Ernest John Henry Mackay (5 July 1880 – 2 October 1943) was a British archeologist from Bristol known for his excavations and studies of Mohenjo-daro and other sites belonging to the Indus Valley civilisation.

Ernest J. H. Mackay
Ernest Mackay, Archeologist
Born
Ernest John Henry Mackay

(1880-07-05)5 July 1880
Bristol, England
Died2 October 1943(1943-10-02) (aged 63)
London, England
NationalityBritish
Other namesMackay
OccupationArchaeologist
Known forExcavation at Mohenje-daro
SpouseDorothy Mackay

Early life

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Ernest John Henry Mackay was born in Bristol. He had attended Bristol Grammar School and Bristol University securing BA, MA and DLitt.

He married Dorothy Mackay (née Simmons), a UCL graduate with a BA degree and a BSc degree in Zoology, in 1912.[1] They had two sons.[2] Dorothy frequently took part in her husband's excavations and published extensively on her own.[3]

Between 1907 and 1912, Mackay carried out archaeological excavations in Egypt and then spent three years on a photographic survey of the Theban Tombs.[4]

During the First World War, Mackay served as a captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps in Egypt and Palestine with the Imperial Camel Corps. In 1919, he was a member of an Army Commission for the survey of ancient monuments in Palestine and Syria.[4] From 1919 to 1922, he was Custodian of Antiquities for the Palestine government.[4]

Indus valley civilization

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Mackay is well known for his excavations at Mohenjo-daro (during 2500 BC and 1900 BC). He did major excavations at this site from 1926 to 1931 and published detailed site report during 1936-37, which was published during 1942. He also did planning of excavation of Chanhudaro, along with W.Norman Brown and visited Chanhudaro in 1935-36 along with his wife.[5]

Books

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  • Chanhu-daro excavation, 1935-36. Pub. June 1942[6]
  • Indus Civilisation[7]
  • City of Shepherd Kings and Ancient Gaza V (British School Archaeology in Egypt). With W.M.Flinders Petrie[7]
  • Further Excavations At Mohenjo-daro

Article

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  • E.J.H. Mackay (1920). "Observations on a megalithic building at Bet Sawir (Palestine)". Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society. 1: 95–102.

Death

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He had died on 2 October, 1943 on age of 63 years in London, England.

References

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  1. ^ Thornton, Amara. "Discovering Dorothy", https://www.readingroomnotes.com/home/discovering-dorothy
  2. ^ Kaczanowicz, Marta. "Dorothy Mackay: A Forgotten Female Pioneer in Archaeology", Muzeológia a kultúrne dedičstvo 11/3 (2023), 71–80, https://www.muzeologia.sk/index_htm_files/MKD_3_23_Kaczanovicz.pdf
  3. ^ Kaczanowicz, Marta. "Dorothy Mackay: A Forgotten Female Pioneer in Archaeology", Muzeológia a kultúrne dedičstvo 11/3 (2023), 71–80, https://www.muzeologia.sk/index_htm_files/MKD_3_23_Kaczanovicz.pdf
  4. ^ a b c "Obituary." Times [London, England] 5 Oct. 1943: 6. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
  5. ^ Possehl, Gregory L. "Ernest J. H. Mackay and the Penn Museum" (PDF). www.pen.museum. University of Pennsylvania Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Chanbu-daro excavation, 1935-36". Trove.nla.gov.au. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Ernest J. H. MacKay". amazon.com. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
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