Erich Schmidt (archaeologist)
Encyclopedia
Erich Friedrich Schmidt (September 13, 1897 – October 3, 1964) was a German
and American
-naturalized archaeologist, born in Baden-Baden
. He specialized in Ancient Near East
Archaeology, and became professor emeritus at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
.
When he was young, he fought in the World War I
, and was captured by the Russians. In 1923 he moved to U.S.
, and studied anthropology at Columbia University
. He was co-director of the Oriental Institute Hittite
Expedition, with H.H. Von der Osten, and later on dug in sites as Tepe Hissar
near Damghan
in searching for ancient city Hecatompylos
, and Rey
. His most celebrated survey took place in Persepolis
(Iran
), from 1934 up to 1939.
Erich Schmidt was pioneer in aerial photography
of archaeological sites. He died in Santa Barbara, California
, in 1964.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-naturalized archaeologist, born in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
. He specialized in Ancient Near East
Ancient Near East
The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia , ancient Egypt, ancient Iran The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia...
Archaeology, and became professor emeritus at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
When he was young, he fought in the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and was captured by the Russians. In 1923 he moved to U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and studied anthropology at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He was co-director of the Oriental Institute Hittite
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
Expedition, with H.H. Von der Osten, and later on dug in sites as Tepe Hissar
Tepe Hissar
Tepe Hissar is a the site of an ancient settlement near Damghan in north-eastern Iran. The site was investigated around In 1931 and 1932, excavations were undertaken by the University of Pennsylvania Museum....
near Damghan
Damghan
Damghan is a city in and capital of Damghan County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 57,331, in 15,849 families.Damghan is situated from Tehran on the high-road to Mashad, at an elevation of...
in searching for ancient city Hecatompylos
Hecatompylos
Hecatompylos was an ancient city in west Khurasan, Iran, which was the capital of the Parthian Arsacid dynasty by 200 BCE. The Greek name Hekatompylos means "one hundred gates", but this title was commonly used for cities which had more than the traditional four gates...
, and Rey
Rey, Iran
Rey or Ray , also known as Rhages and formerly as Arsacia, is the capital of Rey County, Tehran Province, Iran, and is the oldest existing city in the province....
. His most celebrated survey took place in Persepolis
Persepolis
Perspolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire . Persepolis is situated northeast of the modern city of Shiraz in the Fars Province of modern Iran. In contemporary Persian, the site is known as Takht-e Jamshid...
(Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
), from 1934 up to 1939.
Erich Schmidt was pioneer in aerial photography
Aerial photography
Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
of archaeological sites. He died in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, in 1964.
Works
- Time-Relations of Prehistoric Pottery Types in Southern Arizona, Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History 30, no. 5 (1928)
- Anatolia Through the Ages: Discoveries at the Alishar Mound, 1927-1929 (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1931).
- Excavations at Tepe Hissar, Damghan (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1937).
- Flights Over Ancient Cities of Iran (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1940).
- Persepolis I: Structures, Reliefs, Inscriptions (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,1953).
- Persepolis II: Contents of the Treasury and Other Discoveries (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957).
- Persepolis III: The Royal Tombs and Other Monuments (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970).
- The Treasury of Persepolis and Other Discoveries in the Homeland of the Achaemenians, OIC 21 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1939);
External links
- The Persian Expedition 1930-1939, and [catalog of expedition photographs], at the Oriental Institute website,
- Biography and list of papers at the American Museum of Natural History Division of Anthropology Archives