Theresa Goell facts for kids

Theresa Bathsheba Goell (born July 17, 1901 – died December 18, 1985) was an American archaeologist. An archaeologist is a scientist who studies human history by digging up old sites and objects. Theresa Goell is best known for leading important digs at Nemrud Dagh in south-eastern Turkey.

She was born in New York. She earned her first degree at Radcliffe College. Later, she studied at Newnham College, Cambridge in England. She also attended New York and Columbia Universities.

In the 1930s, Goell traveled to the Middle East. She worked with other archaeologists in places like Jerusalem and Gerasa. After World War II, she went back to the Middle East. In 1947, she first visited Nemrud Dagh. This site became her most important life's work. Her work in Turkey helped the world learn a lot about the ancient Kingdom of Commagene.

Early Life and Education

Newnham College, Cambridge, where Theresa Goell studied.

Theresa Goell was born in New York on July 17, 1901. Her parents, Jacob and Mary Samowitz Goell, came to the US from Russia. They were a middle-class Jewish family. Theresa was the second of three children. Her sister, Eva, and her husband helped pay for Theresa's archaeology work. Her brother, Kermit, even worked with her on some digs.

Theresa grew up in Brooklyn. She went to Erasmus Hall High School. After high school, she studied at Syracuse University for two years. Then she moved to Radcliffe College. There, she earned a degree in philosophy and social ethics. While at Radcliffe, Theresa married Cyrus Levinthal. Her father had encouraged this marriage. Theresa had a son named Jay while she was still studying. During her studies, she also started to lose her hearing. This was due to a condition called otosclerosis, which affects the ear bones. She learned to lip-read to help her understand people.

In 1926, Theresa and her husband moved to England. They both enrolled at Cambridge University. Theresa studied art history, architecture, and archaeology at Newnham College, Cambridge. She completed studies equal to a degree in architecture. At that time, women were not allowed to become full members of the university. They could not officially get degrees until 1948.

Starting Her Archaeology Work

By 1932, Theresa Goell and Cyrus Levinthal had divorced. In 1933, Theresa went to Jerusalem. She started working for the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR). She drew pottery and helped with general drawing for the digs. She continued this work in 1934. She also helped put together finds from the dig at Gerasa.

Theresa also worked on modern buildings in Palestine. She helped design over 200 buildings in cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Her designs looked like modern mansions from Brooklyn.

In 1935, Goell returned to New York. She started studying at New York University. She wanted to improve her drawing skills for her archaeology career. For two years, she could not find archaeology work. She worked as an architect and window display designer for a department store.

In 1938, she enrolled at the New York University Institute of Fine Arts. She studied for a master's degree. Her teacher, Karl Leo Heinrich Lehmann, suggested she explore Nemrud Dagh. This site later became her life's main project. Theresa continued her studies until 1945. During World War II, she also helped the American war effort. She worked as a draftswoman for engineering companies that had contracts with the US Navy. This work paused her studies.

Nemrud Dagh: A Life's Work

Nemrud Dagh, the important site that became Theresa Goell's life's work.

After the war, Goell traveled to Tarsus in southern Turkey. She was invited by archaeologist Hetty Goldman. She worked on the excavations there for several months. She continued at Tarsus until 1953. Because Goldman was ill, Goell ended up supervising the dig. She also helped write the reports about the findings.

In the summer of 1947, Goell visited Nemrud Dagh for the first time. She said the site was "a complete shambles" when she first saw it. In 1951, Goell returned to Nemrud Dagh. She started to plan an expedition there. She hoped to find and dig up the tomb of Antiochus I of Commagene. She found out that another archaeologist, Friedrich Karl Dörner, was also planning a trip there. They decided to work together.

In 1952, Goell began to raise money and put together a team. The American Philosophical Society agreed to support the dig. The Bollingen Foundation gave them $2,000. Goell and Dörner agreed that she would lead the dig at the top of Nemrud Dagh. Dörner would help her. Dörner would dig at the settlement of Arsameia-on-the-Nymphaios at the foot of the mountain, and Goell would help him.

The first full season of Goell's digs at Nemrud Dagh was in 1954. The digs were supposed to end in 1955. But a $10,000 grant from the Bollingen Foundation and more work to do convinced Goell to plan for a 1956 season. After a year away, Goell returned in 1958. The work was difficult because of bad weather. Goell's digs uncovered the huge stone heads that Nemrud Dagh is famous for today.

This is a head of Antiochus I of Commagene found at Nemrud Dagh. Theresa Goell hoped to find Antiochus's tomb but never did.

In 1960, Goell gave a speech about her Nemrud Dagh digs in Moscow. The next year, a report on her work was published in National Geographic. She also gave lectures at the University of London. She was made a member of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin. Goell returned to Nemrud Dagh in 1963. For two years, she used special equipment to search the site underground. She was still hoping to find the tomb of Antiochus I. But these attempts were not successful.

Goell's work at Nemrud Dagh taught us new things about religion during the time of Antiochus I (70 BC – 38 BC). At that time, the area's culture was a mix of Babylonian, Greek, and local Anatolian traditions. Goell's digs showed the influence of "salvation" mystery cults. These were popular during the time when people were moving from pagan beliefs to Christianity.

Samosata and Later Years

In 1964, Goell started working at the ancient city of Samosata. She led a study of the layers of soil at the site. This mound had 40 meters of archaeological deposits from thousands of years of people living there. This was the first of three seasons she spent at Samosata.

In 1965, she narrated a film about Nemrud Dagh for the National Geographic Society. She spent much of that year trying to finish the report on the Nemrud Dagh expedition. She stayed in New York in 1966. There, she worked on materials from Samosata and the Nemrud Dagh report. In 1968, she traveled to Iran. She looked at similar materials for her Samosata digs and visited Persepolis.

In 1970, Goell was told she had one year to finish the Nemrud Dagh report. She spent the next five years working on it, but it was slow going. However, she did arrange for restoration work to begin at Nemrud Dagh with the Turkish Department of Antiquities. In 1973, Goell visited Nemrud Dagh for the last time.

In 1976, Goell's legs became paralyzed while she was in Germany. Doctors found a tumor on her spine and she needed surgery right away. She recovered in a hospital and then at her sister's house. She then returned to New York. There, she wrote a report on the Samosata digs for the National Geographical Society. She also planned new trips to Nemrud Dagh. In 1978, doctors said she was well enough to return to Turkey. She spent the second half of that year working there.

Goell continued to work on the Nemrud Dagh report until she had a stroke in 1983. She never finished the report during her lifetime. She also never found the tomb of King Antiochus. She passed away in New York City on December 18, 1985, after a long illness. Her brother, Kermit, gave her papers to Harvard University. They are kept in the Schlesinger Library and Semitic Museum there. In 1990, Goell was given a master's degree after her death. This was to recognize her important work on the history of Commagene. A movie about Goell's life, Queen of the Mountain, was made in 2006.

Images for kids

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  Newnham College, Cambridge, where Theresa Goell studied.

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  Nemrud Dagh, the important site that became Theresa Goell's life's work.

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  This is a head of Antiochus I of Commagene found at Nemrud Dagh. Theresa Goell hoped to find Antiochus's tomb but never did.

See also

In Spanish: Theresa Goell para niños