Neil Judd
Encyclopedia
Neil Merton Judd was an American
archaeologist who studied under the pioneering archaeologist of the American Southwest, Edgar Lee Hewett
. He was curator of archaeology at the erstwhile United States National Museum, which later became part of the Smithsonian Institution
. He is noted for his discovery and excavation of many ruins left by the Ancestral Pueblo People (also known as Anasazi) of the Four Corners area, especially sites located within Chaco Canyon, a region located within the arid San Juan Basin
of northwestern New Mexico
. He headed the first federally-backed archeological mission sent to Chaco Canyon, excavating the key ruins of Pueblo Bonito and Pueblo del Arroyo.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
archaeologist who studied under the pioneering archaeologist of the American Southwest, Edgar Lee Hewett
Edgar Lee Hewett
Edgar Lee Hewett, D.Sc., was an archaeologist/anthropologist active in work on the Native American communities of New Mexico and the southwestern United States, and most famous for his role in bringing about the Antiquities Act, a pioneering piece of legislation for the conservation movement...
. He was curator of archaeology at the erstwhile United States National Museum, which later became part of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. He is noted for his discovery and excavation of many ruins left by the Ancestral Pueblo People (also known as Anasazi) of the Four Corners area, especially sites located within Chaco Canyon, a region located within the arid San Juan Basin
San Juan Basin
The San Juan Basin is a geologic structural basin in the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States; its main portion covers around , encompassing much of northwestern New Mexico, southwest Colorado, and parts of Arizona and Utah....
of northwestern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. He headed the first federally-backed archeological mission sent to Chaco Canyon, excavating the key ruins of Pueblo Bonito and Pueblo del Arroyo.
Further reading
- Neil M. Judd, Men Met along the Trail: Adventures in Archaeology, 1968, University of Oklahoma Press. Judd's professional memoirs.
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park: A Brief History of Investigations & Excavations in Chaco Canyon: 1877 to Present
- Register to the Papers of Neil Merton Judd, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution