1900 in archaeology

	1780s . 1790s in archaeology . 1800;
	Other events: 1790s . Archaeology timeline

Last updated October 11, 2025

Below are notable events in archaeology that occurred in 1900.

Events

September 9 – The François Vase is smashed into 638 pieces by a museum guard.^[1]

Excavations

March 16 – Arthur Evans purchases Knossos on Crete and soon after begins excavations.
Excavations by Friedrich Delitzsch begin at Assur.
University of Pennsylvania excavations at Nippur conclude (began in 1888).
Gordium excavated by Gustav and Alfred Körte.
Kavousi excavated by Harriet Boyd.
Villa Boscoreale, near Pompeii, excavated.
Excavations at Hedeby in Jutland begin.

Finds

April 5 – A large cache of clay tablets with a script used for writing Mycenaean Greek, which becomes known as Linear B, is found at Knossos.^[2]
May – Migdale Hoard of early Bronze Age jewellery discovered near Bonar Bridge in Scotland.
October – Greek sponge divers discover the Antikythera wreck.
Dr. James K. Hampson documents find of the Island 35 Mastodon skeleton in the Mississippi River.
Site of Temple of Eshmun discovered in Lebanon.

Births

May 2 – A. W. Lawrence, English Classical archaeologist (d. 1991).
May 23 – Gustav Riek, German archaeologist (d. 1976).
August 18 – Glenn Albert Black, American archaeologist (d. 1964).
August 19 – Dorothy Burr Thompson, American archaeologist and art historian (d. 2001).

Deaths

May 4 – Augustus Pitt Rivers, English ethnologist and archaeologist (b. 1827).^[3]
May 18 – Félix Ravaisson-Mollien, French philosopher and archaeologist (b. 1813).^[4]

References

↑ Cartwright, Mark. "François Vase". Ancient History Encyclopedia.
↑ Selwood, Dominic (April 5, 2017). "On this day in 1900: Archaeologists find the key to a 3,000-year-old lost Greek civilisation". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
↑ "Historic Figures: Augustus Pitt Rivers (1827–1900)". BBC History. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
↑ "Jean-Gaspard-Felix Lacher Ravaisson-Mollien – French philosopher". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved May 17, 2017.

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[1] Cartwright, Mark. "François Vase". Ancient History Encyclopedia.

[2] Selwood, Dominic (April 5, 2017). "On this day in 1900: Archaeologists find the key to a 3,000-year-old lost Greek civilisation". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 28, 2017.

[3] "Historic Figures: Augustus Pitt Rivers (1827–1900)". BBC History. Retrieved May 26, 2017.

[4] "Jean-Gaspard-Felix Lacher Ravaisson-Mollien – French philosopher". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved May 17, 2017.

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