Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1980 - 5

Award

for

DISTINGUISHED

ARCHAEOLOGICAL

ACHIEVEMENT

Thefifteenthannual award of the Archaeological Instituteof America was presented to Dows Dunham
at the Centennial Meeting of the AIA in Boston, December 27-30, 1979. Robert H. Dyson, Jr.,
President of the AIA,read the citation.

DowsDunhamhas dedicatedhis lifeto archaeologyas an excavator,curator and
scholarlyauthor,a dedicationmade with
exceptionalmodestyas wellas quiet distinction.Bornin 1890,he has engaged in
archaeologicalfieldworkin Egyptand the
Sudansince 1914,and has servedas vicepresident of the ArchaeologicalInstitute
of America.
Thereis perhapsno otherarchaeologist
inthiscountrywhohas laboredso long,so
patiently,and withsuch lucidand impressiveresultsto putthe recordsofpast excavationsbeforethe publicand to preventthe
scientificand scholarlyworkof expeditions
longfinishedfromdisappearingintooblivion in museumbasements.Fromthe momenthe joinedProfessorGeorge Reisner
of Fine
andthe HarvardUniversity-Museum
at Gizain 1914, throughthe
ArtsExpedition
preparationofthe lastvolumeofthe monunowinpress,Mr.
mentalKermapublication,
Dunhamhas devotedallhisskills,hisgiftof
clarity,his precisionof methodand his exofthe
perienceto the premierresponsibility
fieldarchaeologist,that of explainingand
what he has found.Thisdisciinterpreting
makehim
plineand sense of responsibility
an exemplumfor youngerarchaeologists
everywhere.
Mr.Dunhamwaspresentat the discovery
ofthe statueof KingDjoser;excavatedand
helped restore the gold-coveredfurniture
fromthe tombof Queen Hetep-heres;and
was in charge of fieldoperationsand recordingat Quft,Naga-ed-Der,Gizaandfor the Egyptian Antiquities ServiceSakkarahand Dahsur.Inthe Sudanhe un-

coveredGammai,GebelBarkaland Meroe,
established the first chronologyof the
Meroitickings, and publishedthe Royal
Cemeteriesof Kush and the forts of the
SecondCataract,the BarkalTemplesand
the GizaMastabas.Placedinchargeofthe
ofthe Museumof Fine
EgyptianCollections
Arts,Boston,in 1928,he was responsible
for cataloguing,installingand explaining
thatextraordinary
rangeofbeautifulartand,
duringmorethan 50 years of association,
displayedthe consistentand absoluteprobityof a distinguishedmuseumcurator.
DowsDunhamhas, allhis life,also been
a splendid,livelyand picturesqueteacher,
and his sense of responsibility
towardhis
students and towardthe publichas been
shownin hundredsof ways,fromhisworkingmodelat the ScienceMuseumof howa
labelsin
pyramidis builtto the informative
the Museum of Fine Arts. His lifetime
exampleof dedication,discipline,unselfish
labor, patience,good judgment,skilland
lucidity,his stance on principlesas wellas
his humor, his constant help to younger
to whichmanyin this room
Egyptologists,
can bear witness,the warmthand modesty
whichhaveendearedhimto so manyforso
long,make DowsDunhamon this centennial occasionthe fittingembodimentof a
grandtraditionin archaeology.

Mr.Dunhamresponded:
Mr.Chairman,fellowmembersof the Archaeological Institute, our philological
brethrenand guests:Iam deeplymovedby
the honoryou have done me by choosing
me to be the recipientofthisaward- Iwho
neverwentthroughthe exhaustingstruggle
to acquirea Ph.D.but wentdirectlywitha
modestB.A.fromHarvardintopracticalarchaeologicalfieldwork.Myfurthereducation was under George Reisnerin Egypt
and the Sudan,and as his assistantinthe
cataloguingof the excavated materialin
Boston comingfrom those excavations.
Thus, my post-graduateeducationwas in
the fieldand the Museum,not in a university. In myyoungerdays the opportunities
forpost-graduatestudywerenotmanyand
workin the fieldhad a fascinationwhichI
could not resist. The OrientalInstituteat
Chicago under Breasted where I might
have acquiredsome linguisticproficiency
did not attract me as it shouldhave and I
have always missed the adequate
trainingI shouldhave had.
philological
Todaythe situationis changingand I am
delighted.The presentationof the awardto
me, a non-classicalarchaeologist,means
much to me; but even more, it seems to
indicatea generalexpandingof interestof
Institutebeyondits trathe Archaeological
ditionalemphasison Classicalarchaeology
to a widerfield,and itsJournalisopeningits
pages to scholarsin otherareas botheast
and west of the Mediterranean,including
the Americasand the Far East, as wellas
Asiaand Africa.
Thankyou all verymuch.
March/
April1980

5
Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1980

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