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E. G. Squier

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Ephraim George Squier
BornJune 17, 1821
DiedApril 17, 1888(1888-04-17) (aged 66)
NationalityAmerican
Scientific career
Fieldsarchaeology

Ephraim George Squier (June 17, 1821 – April 17, 1888) was an American archaeologist and newspaper editor.

Biography

While serving as editor of the Chillicothe, Ohio weekly newspaper, the Scioto Gazette, Squier collaborated with physician Edwin H. Davis on the book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, which was issued in 1848. The work was a landmark in American scientific research, the study of the prehistoric Mound Builders of North America, and the early development of archaeology as a scientific discipline.[1] The book was the first volume of the Smithsonian Institution's Contributions to Knowledge series and the Institution's first publication. Among Squier and Davis' most important achievements was their systematic approach to analyzing and documenting the sites they surveyed, including the Serpent Mound in Peebles, Ohio, which they discovered in 1846, and the mapping of the Mound City Group in Chillicothe, Ohio, which has been restored using their data and is now part of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. From 1846 to 1869, Squier was a diplomat, representing the United States in Latin America. During this time, he conducted archeological and ethnological studies, especially in Nicaragua, Honduras and Peru. He was married to Miriam Leslie.

Notes

  1. ^ Stiebing 1984, p.136

References

  • Barnhart, Terry A. (2005). Ephraim George Squier and the Development of American Anthropology. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-1321-2.
  • Stiebing, William H., Jr. (1984). Ancient Astronauts, Cosmic Collisions, and Other Popular Theories About Man's Past. New York: Prometheus Books. ISBN 0-87975-285-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)