Gertrude Caton Thompson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gertrude Caton Thompson
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Portrait of Gertrude Caton Thompson, by Ramsey & Muspratt, Cambridge, 1938. courtesy The Royal Anthropological Institute
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Gertrude Caton Thompson
1 February 1888 London
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| Died | 18 April 1985 (aged 97) Broadway, Worcestershire.
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| Nationality | British |
| Education | British School of Archaeology in Egypt; University College London; Newnham College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | archaeologist |
| Known for | Abydos, Egypt; Oxyrhynchus; Faiyum |
Gertrude Caton Thompson (born February 1, 1888 – died April 18, 1985) was a pioneering English archaeologist. She did her work at a time when not many women were archaeologists. She explored ancient sites in Egypt, Zimbabwe, Malta, and South Arabia.
Gertrude Caton Thompson made important discoveries. She developed new ways to dig up archaeological sites. She also found out a lot about ancient civilizations in Zimbabwe and Egypt. These civilizations lived from the Stone Age (Paleolithic) to the time just before the pharaohs (Predynastic). She was also a leader in important groups like the Prehistoric Society.
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Early Life and Education
Gertrude Caton Thompson was born in London, England, in 1888. Her parents were William Caton Thompson and Ethel Page. She went to private schools in Paris and Eastbourne.
Her interest in archaeology began when she visited Egypt with her mother in 1911. Later, she attended lectures about Ancient Greece at the British Museum. In 1912, she received money that helped her become financially independent. This money also supported her later archaeological digs.
Her first experience in the field was in 1915. She worked at a dig in France, helping with tasks like washing bottles. During World War I, she worked for the British Ministry of Shipping. She even attended the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.
In 1921, Caton Thompson began studying at University College London. She learned from famous archaeologists like Margaret Murray and Flinders Petrie. That winter, she helped with excavations in Upper Egypt. The next year, she studied at Newnham College, Cambridge. By 1924, she was back in Egypt, joining more digs with Petrie.
Archaeological Work in Malta
In 1921, Gertrude Caton Thompson helped dig at a large stone temple called Borg en Nadur in Malta. She worked with Margaret Murray. Her job was to explore caves near the temple. She was looking for evidence of Neanderthal skulls. This was to see if Malta was once connected to Africa by land.
She did not find proof for the land bridge idea. However, the dig found other interesting things. They found Bronze Age pottery that looked a lot like pottery from Sicily from the same time.
Discoveries in Egypt
During the 1920s, Gertrude Caton Thompson worked mainly in Egypt. She was part of the British School of Archaeology Egypt. She helped dig at many sites, including Abydos, El-Badari, and Qau el Kebir.
Caton Thompson was very interested in all parts of Prehistoric Egypt. She was one of the first archaeologists to study the entire timeline. This included periods from the Stone Age (Palaeolithic) to Predynastic Egypt. She not only found many ancient objects but also helped display them in an Egyptian Exhibition in England. Many of these finds are now in the British Museum.
Innovative Excavation Techniques
From 1923 to 1924, Caton Thompson explored ancient settlement remains at Hemamieh in the Badari region. Her work there was very careful and detailed. She divided the site into sections and dug in small, six-inch layers. She also recorded the exact spot of every object she found.
Caton Thompson was also one of the first to use air surveys to find archaeological sites. These methods were very advanced for her time. They made her stand out from other archaeologists.
Faiyum and Kharga Oasis Expeditions
In 1925, Caton Thompson and geologist Elinor Wight Gardner started surveying the northern Faiyum region. They wanted to connect old lake levels with archaeological layers. Caton Thompson found the earliest farming civilization in the Faiyum region. It was estimated to be around 4000 B.C.
They continued their work in Faiyum for the Royal Anthropological Institute. They discovered two unknown Neolithic cultures. Their findings came mostly from digs at Kom K and Kom W.
Caton Thompson and Wight Gardner also worked at prehistoric sites in the Kharga Oasis in 1930. Her book, "Kharga Oasis in Prehistory," was the first book published by the new Athlone Press of the University of London. The stone tools she brought back are now kept at the Institute of Archaeology in London. This led to more research on Stone Age civilizations in North Africa. Caton Thompson published her findings in 1952.
She visited the Kharga Oasis first in 1928 during her Zimbabwe trip. There were three expeditions to Kharga Oasis from 1930 to 1933. Elinor Gardner did much of the surveying. Caton Thompson focused on finding Stone Age objects. She found that the Kharga Scarp had water without rain, which helped a Neolithic civilization survive. She excavated many tools used by these ancient people.
Investigating Great Zimbabwe
In 1928, the British Academy asked Caton Thompson to study the ancient ruins in southeastern Zimbabwe. These ruins were near Lake Mutirikwe. The site, known as Great Zimbabwe, had been discovered in the 16th century. Earlier digs by others had caused a big debate. Some thought Africans built the site, while others believed a different civilization did.
Caton Thompson put together an all-female team for the Zimbabwe digs. This was the first time such a team had been formed. She studied pottery, which was similar to what local villagers used. She also looked at structures like terrace walls. This helped her figure out who built the structures.
Working with Kathleen Kenyon, Caton Thompson concluded that Great Zimbabwe was built by a "native civilization." This idea caused a lot of negative reactions. She even received angry letters from people who disagreed with her. Modern archaeologists now agree that the city was built by a Shona-speaking African civilization.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1932, Gertrude Caton Thompson hired Mary Leakey to draw pictures for her book The Desert Fayum. This greatly influenced Mary Leakey's later career in studying early humans. Towards the end of 1937, Caton Thompson, Elinor Gardner, and Freya Stark started the first organized dig in Yemen at Hadhramaut.
Caton Thompson stopped working in the field after World War II. She was a long-time friend of Dorothy Hoare, a colleague from Cambridge. Caton Thompson bought and shared a house with Hoare. When Hoare married Jose "Toty" M. de Navarro, they continued to share the house.
In 1956, Caton Thompson and the Navarros retired from academic life. Caton Thompson moved with them to their home in Broadway, Worcestershire. She published her memories in a book called "Mixed Memoirs" in 1983. She lived with them and their son, Michael, for the rest of her life. She passed away in 1985, at 97 years old.
Honours and Recognition
In 1938, Gertrude Caton Thompson was offered the job of Disney Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge. She turned it down, and Dorothy Garrod took the role instead. However, Caton Thompson was a research fellow at Newnham College, Cambridge in 1923. She became an honorary fellow from 1934 to 1945. She also received an honorary degree (LittD) in 1954.
She was the first female President of the Prehistoric Society from 1940 to 1946. In 1944, she was elected a fellow of the British Academy. Caton Thompson was also elected vice president of the Royal Anthropological Institute in 1944. She received the Huxley Medal from the Royal Anthropological Institute in 1946. In 1934, Caton Thompson was the first woman to receive the Rivers Medal from the Royal Anthropological Institute.
In 1961, she helped start the British School of History and Archaeology in East Africa. She was made an honorary fellow after serving on its council for 10 years.
See also
In Spanish: Gertrude Caton Thompson para niños
