Graham Connah facts for kids
Graham Edward Connah (born August 11, 1934, died November 25, 2023) was an important archaeologist. He was born in Britain but did a lot of his work in West Africa and Australia. An archaeologist is someone who studies human history by digging up old things.
Life and Career
Graham Connah was born in Cheshire, UK, on August 11, 1934. He went to Wirral Grammar School and then to Cambridge University. He earned his PhD degree in 1959. After that, he worked as a research assistant until 1961.
In 1961, he started working as an archaeologist in Nigeria. He worked for the Nigerian government's Department of Antiquities. Later, he became a research fellow at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. He taught archaeology there as a senior lecturer.
In 1971, Connah moved to Australia. He joined the University of New England (UNE) in Armidale, NSW. He became a lecturer in ancient history. In 1974, he became the head of the Department of Prehistory and Archaeology at UNE. By 1985, he was made a professor and head of the Department of Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology.
During the 1990s, he was a visiting scholar at other universities. These included the Australian National University and Uppsala University in Sweden.
Archaeological Discoveries
Connah's main research was about African archaeology. He studied how cities and states first began in Nigeria and Uganda. This research covered the last 6,000 years of history. His most famous book on this topic is called African Civilizations.
He also helped start the study of historical archaeology in Australia. This field looks at the past using both old objects and written records. His major book on this subject is The Archaeology of Australia’s History.
Connah was also the first editor of a journal called Australasian Historical Archaeology. He worked on this from 1983 to 1988. He was also the President of the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology from 1993 to 1997.
Awards and Honors
Graham Connah received many important awards for his work.
- He was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland.
- He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
- He was a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
- He was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
- He also received the Australian Centenary Medal.
