Sinclair Hood facts for kids

Sinclair Hood (born January 31, 1917 – died January 18, 2021) was a famous British archaeologist and scholar. He was the leader of the British School of Archaeology at Athens from 1954 to 1962. He also led important digs at Knossos from 1957 to 1961. He lived a very long life, passing away just before his 104th birthday.

His book, The Arts in Prehistoric Greece, became a very important guide for studying Aegean art. Experts said it would be a "standard authoritative handbook for years to come."

Sinclair Hood's Early Life and Learning

Sinclair Hood was born in Cobh, Ireland, in 1917. His father, Martin Arthur Frankland Hood, was in the Royal Navy. His mother was Frances Ellis. Sinclair's father passed away when Sinclair was young. He was then raised by his mother in London and also near the sea in Cornwall.

School Days and First Steps

After attending Harrow School, Hood studied Classics and Modern History. He earned a Master of Arts degree from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1938. During World War II, he chose not to fight. Instead, he helped people by working with the Civil Defence Service and a Stretcher Party in Holborn.

For a time, he learned about architecture. He said this helped him a lot in his later career. It taught him how to measure and draw things carefully.

Becoming an Archaeologist

After the war, in 1947, he earned a special diploma in Prehistoric European Archaeology from the University of London. He learned from famous archaeologists like Kathleen Kenyon and V. Gordon Childe. He learned how to dig carefully and understand the different layers of the earth. This method was very important for finding old artifacts.

He worked with Kathleen Kenyon in London. He also worked with Leonard Woolley at a site called Atchana in Turkey. Before World War II, Hood visited Greece. After the war, he studied at the British School of Archaeology in Athens and the British Institute of Archaeology in Ankara.

Sinclair Hood's Archaeology Career

Sinclair Hood worked as an assistant director at the British School of Archaeology in Athens from 1949 to 1951. Later, he became the director from 1954 to 1962. He mostly worked in Greece and Turkey. He also did some work in what was then called Mandatory Palestine and on the island of Crete.

He led excavations at Emporio, Chios, from 1952 to 1955. He also led important digs at Knossos between 1957 and 1961.

Life After Fieldwork

In the 1960s, he moved back to England and settled near Oxford. He chose not to take a teaching job at a university or work in a museum. He once said he was asked to lead the Ashmolean Museum, but he decided not to.

A friend of his noted that Hood was a great teacher, even though he never taught in a classroom. His teaching came from his actions and informal talks. He would share his knowledge while working in the field or at dinner.

Advice for Young Archaeologists

Sinclair Hood had some great advice for young people interested in archaeology:

• "Think for yourselves and don't take anything for granted."
• "Look at things; look at the originals as much as you can."
• "Look at the countryside where things are."
• "It is very much a matter of observation, of looking with your eyes."
• He said it's amazing what you might find if you look carefully.

Important Books and Discoveries

From the 1960s, Hood continued to dig in Greece and write books. His important works include The Bronze Age Palace at Knossos: Plan and Sections and the Archaeological Survey of the Knossos Area, both published in 1981.

He believed his biggest life's work was a detailed list of ancient 'masons' marks' found at Knossos, Crete. This book, called The Masons' Marks of Minoan Knossos, was published in 2020.

Sinclair Hood's Family Life

On March 4, 1957, Sinclair Hood married Rachel Simmons. She was also a classicist, meaning she studied ancient Greek and Roman cultures. They met while working on excavations in Chios. Rachel had worked as a secretary for the writer J. B. Priestley. Later, she helped organize adult literacy programs.

Sinclair and Rachel had three children: a son named Martin, and two daughters named Mary and Dictynna.