THE FIRST BLACK ARCHAEOLOGIST

An inspiring story of a remarkable man

Author: John W I Lee Publisher Oxford University Press Price £26.99 Released 1 April 2022

In The First Black Archaeologist, John W I Lee tells the story of John Wesley Gilbert, a man famed within his lifetime as a pioneer of archaeology, but whose remarkable achievements have been all but forgotten today. It is an inspiring, deeply involving account of a life that deserves to be remembered.

Gilbert was born to enslaved parents in rural Georgia, but he eventually found himself attending Brown University on a scholarship, where his outstanding academic performance saw him given the opportunity to continue his field studies in Greece. It was the start of a glittering career, one marked by firsts. He travelled widely and became an influential and sometimes controversial figure.

In researching The First Black Archaeologist:

A Life of John Wesley Gilbert, Lee’s work has taken him across the world, and he uses archival material that has never been examined before to bring a changing world vividly to life. From the farmland of Georgia to Gilbert’s draining mission to the Belgian Congo, it is the story not just of one man but of a world and its people. It also offers new insights into early American archaeological work in Greece, where Gilbert was one of the first 50 Americans to carry out field studies.

The First Black Archaeologist: A Life of John Wesley Gilbert is an inspiring and authoritative biography. It is also a fascinating look into the history of American studies in Greece and an invaluable insight into African-american lives at the turn of the century.