Ed Barnhart

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Ed Barnhart
Ed Barnhart 2021.jpg
Barnhart in 2021
Born (1968-10-29) October 29, 1968 (age 56) [1]
Englewood, New Jersey [1]
OccupationArchaeologist
Known forMaya Exploration Center
Scientific career
Thesis The Palenque mapping project: settlement and urbanism at an ancient Maya city  (2001)
Doctoral advisor Brian Stross  [ d ]

Edwin Lawrence Barnhart (born October 29, 1968) is an American archaeologist and explorer specializing in ancient civilizations of the Americas. He is the founder and director of the Maya Exploration Center, president of Ancient Explorations, and fellow of the Explorers Club. [2] [3] A 2024 profile described Barnhart as "world class" in archaeology. [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Born in Englewood, New Jersey, on October 29, 1968, Barnhart attended Greenhill School in Addison, Texas. [1] He grew up in Irving, Texas, where his early curiosity about ancient civilizations began. [4] He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1992, with a double major in anthropology and Latin American studies. [5] Barnhart studied under Linda Schele at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Ph.D. in anthropology in 2001. [6] [7]

Career

Barnhart's early career focused on surveying and mapping in Mesoamerica. He re-discovered the city of Ma'ax Na ('spider-monkey house') in Belize in 1995. [8] He also led the Palenque Mapping Project in 1998–2000, at the invitation of the Mexican government, which documented 1,478 structures in the Maya ruins of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico. [9] [10] [6]

Barnhart continues active research, including work on ancient civilizations in the rainforests of Central and South America. He has stated that archaeologists find evidence of "vast civilizations" regularly as new areas are explored, supporting theories about extensive pre-Columbian settlement in the region. [11]

Barnhart is a public speaker on archaeology topics. He has appeared on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and on Japanese public television. [12] He also produced five lecture series for the Teaching Company's Great Courses including "The Olmecs: Mesoamerica's Mysterious First Civilization" (2025) and has a podcast called ArchaeoEd. [12] [13]

In 2010, Barnhart developed a Maya calendar mobile app that received recognition from Archaeology magazine as an "Editors' Pick", with the publication praising the app for rising "above the silliness" surrounding Maya apocalypse claims. [14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Barnhart, Edwin Lawrence. The Palenque Mapping Project: Settlement and Urbanism at an Ancient Maya City, University of Texas at Austin, December 2021. Accessed September 16, 2025. "Edwin Lawrence Barnhart was born in Englewood New Jersey on October 29th, 1968 to Joan Francis Ryder Barnhart and Edwin Louis Barnhart. After graduating from The Greenhill School, Addison Texas, in 1987, he entered the University of Colorado at Boulder. In December 1991 he completed his undergraduate degree with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Latin American Studies."[ better source needed ]
  2. ↑ "Dr. Ed Barnhart". Maya Exploration Center. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  3. ↑ Douglass, Sarah (March 18, 2016). "Gods and Monsters of the Amazon". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Gurulé, Ernest (March 20, 2024). "Ed Barnhart connects us to ancient civilizations". La Voz Bilingüe. Retrieved September 15, 2025.[ better source needed ]
  5. ↑ "A Modern-day Indiana Jones". Columbia College spotlight stories. February 7, 2013. Archived from the original on February 11, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Ed Barnhart (2001), The Palenque Mapping Project: Settlement and urbanism at an ancient Maya city, hdl:2152/10521, OCLC   63599916, Wikidata   Q130545210
  7. ↑ D'Amico, Rob (May 2, 2008). "Living Maya". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  8. ↑ Shaw, Leslie. "FAMSI © 2002 – Leslie C. Shaw". FAMSI. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  9. ↑ Barnhart, Edwin L. "FAMSI © 2001 – The Palenque Mapping Project, 1998 – 2000 Final Report". FAMSI. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  10. ↑ Goodrich, Kristine (April 9, 2018). "Archaeologist who has unearthed Mesoamerican civilizations to speak at MSU". Mankato Free Press. Archived from the original on March 8, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  11. ↑ Channon, Max (October 5, 2024). "Archaeologist says Amazon rainforest a man-made garden planted by vast lost civilisation". Daily Express. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Dr. Edwin Barnhart is director of the Maya Exploration Center". The Great Courses Plus. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  13. ↑ "ArchaeoEd Podcast on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Editors' Picks". Archaeology. Vol. 63, no. 4. July–August 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
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