Edward Herbert Thompson: Difference between revisions
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Thompson is most famous for dredged and plundered the Cenote Sagrado ([[Sacred Cenote]]) from 1904 to 1910, where he recovered artifacts of gold, copper and carved jade, as well as the first-ever examples of what were believed to be pre-Columbian Maya cloth and wooden weapons. Thompson shipped the bulk of the artifacts to the [[Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology|Peabody Museum]].<ref name="Burgess"/> In 1926, the Mexican government seized Thompson's plantation, charging he had removed the artifacts illegally. The Mexican Supreme Court in 1944 ruled in Thompson's favor. Thompson, however, had died in [[Plainfield, New Jersey]] in 1935, so the Hacienda Chichen reverted to his heirs. |
Thompson is most famous for dredged and plundered the Cenote Sagrado ([[Sacred Cenote]]) from 1904 to 1910, where he recovered artifacts of gold, copper and carved jade, as well as the first-ever examples of what were believed to be pre-Columbian Maya cloth and wooden weapons. Thompson shipped the bulk of the artifacts to the [[Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology|Peabody Museum]].<ref name="Burgess"/> In 1926, the Mexican government seized Thompson's plantation, charging he had removed the artifacts illegally. The Mexican Supreme Court in 1944 ruled in Thompson's favor. Thompson, however, had died in [[Plainfield, New Jersey]] in 1935, so the Hacienda Chichen reverted to his heirs. |
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In 1923, [[Alma Reed]], an American [[journalist]] who came to Yucatan at that time, reported in the [[New York Times]] on Thompson's transgressions and caused a stir in the cultural and archaeological circles of the United States, to the point that the efforts of the |
In 1923, [[Alma Reed]], an American [[journalist]] who came to Yucatan at that time, reported in the [[New York Times]] on Thompson's transgressions and caused a stir in the cultural and archaeological circles of the United States, to the point that the efforts of the [[Carnegie Institution for Science]] to scientifically explore and restore the site back then were compromised. |
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Alma Reed's first presence in Yucatan occurred within the framework of the request for the Carnegie Expedition, which had been organized by the Institute of the same name, incorporating a large group of archaeologists and anthropologists, including Sylvanus Morley. They had arrived on an evaluation and rescue mission from the Mayan ruins. |
Alma Reed's first presence in Yucatan occurred within the framework of the request for the Carnegie Expedition, which had been organized by the Institute of the same name, incorporating a large group of archaeologists and anthropologists, including Sylvanus Morley. They had arrived on an evaluation and rescue mission from the Mayan ruins. |
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Revision as of 01:00, 28 June 2020
Edward Herbert Thompson | |
|---|---|
 Edward Herbert Thompson | |
| Born | September 28, 1857 |
| Died | May 11, 1935 (aged 77) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Known for | Maya civilization |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | archaeology (looter) |
Edward Herbert Thompson (September 28, 1857 – May 11, 1935) was an American-born archaeologist and diplomat.
Biography
Edward H. Thompson was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Initially inspired by the books of John Lloyd Stephens, Thompson devoted much of his career to study of the Maya civilization. In 1879, Popular Science Monthly published "Atlantis Not a Myth", an article by Thompson in which he argued that the ancient Mayan monuments, which he had never seen except in books, were proof of the lost continent of Atlantis[1][2]--an opinion which his later researches would change. The article attracted the attention of Stephen Salisbury III, son of an American landowner and a benefactor of the American Antiquarian Society, who persuaded Thompson to move to Yucatán to explore the ruins on his behalf. Thompson was later elected a member of the AAS in 1887.[3] Senator George Frisbie Hoar of Massachusetts agreed to help subsidize Thompson's efforts by recommending him for the post of United States consul to Yucatán.
Thompson arrived in Mérida, Yucatán, in 1885 and thereafter spent most of his life in Yucatán.[1] Although he spoke only English upon his arrival, he quickly learned Spanish and also became fluent in the Yucatec Maya language.
Thompson did early extensive examinations at Labná, picking that site because little work had previously been done there and because its distance from any modern settlement had left it relatively undisturbed in modern times. He also discovered a number of smaller sites in the Puuc region.
He made a series of plaster casts of Maya sculptures and architecture, particularly from Uxmal and Labná, which were exhibited at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois in 1893.
With the help of Alison Armour, Thompson in 1894 purchased the plantation that included the site of Chichen Itza. He rebuilt the hacienda, which had been destroyed in the Caste War of Yucatán. For 30 years he explored the site, on behalf of the Field Columbian Museum, the American Antiquarian Society, the Peabody Museum at Harvard University and others. His discoveries included the earliest dated carving upon a lintel in the Temple of the Initial Series and the excavation of several graves in the Ossario (High Priest’s Temple).
Thompson is most famous for dredged and plundered the Cenote Sagrado (Sacred Cenote) from 1904 to 1910, where he recovered artifacts of gold, copper and carved jade, as well as the first-ever examples of what were believed to be pre-Columbian Maya cloth and wooden weapons. Thompson shipped the bulk of the artifacts to the Peabody Museum.[1] In 1926, the Mexican government seized Thompson's plantation, charging he had removed the artifacts illegally. The Mexican Supreme Court in 1944 ruled in Thompson's favor. Thompson, however, had died in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1935, so the Hacienda Chichen reverted to his heirs.
In 1923, Alma Reed, an American journalist who came to Yucatan at that time, reported in the New York Times on Thompson's transgressions and caused a stir in the cultural and archaeological circles of the United States, to the point that the efforts of the Carnegie Institution for Science to scientifically explore and restore the site back then were compromised.
Alma Reed's first presence in Yucatan occurred within the framework of the request for the Carnegie Expedition, which had been organized by the Institute of the same name, incorporating a large group of archaeologists and anthropologists, including Sylvanus Morley. They had arrived on an evaluation and rescue mission from the Mayan ruins.
The Yucatan Magazine, for its part, referred in its editions from July 21 to 28, 19269 to the public accusations that arose and were aired, raising great outrage in Yucatecan society.
References
- ^ a b c Burgess, Robert F. (1999). "Into the Well of Death". The Cave Divers. Locust Valley, New York: Aqua Quest Publications. pp. 50–57. ISBN 1-881652-11-4. LCCN 96-39661.
- ^ Edward H. Thompson, "Atlantis Not a Myth", Alpena Weekly Argus, February 04, 1880
- ^ American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
- Thompson, Edward H. (1931), People of the Serpent
- Coggins, Clemency, Editor (1984), Cenote of Sacrifice: Maya Treasures from the Sacred Well of Chichen Itza
30 photographs of Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, and Labná from the 1888-91 Thompson/Peabody Museum expedition. http://academic.reed.edu/uxmal/galleries/thumbnails/drawings/Drawings-Thompson.htm
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1857 births
- 1935 deaths
- People from Worcester, Massachusetts
- 19th-century explorers
- 20th-century explorers
- American archaeologists
- Explorers of Central America
- Mayanists
- Mesoamerican archaeologists
- American Mesoamericanists
- 19th-century Mesoamericanists
- 20th-century Mesoamericanists
- Members of the American Antiquarian Society