Merrick Posnansky (08 March 1931 – 29 September 2024) was a British archaeologist.[1] He worked as a curator for the Uganda Museum and also served as the 31st president of the Uganda Society between 1964-1965[2][3]
Merrick Posnansky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 08 March 1931 |
| Died | 29 September 2024 |
| Education | University of Nottingham |
| Occupation | Historical archaeologist |
| Title | President of the Uganda Society |
| Term | 1964-1965 |
| Predecessor | B.E.R Kirwan |
| Successor | Dr.W.B Banage |
| Spouse | Eunice Nalubega |
Education
editPosnansky was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England as the 10th of 11 children to Simon and Dora (Cohen) Posnansky[4].
He completed a Bachelor of Arts in History and Geography at the University of Nottingham in 1952 and later a diploma in Prehistoric Archaeology at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge in 1953[5].
Under the supervision of Henry Hurd Swinnerton, he obtained his PhD in Archaeology from the University of Nottingham in 1956. According to his profile in the Historical ArchaeologyJournal, his research dealt with "the Pleistocene chronology and prehistoric archaeology of the English East Midlands while his dissertation covered some of the archaeology of more recent periods"[5].
Career
editKenya
edit_1967_(2587669815).jpg)
Upon the suggestion of Grahame Clark, Posnansky first travelled to Africa in 1956 to work for the Royal National Parks of Kenya as the Warden of Prehistoric Sites [6][2]. During this time, he excavated at the archaeological sites of Olorgesailie and Lanet while also conducting research[7] [8]
Uganda
editIn 1958, Posnansky worked as curator at the Uganda Museum[9]. He held that position for four years. He worked as a Director of the African Studies Program at Makerere University College, Uganda.[8]
Upon his retirement in 1994, he returned to Uganda to conduct research and dug at Egyptian fort at Dufile[6]
Ghana
editIn 1967, Merrick moved to Ghana as a professor and chair of the Archaeology Department at the University of Ghana, Legon[5].
He is a former Director of the Institute of Archaeology and the James S. Coleman African Studies Centre[8].
Awards
editPublications
editSelected Articles
- Posnansky, Merrick. (2010). "Aspects of Early West African Trade". World Archaeology. Volume 5, 1973, Issue 2: Trade. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.1973.9979562
- Posnansky, Merrick. (2010). "African archaeology comes of age." World Archaeology. Volume 13, 1982, Issue 3: Regional traditions of archaeological research II. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.1982.9979838
- Posnansky, Merrick. (2009). "Pottery Types from Archaeological sites in East Africa." The Journal of African History. Volume 2, Issue 2, July 1961, pp.177 -198. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021853700002401
- Posnansky, Merrick., & McIntosh, Roderick. (2009). "New Radiocarbon Dated for Northern and Western Africa". The Journal of African History. Volume 17, Issue 2, April 1976, pp.161 - 195. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021853700001286
References
edit- ^ webteam (2024-10-08). "Merrick Posnansky". UCLA Department of History. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b "An Archaeologist at Work in African Prehistory and Early Human Studies: Teamwork and Insight". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ "The Uganda journal". original-ufdc.uflib.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ Prabook (2021). "Merrick Posnansky". Prabook ,World Biographical Encyclopedia. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ a b c De Corse, Christopher. R (2004). "J. C. Harrington Medal in Historical Archaeology : Merrick Posnansky" (PDF). Historical Archaeology. 38 (2): 1–6.
- ^ a b Saba, Alix (2024-10-16). "Merrick Posnansky (1931-2024)". African Studies Association Portal - ASA. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ Saba, Alix (2024-10-16). "Merrick Posnansky (1931-2024)". African Studies Association Portal - ASA. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b c "Merrick Posnansky". www.international.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ "East African cities fighting for living heritage". The East African. 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ "Awards and Prizes". Society for Historical Archaeology. Retrieved 2024-07-04.