Janet Davidson facts for kids

Janet Marjorie Davidson (born in 1941) is a famous archaeologist from New Zealand. An archaeologist is like a history detective who studies old things to learn about people from the past. Janet has done a lot of important field work, which means she's traveled to many places in the Pacific Islands. She explored areas like Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia to discover ancient sites and artifacts.

Janet Davidson's Career in Archaeology

Janet Davidson has spent many years working as an archaeologist. She traveled to different islands in the Pacific to study how people lived long ago.

Early Field Work and Studies

From 1961 to 1962, Janet worked in the Society Islands, especially on Moorea. She also did field work in Samoa (in 1964, and again from 1965 to 1966) and Tonga (in 1964). In 1965, she visited Nukuoro in the Federated States of Micronesia. She also explored places in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

In 1964, Janet earned a Master of Arts degree in anthropology from the University of Auckland. This advanced degree helped her become an expert in studying human societies and cultures.

Working in Museums and Universities

In 1965, Janet became the E. Earle Vaile archaeologist at the Auckland Institute and Museum. She held this important job until 1980. After that, she moved to Dunedin. She was also an honorary research associate at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. This means she helped with research without being a full-time employee.

Later, Janet was an honorary lecturer at the University of Otago. She also became a senior curator for Pacific collections at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. A curator is someone who looks after a museum's collections and helps create exhibits.

Discoveries in Samoa

In the 1960s, Janet Davidson worked with another archaeologist, Roger Green, in Samoa. They wrote a book together called Archaeology in Western Samoa. Their work helped start the study of archaeology in Samoa. Janet's research included looking at how people lived in Samoa before the year 1840. She studied their settlement patterns, which means how they arranged their villages and homes.

Other Research and Publications

In 1969, Janet joined the Cook Bicentenary Expedition. This trip celebrated 200 years since Captain Cook explored the Pacific. On this expedition, she did archaeological research in the Vava'u Group in Tonga.

Janet has written many articles and books about the early history of New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. She was the editor of the New Zealand Journal of Archaeology from 1985 to 2008. She also wrote many articles for the Journal of the Polynesian Society.

Awards and Recognition

Janet Davidson has received several awards for her important work.

New Zealand Order of Merit

In 1996, Janet was given a special award called Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This award was for her great contributions to archaeology in New Zealand.

Vastly Ingenious Book

In 2007, a book called Vastly Ingenious was published to honor Janet. The full title was Vastly Ingenious: The Archaeology of Pacific Material Culture - in honour of Janet M. Davidson. This book included new research essays from top international scholars. It also had an introduction written by Janet's colleague, Roger Curtis Green. The book was published by Otago University Press. It was put together by three experts in Pacific prehistory: Atholl Anderson, Kaye C. Green, and Foss Leach.

Roger Green, who wrote for the book, said that Janet's career combined active field work across the Pacific with a creative way of doing museum research and displays. He explained that she helped young scholars and kept the study of old objects interesting for everyone.

150 Women in 150 Words

In 2017, Janet Davidson was chosen as one of the "150 women in 150 words" by the Royal Society Te Apārangi. This project celebrated the important contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand.

See also

• Archaeology in Samoa