Charles Thurstan Shaw

Charles Thurstan Shaw

Charles Thurstan Shaw (27 June 1914) is an English archaeologist.

Born in Plymouth, England,[1] the second son of Reverend John Herbert Shaw and Grace Irene Woolart, Thurstan Shaw was educated at Blundell's School in Tiverton, then at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University.[2] He received a B.A in 1936 and was awarded an M.A. in 1941.[3] On 15 September 1937, he arrived at the British colony of Gold Coast (later Ghana), where he became a tutor. He was appointed Curator of the Anthropology Museum at Achimota College and held that post until 1945. During this time he made the first archaeological digs in this country at Dawu.[4] He then served with the Cambridge Education Committee before becoming a tutor for the Cambridge Institute of Education 1951–1964.

During the 1950s, he helped found the Ghana National Museum and the archaeology department at the University of Ghana. In 1959, he was invited by the antiquities department of Nigeria to perform an excavation at Igbo-Ukwu.[5] Bronze pieces unearthed during the excavation provided evidence of an Igbo civilization from the ninth century.[6] He became Research Professor of Archaeology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria from 1963–1974 and was awarded the C.B.E.[7] He was appointed Director of Studies in Archaeology and Anthropology at Magdalene College, Cambridge from 1976–1979.[2]

Based on an assessment of his published work, Thurstan Shaw was awarded a Ph.D. in 1968 from Cambridge.[3] From 1964–1970, he was founder and editor of the West African Archaeological Newsletter. He edited the West African Journal of Archaeology, 1971–1975. He writes under the name Thurstan Shaw and the pen name of Peter Woods.

Bibliography

  • The Archaeology of Africa: Food, Metals and Towns (1995)
  • Unearthing Igbo-Ukwū: archaeological discoveries in eastern Nigeria (1977)
  • Discovering Nigeria's past (1975)
  • The study of Africa's past (1946)

References

  1. ^ Tim Murray, ed (2001). Encyclopedia of archaeology. 1. ABC-Clio. p. 1153. ISBN 1576071987. 
  2. ^ a b Andah, Bassey W. (1998). Africa: the challenge of archaeology. Igbo Life and Culture Series. Heinemann Educational Books (Nigeria). pp. 7, 14. ISBN 9781293462. 
  3. ^ a b Jack Rodney Harlan, Jan M. J. De Wet, Ann B. L. Stemler, ed (1976). Origins of African plant domestication. World anthropology. Mouton. p. 483. ISBN 9027978298. 
  4. ^ Clark, Grahame (1989). Prehistory at Cambridge and beyond. CUP Archive. ISBN 052135031X. 
  5. ^ Murray, Tim (2007). Milestones in archaeology: a chronological encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 459. ISBN 1576071863. 
  6. ^ "Chinua Achebe in Cambridge". Nigeria Daily News. December 11, 2010. http://ndn.nigeriadailynews.com/templates/default.aspx?a=32046&template=print-article.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-12. 
  7. ^ "Supplement". London Gazette. January 1, 1972. http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/45554/supplements/18/page.pdf. Retrieved 2011-03-12. 

External links


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