Sandor Gallus facts for kids

Sandor (Alexander) Gallus (born November 15, 1907 – died December 29, 1996) was an important archaeologist from Melbourne, Australia. He is best known for his work at Koonalda Cave in South Australia and the Keilor archaeological site in Keilor. His discoveries helped show that Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for a very, very long time.

Early Life and Archaeology Work

Sandor Gallus was born in Sopron, Hungary in 1907. He studied at universities in Szeged and Budapest. From 1931 to 1945, he worked at the Prehistory Department of the Hungarian National Museum. He even became its director.

He published his first major work in 1934. It was about decorated pots from the early Iron Age found near Sopron. He also wrote about Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age finds. In 1937, he published about a newly found Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) site.

Moving to Australia

In 1945, Sandor Gallus left Hungary because of the advancing Communist takeover. He moved to Austria first. Four years later, in 1949, he moved to Australia.

When he first arrived in Melbourne, Gallus worked in various basic jobs. This was a common experience for many skilled people from Central Europe. His qualifications were not easily recognized in Australia. Also, there were not many university courses in prehistory at the time. John Mulvaney was the first archaeologist to get a university teaching job in Australia in 1953.

Gallus later became a teacher in the Victorian Education Department. He stayed there until he retired. He continued his passion for archaeology through the Archaeological Society of Victoria. He became its President and then an Honorary Member. He gathered a dedicated group of people interested in archaeology.

In 1963, Gallus became an Associate of Current Anthropology. He often wrote comments on topics like genetics, human migration, and ancient tools. In 1966, he was elected a Member of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. He also received some research money from them.

Discovering Ancient Australia

In Australia, Gallus focused on two main ideas. He wanted to understand how humans spread across the world during the Pleistocene (Ice Age). He also looked at ancient remains to see how people moved around. He strongly believed that Aboriginal people had lived in Australia for a very, very long time.

He tried to prove this through his excavations. First, he worked at Koonalda Cave on the Nullarbor Plain. Then, he worked at Keilor, near the Maribyrnong River.

His ideas were sometimes debated. He thought people had lived in Australia for 75,000 to 100,000 years. This is still not fully proven. However, both sites did show that Aboriginal people were present during the Ice Age.

At Koonalda Cave, ancient rock art and mining activities happened between 14,000 and 24,000 years ago. At Keilor, in 1971, Jim Bowler helped prove that stone tools and bones of extinct giant animals (megafauna) were present. These finds were dated to between 36,000 and 45,000 years ago.

Community Life and Legacy

Sandor Gallus was also very active in the Hungarian community in Melbourne. He became the first Melbourne President of the Australian Hungarian Association. In 1965, he wrote an article about Hungarian history for their calendar. He often spoke about writing a full history of his home country, but this never happened.

Sandor Gallus passed away on December 29, 1996, in Melbourne. A memorial service was held in early January 1997 at the Hungarian Community Centre. The service was read in Latin, which Gallus likely would have wanted. His ashes were placed in the church's crypt.

Published Works

• Gallus, A. 1968a. Parietal Art in Koonalda Cave, Nullarbor Plain, South Australia. Helictite 6(3): 43-49.
• Gallus, A. 1971. Results of the exploration of Koonalda Cave, 1956-1968. In R. V. S. Wright (ed.), Archaeology of the Gallus Site, Koonalda Cave, pp. 87–133. Australian Aboriginal Studies 26, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra.
• Gallus, S. 1983 Excavations at Keilor, Victoria. Report No. 3: Excavation in the 'D' clay. The Artefact 8(1-2): 11-42.