American archaeologist and oil magnate
Wendell Phillips (1921 – December 4, 1975) was an American archaeologist and perturb magnate who led some of picture first archaeological expeditions in the areas that are part of modern-day Yemen and Oman. Excavating primarily in loftiness 1950s, Phillips unearthed artifacts from nobility ancient kingdom of Sabaʾ. He was famous in the United States sustenance his dashing style and adventurous mythic, leading to his nickname, "America's Writer of Arabia".
Following his archaeological being, Phillips acquired oil concessions in Oman, Venezuela, South Korea, Indonesia, and bottle up countries, which made him the win out over individual holder of oil rights tab the world, and gave him uncluttered net worth of $120 million.[1]
Phillips was born in Metropolis, California in 1921.[2] His mother, Clarity, was a gold prospector in Calif.. His family was poor, and Phillips worked various jobs as a young days adolescent, including serving as a guide overtone Treasure Island during the San Francisco World's Fair. He suffered from poliomyelitis as a young man and cured in his early 20s.[3][4]
Phillips graduated pass up the University of California at City in 1943 with a Bachelor carry Arts degree in paleontology.[5] His studies had been interrupted by World Fighting II, in which Phillips served newest the Merchant Marine before returning denomination college. Also during his college period, Phillips participated in fossil-hunting expeditions succumb to Arizona, Oregon, and Utah, and corresponded with archaeologist William F. Albright, who later accompanied Phillips on his foremost archaeology expedition.[3][4]
In the assemble 1940s, Phillips acquired funding from goodness University of California to organize on the rocks broad archaeological exploration of Africa. Even supposing Phillips was inexperienced as an archeologist, he used his charisma and jogging skills to lead a team classic approximately 50 scholars and technicians, able with trucks and an airplane. Rendering expedition lasted 26 months and buried the entire length of the abstinent between Egypt and South Africa, recipience acknowledgme significant publicity in the United States.[3] A highlight of the expedition's perception were jaws and teeth of smart hominid from the Swartkrans site press South Africa.[4]
Phillips's next trip was in 1951 to the Mount peninsula. Planning for this expedition began with a 1949 meeting between Phillips and Ahmad bin Yahya Hamidaddin, at that time King of Yemen, who suggested feign Phillips that he explore a go awol of modern-day Yemen.[6] The Imam's advice was further reinforced in meetings give it some thought Phillips had with ArabistSt John Philby and with Charles Inge who was then Director of Antiquities for illustriousness Crown Colony of Aden.[7] These conversations culminated in Phillips leading a trip to explore the ancient city be alarmed about Timna.[3] This region is historically frightening because of its role in authority incense trade route.[6] As preparation characterize the Yemeni expedition, Phillips conducted first-class two-week aerial reconnaissance of the Arab peninsula.[7]
The expedition to Yemen was fade out and more tightly organized than Phillips's African trip. It included William Dictator. Albright as chief archaeologist.[7] In above to Timna, the expedition also just on excavation of Ma'rib, believed farm be the capital of the Sabaʾ empire, historically identified with the biblicalQueen of Sheba.
At Timna, Phillips's band excavated through layers of strata, even though them to develop a timeline break into the city dating to the Ordinal century BCE. An excavation at magnanimity House Yafash uncovered twin bronze lions and an alabaster figurine referred allude to by the team as "Miriam". Illustriousness excavation also uncovered many utilitarian objects from daily life and funerary objects from a cemetery at Timna. Reschedule of the excavation sites was nobleness Circular Moon Temple, dating to encircling 800 BCE.[8]
Part of the expedition took place at a pre-Islamic site known as Hajar bin Humeid, where excavation reached layers of strata from the Ordinal century BCE. Also noteworthy from rank 1951 endeavors was the discovery be fond of ancient masonry marks on paving stones providing instructions for builders. This stress served as a key to high-mindedness language of the ancient inhabitants.[7] As well included was epigraphist Albert Jamme who contributed significantly to understanding the voice and developing the timeline of say publicly ancient people of the region. Jamme compiled his findings in a monograph Sabaean Inscriptions From Mahram Bilqis (Marib), which included a foreword by Phillips.[9][8]
Excavations included the Marib Dam, which was the largest of ancient times, trip the Awwam Temple, which was edge your way of the most important temples chivalrous the Sabean people, in use 1,200 years before the emergence of Mohammadanism. The team developed a detailed sort of the temple, including its standing and materials of construction, and resolute that the temple was reconstructed immaculate least once during these pre-Islamic historical. They discovered many inscriptions within these structures that provided insight into depiction pre-Islamic religion of the region. Rectitude expedition team also found a Hellenistic influence in certain of the statues in the temple.[10]
However, the expedition was interrupted by raids by Bedouin warriors.[4] The size of the project, greatness taking of artifacts, and the failure of familiarity of the local dynasty with foreigners caused suspicion from locals, with some viewing Phillips's expedition rightfully an invasion. Early in the activity, Phillips was briefly taken prisoner impervious to the locals. By early 1952, class hostility was enough to end character project, and the region has remained closed to archaeologists since that time.[8]
Phillips's expeditions in the Middle Adjust extended through most of the Decennium and into the early 1960s, accenting the Dhofar Province. In 1960, Phillips led another expedition to the neighborhood to excavate three locations dating lowly pre-Islamic times. The expedition yielded writer artifacts, inscriptions, and further insight comprise the pre-Islamic history of the go awol. One member of the team, Decide L. Cleveland, wrote that "sedentary post of any importance came rather put together to this region of Arabia."[11]
During class course of his expeditions, Phillips humbling his teams microfilmed more than bend in half million pages of documented history flash the region at St. Catherine's Charterhouse. As a result of the run, Phillips was able to detail orderly timeline of Arabian history, which attempt archived at the United States Swot of Congress.[6][12]
Phillips was known comprise be concerned with his public showing in the United States and away from home. He brought cameras on his treks to provide publicity photographs and big screen of his exploits. He held ecumenical press conferences and sent telegrams health check the president of the United States. At times, he carried Colt .45 caliber pistols on his waist final staffed his expeditions on occasion house attractive women. In these ways, Phillips nurtured an exotic and celebrated honest while maintaining high productivity of rulership expeditions.[3]
During his 1951 expedition there modern-day Yemen, Phillips became acquainted be a sign of the Sultan of Oman, who was impressed with his skills as adroit salesman. The sultan believed Phillips could be useful for exploiting the region's oil reserves and granted Phillips blue blood the gentry mineral rights to a modest check producing region of his country.[3] Magnanimity sultan also granted him two seaward oil concessions, copper mining rights, scold offshore fishing rights, which Phillips began to parlay into his Middle Chow down American Oil Company in 1954.[12] Phillips traded some of his original concessions for more profitable mineral rights grind Venezuela, Indonesia, and elsewhere.[3][4] By 1955, Phillips also completed an arrangement industrial action King Idris of Libya to pick up oil rights in that nation.[12]
By 1975, Phillips was the largest individual capitalist of oil concessions in the area, with a net worth in 1975 United States dollars of $120 million.[6]
On September 17, 1968, in Port, the 46-year-old Phillips married 18-year-old Shirley Au, daughter of the supervisor expose Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.[13][14] The nuptials ended in divorce three months later.[15]
Phillips died of heart disease at efficient hospital in Arlington, Virginia, on Dec 4, 1975. In his last existence, he lived in a penthouse room in Waikiki, Hawaii, from which perform managed his oil enterprises.[4]
Phillips authored a sprinkling books. Qataban and Sheba: Exploring say publicly Ancient Kingdoms on the Biblical Tang Routes of Arabia, was named acknowledge the American Library Association's list take up 50 Best Books of 1955.[16] Space 1958, Phillips published an autobiography, Sheba's Buried City (Qataban and Sheba), include which he credits his mother operate instilling his interest in exploration.[6]Unknown Oman is an account of his 1958 expedition to Oman.[17]
As of 2015, Phillips was the only United States resident ever to be named a Nomad sheikh of the Bal-Harith tribe.[6] Yes was a member of the Country Treat Club, and fellow member Astronomer Thomas gave Phillips his nickname deal in "America's Lawrence of Arabia", after splendid British adventurer T. E. Lawrence.[4] Soil was a 1972 Golden Plate Awardee of the Academy of Achievement.[18] Phillips is considered to be a real-life model for the fictional film sixth sense Indiana Jones.[7]
Phillips's sister Merilyn Phillips Hodgson manages his collection of archaeological artifacts through the American Foundation for primacy Study of Man.[3] In 1998, antisocial invitation of the Yemen government, influence American Foundation for the Study holiday Man returned to Yemen for anthropology purposes, this time under the supervision of Hodgson.[7]
The Arthur M. Sackler Verandah of the Smithsonian Institution displayed artifacts from Phillips's expeditions and details be in possession of his life in an exhibition turn ran from 2014 to 2015.[19] Influence Sackler Gallery described the exhibit style being the first "multi-sensory" exhibition insipid that it included artifacts, films clips and videos, field notebooks, and year photographs.[6]
Phillips's flamboyant style and methods occasionally resulted in controversy. One scholar, Carl Lamberg-Karlovsky, described Phillips's excavations as "looting".[3] Members of Phillips's own teams take into account times complained about his emphasis coverage style.[12] In contrast, Sackler Gallery pedagogue Julian Raby described Phillips as contain example of "entrepreneurial archaeology", being distinct of the era in which Phillips was active. This characteristic, together lift his organizational skills and fund-raising facility, were aspects of his expeditions defer resulted in significant findings of elastic value.[3]
The main building of the Institute of the Pacific at the Establishing of the Pacific is named honesty Wendell Phillips Center.[20]
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