Ian Wolfran Cornwall (28 November 1909 – 18 November 1994) was a British archaeologist, academic and author. After working for the United Kingdom in their censorship department from 1939 to 1945, Cornwall began working for the University of London as a secretary in 1948. Years later, Cornwall starting teaching archaeology at London in 1951 and continued to teach at the university until 1974. While at London, Cornwall was part of a 1954 skeletal excavation at Tell es-Sultan. He also took part at excavations held at York and Knossos during the late 1950s. As an author, Cornwall wrote several books during the late 1950s to early 1970s. Of his works, The Making of Man received the 1961 Carnegie Medal.
Early life and education
Cornwall was born in Coonoor, India on 28 November 1909. After he attended school in Berkshire, England as a teenager, Cornwall went to St John's College, Cambridge and the University of London for his post-secondary studies between the 1930s to 1950s.
Career
For his first job, Cornwall sold vacuum cleaners. Other jobs that Cornwall held during the 1930s included working as a teacher and making pharmaceutical drugs. From 1939 to 1945, Cornwall worked in the censorship department for the Ministry of Information. In 1948, Cornwall began his tenure at the archaeology department of London University. He started out as a secretary before beginning his teaching career in 1951. While at London, Cornwall became a reader in 1966 for their archaeology department. In 1974, Cornwall ended his tenure at London.
At London, Cornwall worked as an archaeologist during a 1954 excavation of partial human skeletons in Tell es-Sultan. At Tell es-Sultan, Cornwall sketched the overlapping bones found in each layer and identified which parts of the body they belonged to. In his 1956 paper, Cornwall theorized about the burial and exhumation practices that occurred with the Tell es-Sultan skeletons. Other excavation research that Cornwall took part in the late 1950s include sites in York and Knossos.
As a textbook author, Cornwall first published Bones for the Archaeologist in 1956 and its sequel Soils for the Archaeologist in 1958. During the 1960s, some of Cornwall's books included The World of Ancient Man in 1964 and Prehistoric Animals and their Hunters in 1968. For children, Cornwall first released The Making of Man in 1960 before the release of Hunters Half Moon in 1967. His final book was the 1970 publication Ice Ages: Their Nature and Effects. Of his children's works, The Making of Man received the Carnegie Medal in 1961.
Death and personal life
Cornwall died on 18 November 1994. He was married twice and had two children.
References
- Kinsman, Clare D.; Tennenhouse, Mary Ann, eds. (1974). "Cornwall, I(an) W(olfran)". Contemporary Authors. Vol. 9–12 (First Revision ed.). Detroit: Gale Research Company. p. 187. ISBN 0810300028. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Carnegie Medal for archaeologist". The Guardian. April 22, 1961. p. 3.
- ^ "Cornwall, Ian Wolfran". Who's Who 1994. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1994. p. 415. ISBN 0312105819. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ Seaton, A.G., ed. (1971). "Cornwall, Ian Wolfran". The Writers Directory 1971–73. Chicago and London: St James Press. p. 82. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ O'Connor, Terry (2014). "Cornwall, Ian Wolfram". In Smith, Claire (ed.). Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 1722. ISBN 978-1-4419-0466-9.
- Bocquentin, Fanny; Wagemakers, Bart (2014). "I.W. Cornwall at Tell es-Sultan: Pioneer in Archaeothanatology". In Wagemakers, Bart (ed.). Archaeology in the Land of 'Tells and Ruins'. Oxford & Philadelphia: Oxbow Books. pp. 135, 137. ISBN 9781782972457.
- Bocquentin & Wagemakers 2014, pp. 138-39
- Bocquentin & Wagemakers 2014, p. 140
- Ranim, H.G.; Cornwall, I.W.; Davey, Norman; Wenham, L.P. (1956). "Roman York: Excavation in 1955". The Journal of Roman Studies. 46 (1–2): 88–89. doi:10.2307/297967. JSTOR 297967. S2CID 162409754.
- Evans, J.D.; Cann, J.R.; Renfrew, A.C.; Cornwall, I.W.; Western, A.C. (1964). "Excavations in the Neolithic Settlement of Knossos, 1957-60. Part I". The Annual of the British School at Athens. 59: 240. doi:10.1017/S0068245400006109. S2CID 130706230.
- Kay, Ernest, ed. (1972). "Cornwall, Ian Wolfran". Dictionary of International Biography. Vol. Nine 1973 (Part I A-K ed.). Cambridge and Dartmouth: Melrose Press Limited. p. 312. LCCN 64-1109. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- "Cornwall, Ian Wolfran". Who Was Who. Vol. IX 1991-1995. London: A&C Black. 1996. p. 114. ISBN 0713644966. Retrieved 4 November 2020.