Brigadier Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler Kt, CH, CIE, MC (10 September 1890–22 July 1976), was one of the best-known British archaeologists of the twentieth century. Brigadier is a rank which is used in different ways by different countries. ... James VII ordained the modern Order. ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. ... The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Victoria in 1877. ... Military Cross The Military Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army, and formerly also to officers of the armies of other Commonwealth countries, for distinguished and meritorious services in battle. ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ...

He was born in Glasgow in 1890, and educated at London University where he won the Augustus Wollaston Franks scholarship for archaeology in 1913. In late autumn 1913 he began to work for the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England). In 1920, he became director of the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, and was later keeper of the London Museum from 1926 to 1944. During his career he carried out many major excavations within Britain, including that of Verulamium St Albans and Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications. The excavation methods he used, for example, the grid system (developed together with Kathleen Kenyon), represented significant advances in archaeological method, but are now not generally appropriate on modern scientific excavations. He was greatly influenced by the work of the archaeologist Lieutenant General Augustus Pitt Rivers (1827 - 1900). For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... Senate House, designed by Charles Holden home to the universitys central administration offices and its library The University of London, founded in 1836, is a federation of colleges which together constitute one of the worlds largest universities. ... Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks (March 20, 1826 - May 21, 1897), English antiquary, was educated at Eton and at Trinity College, Cambridge. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... The National Museum and Gallery of Wales (Welsh: Amgueddfa ac Oriel Genedlaethol Cymru) is a museum and art gallery in Cardiff, Wales. ... Cardiff (English:  Welsh: ) is the capital of Wales and its largest city. ... The London Museum was inaugurated on March 21, 1912 by King George V with Queen Mary and Princess Mary and Prince George at Kensington Palace. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Remains of the city walls Verulamium was the third largest city in Roman Britain. ... St Albans (thus spelt, no apostrophe or dot) is the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans in southern Hertfordshire, England, around 22 miles (35. ... Stanwick Fortifications close to the main gate in the north west Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications (also known as Stanwick Camp), a huge Iron Age hill fort comprising of six miles of ditches and ramparts enclosing over 700 acres of land, are situated in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England. ... Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon (5 January 1906 – 24 August 1978), important English archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent and excavator of Jericho in Jordan from 1952 to 1958. ... Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers (14th April, 1827– 4 May 1900) was an English army officer, ethnologist, and archaeologist. ...

In 1944, he became director-general of archaeology in India, exploring in detail the remains of the Indus Valley Civilisation. On his return in 1948, he was made a professor at the newly-established (by himself and his wife) Institute of Archaeology, and became known through his books and appearances on television and radio, helping to bring archaeology to a mass audience. He was knighted in 1952 for his services to archaeology, and died in 1976. The Indus Valley Civilization existed along the Indus River and the Vedic Sarasvati River in present-day Pakistan. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... The Institute of Archaeology is an academic department of University College London (UCL), in the United Kingdom. ... Bold textSUCK ON THAT MUTHA FUCKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech/discourse) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

Wheeler believed strongly that archaeology needed public support, and he was assiduous in appearing on radio and television to promote it. He hosted three television series that aimed to bring archaeology to the public. These were: 'Animal, Vegetable, Mineral?' (1952-60), 'Buried Treasure' (1954-59), and 'Chronicle' (1966); he was named British 'TV Personality of the Year' in 1954.

Family

In 1914 he married Tessa Verney, their son Michael was born 1915. Tessa died in 1936. In 1946 he married his second wife, Margaret.

Works

• The excavation of Maiden Castle, Dorset : second interim report (1936).
• Archaeology from the earth (1954).
• Five thousand years of Pakistan; an archaeological outline (1950).
• Roman art and architecture (1964).
• Civilizations of the Indus Valley and beyond (1966).

References

• American Anthropologist 79.4 (1977)
• Wheeler, Sir Mortimer The Indus Civilization (Cambridge, 1962).
• Wheeler, Sir Mortimer Still Digging (Michael Joseph Ltd., 1955)

• Clark, Ronald William. Sir Mortimer Wheeler. New York: Roy Publishers, 1960.