David H. Kelley
Encyclopedia
David Humiston Kelley was a Canadian
American archaeologist and epigrapher
, most noted for his work on the phonetic analysis and major contributions toward the decipherment of the writing system
used by the Maya civilization
of pre-Columbian
Mesoamerica
, the Maya script
.
scholars to give credence to the theories of the Russian linguist and ethnographer Yuri Knorozov concerning the phonetic and syllabic
nature of the Maya script, which would later lead to breakthroughs in the script's decipherment. Kelley's landmark 1962 paper, Phoneticism in the Maya Script, would provide important corroborating data of the phonetic interpretation of Maya glyphs, which ran counter to the then-prevailing view that the script lacked phonetic elements.
In addition to his work on scripts and linguistics, he worked on calendrics and archaeoastronomy
, particularly on application of archaeoastronomical data to the Maya calendar correlation problem. Kelley and Eugene Milone
co-authored Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy (Springer, 2005).
He was also interested in long-range cultural contacts, including trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic voyages ("Diffusionism").
He also published frequently on mediaeval and ancient genealogies, publishing papers on the Carolingians, the Jewish Exilarchs and the Nibelungs .
Kelley was a professor emeritus in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Calgary
. Before teaching at the University of Calgary, he taught during the 1960s at the University of Nebraska, and before that at Texas Tech. Studying under Alfred M. Tozzer, his doctoral dissertation (1957) at Harvard was entitled "Our Elder Brother Coyote".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
American archaeologist and epigrapher
Epigraphy
Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
, most noted for his work on the phonetic analysis and major contributions toward the decipherment of the writing system
Writing system
A writing system is a symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language.-General properties:Writing systems are distinguished from other possible symbolic communication systems in that the reader must usually understand something of the associated spoken language to...
used by the Maya civilization
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
of pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
, the Maya script
Maya script
The Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs or Maya hieroglyphs, is the writing system of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica, presently the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered...
.
Work and interests
From the late 1950s, he was one of the first MayanistMayanist
A Mayanist is a scholar specialising in research and study of the Central American pre-Columbian Maya civilization. This discipline should not be confused with Mayanism, a collection of New Age beliefs about the ancient Maya....
scholars to give credence to the theories of the Russian linguist and ethnographer Yuri Knorozov concerning the phonetic and syllabic
Syllabic
Syllabic may refer to:*Canadian Aboriginal syllabics, a family of abugidas used to write a number of Aboriginal Canadian languages.*Syllabary, writing system using symbols for syllables...
nature of the Maya script, which would later lead to breakthroughs in the script's decipherment. Kelley's landmark 1962 paper, Phoneticism in the Maya Script, would provide important corroborating data of the phonetic interpretation of Maya glyphs, which ran counter to the then-prevailing view that the script lacked phonetic elements.
In addition to his work on scripts and linguistics, he worked on calendrics and archaeoastronomy
Archaeoastronomy
Archaeoastronomy is the study of how people in the past "have understood the phenomena in the sky how they used phenomena in the sky and what role the sky played in their cultures." Clive Ruggles argues it is misleading to consider archaeoastronomy to be the study of ancient astronomy, as modern...
, particularly on application of archaeoastronomical data to the Maya calendar correlation problem. Kelley and Eugene Milone
Eugene Milone
Eugene Frank Milone received a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1961, and a Ph.D. in astronomy from Yale University...
co-authored Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy (Springer, 2005).
He was also interested in long-range cultural contacts, including trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic voyages ("Diffusionism").
He also published frequently on mediaeval and ancient genealogies, publishing papers on the Carolingians, the Jewish Exilarchs and the Nibelungs .
Kelley was a professor emeritus in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
. Before teaching at the University of Calgary, he taught during the 1960s at the University of Nebraska, and before that at Texas Tech. Studying under Alfred M. Tozzer, his doctoral dissertation (1957) at Harvard was entitled "Our Elder Brother Coyote".
Published works
Academic papers and books published by Kelley include:- Kelley, David H. : Maya Astronomical Tables and Inscriptions, Native American Astronomy. Edited versions of papers presented at a Symposium, held at Colgate University, September 23–26, 1975, Edited by Anthony F. Aveni. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1977., p. 57
- Kelley, David H. : Deciphering the Maya Script, Austin: University of Texas Press, 1976
- Kelley, David H. : "The Maya Calendar Correlation Problem". In :- R. M. Leventhal & A. L. Kolata (eds.) : Civilization in the Ancient Americas : Essays in Honor of Gordon R. Willey. Santa Fe : University of New Mexico Press; and Cambridge (MA) : Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 1983. pp. 157–208
- Kelley, David H. : "The Lords of Palenque and the Lords of Heaven". In :- M. G. Robertson & Virginia M. Fields (eds.) : Fifth Palenque Round Table, 1983. San Francisco : Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute, 1985. pp. 235–240
- Kelley, David H. : "Mesoamerican Astronomy and the Maya Calendar Correlation Problem". In :- Memorias de Segundo Coloquio Internacional de Mayanistas. Universidad National Autónoma de México, 1989. pp. 65–96
- Kelley, David H. : "Tane and Sina : a Uto-Aztecan Astronomical Cult in Polynesia". In :- Bruno Illius & Matthias Laubscher : Circumpacifica : Festschrift für Thomas S. Barthel. Frankfort am Main : Verlag Peter Lang, 1990. vol. II, pp. 137–155
- Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy by David H. Kelley (Author), Eugene F. Milone (Author), Springer, 2005
External links
- Dr. Kelley's Faculty Staff page, University of Calgary
- In Memoriam:David Humiston Kelly by Peter Mathews, on Mesoweb