David Lloyd DeJarnette | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1907-10-18)October 18, 1907 Bessemer, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | October 10, 1991(1991-10-10) (aged 83) Alabama, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama University of Chicago Field School |
| Occupation(s) | Archaeologist, Professor |
| Years active | 1930–1975 |
| Employer | University of Alabama |
| Known for | "Father of Alabama Archaeology" |
| Notable work | TVA Salvage Archaeology Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter excavation La Grange Rock Shelter excavation Handbook of Alabama Archaeology |
| Title | Professor of Anthropology and Sociology |
David Lloyd DeJarnette (1907–1991) was an Americanarchaeologist and professor with theUniversity of Alabama, generally considered the "Father ofAlabama Archaeology".[1]
DeJarnette was born inBessemer, Alabama in 1907 and studiedElectrical Engineering at theUniversity of Alabama, receiving aBachelor of Science degree in 1929. In 1930, he becamecurator of theAlabama Museum of Natural History, and in 1932, he received archaeological training from theUniversity of ChicagoField School.[2]
In 1933, theTennessee Valley Authority announced plans to construct a series of threehydroelectricdams in theTennessee River which would lead to the flooding of millions of acres of property within the Tennessee Valley.[3]William S. Webb of theUniversity of Kentucky was chosen to direct archaeological salvage operations in Alabama and Tennessee and DeJarnette was hired to lead these efforts in Alabama. ThisGreat Depression era effort employed hundreds of men and women via theWorks Progress Administration, aNew Deal agency, and resulted in the discovery and excavation of hundreds of archaeological sites now inundated inWilson Lake,Wheeler Lake andGuntersville Lake.[3]
The resulting studies published by Webb and DeJarnette on theWorks Progress Administration salvage operations in Alabama ranged fromArchaic Period toWoodland Period toMississippian Period shellmiddens,mounds,towns andcemeteries and formed a primary database for a generation of future researchers.[4][5]
DuringWorld War II, DeJarnette served as a coast artillery officer inNew Guinea and thePhilippines and kept a journal and photographs that were later published by his daughter.[6] After this service, he became the first curator at theAmerican Museum of Science and Energy inOak Ridge, Tennessee for five years before returning to theUniversity of Alabama in 1953, where he began his career as professor ofsociology andanthropology and received his master's degree in 1959.[7]
Alabama archaeology soon became DeJarnette's kingdom, and he treated it much in that manner.[1] After participating in the foundation of the Alabama Archaeological Society in 1954,[2] he supported a joint effort between theUniversity of Alabama, the Alabama Archaeological Society and the Archaeological Research Association of Alabama (ARAA) to identify buried Paleoindian remains.[8] This research spanned almost two decades and resulted in numerous surface surveys and excavations, many of which had DeJarnette serving as primary investigator, most notably atStanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter andLa Grange Rock Shelter.
In 1962,Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter produced the firstDalton traditionradiocarbon date inAlabama, approximately 7,000 years BC.[8] The shelter produced 11,395 lots of specimens and 157 cubic feet of collection.[9] In 1972, acharcoal sample fromLa Grange Rock Shelter was dated to 11,280 BC, at the time of discovery one of the oldest dates east of theMississippi River. Though the radiocarbon data could not be directly associated with a culture, the sample was taken from astratum located below a Dalton zone and is believed to represent aPaleoindian occupation of the shelter.[10][11]
DeJarnette was a founding member of the University of Alabama's Department of Anthropology,[1] served as long time editor of the Alabama Archaeological Society's publication, theJournal of Alabama Archaeology,[2] compiled the first summary of Alabama archaeology,[7] and edited the Handbook of Alabama Archaeology.[7] He also served as the Alabama delegate to the Southeastern Archaeological Conference, the Eastern States Archaeological Federation, theSociety for American Archaeology and theAmerican Anthropological Association among others.[2][7] DeJarnette performed numerous studies of theMoundville Archaeological Site,[12] but perhaps his most influential legacy was his annual field schools at theUniversity of Alabama from 1958 to 1975, which produced an army of trained researchers that continued his legacy of successful investigation and reporting of Alabama's prehistory.[7]
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