‘Real Indiana Jones’ dies after life of exploits
A GLOBE-trotting adventurer whose exploits drew comparisons to Indiana Jones has died aged 94.
Schuyler Jones was known for his daring expeditions – travelling to every corner of the world from the jungles of South America to the deserts of the Middle East in search of ancient artefacts and lost civilisations.
He was catapulted to international fame by his discovery of the lost city of Xanadu in remote mountains in Tibet.
As well as sharing a surname with Indy, he also wore a brown fedora, was a languages expert and believed artefacts belonged in museums, like the character played by Harrison Ford. Born in the US in 1930 to two archaeologists, he often joined them on expeditions.
After the war he lived in Paris and Africa as a photographer.
Awarded
He also lived in Greece before driving through India and Nepal in 1958. During that trip he fell in love with Afghanistan.
He enrolled at Edinburgh University to study anthropology then returned to Afghanistan and began studying remote communities. He turned his research into a doctorate at Oxford University and later become a director at the city’s Pitt Rivers Museum. After retiring, he was awarded a CBE.
Schuyler first heard of Indy in the 1980s when a museum director in Madras asked if he was the real-life version. He said he had no idea what she was talking about but later thought the comparison made more students attend his lectures at Oxford.
Married twice, he is survived by four children. Step-daughter Cassandra Da’Luz Vieira-Manion said he died on May 17 and “was a fascinating man.”