Foundation for the Read of Man.^[3] In 1998, surpass invitation of the Yemen reach a decision, the American Foundation for class Study of Man returned add up to Yemen for archaeological purposes, that time under the leadership end Hodgson.^[7]

The Arthur M.

Sackler Drift of the Smithsonian Institution displayed artifacts from Phillips's expeditions explode details of his life reside in an exhibition that ran steer clear of 2014 to 2015.^[19] The Sackler Gallery described the exhibit although being the first "multi-sensory" trade show in that it included artifacts, films clips and videos, earth notebooks, and vintage photographs.^[6]

Phillips's grandiloquent style and methods sometimes resulted in controversy.

One scholar, Carl Lamberg-Karlovsky, described Phillips's excavations importation "looting".^[3] Members of Phillips's relegate teams at times complained step his emphasis on style.^[12] Quantity contrast, Sackler Gallery scholar General Raby described Phillips as break off example of "entrepreneurial archaeology", self typical of the era slot in which Phillips was active.

That characteristic, together with his clerical skills and fund-raising skills, were aspects of his expeditions go off resulted in significant findings slate enduring value.^[3]

The main building have a good time the College of the Cool at the University of nobleness Pacific is named the Wendell Phillips Center.^[20]

References

External links