Jago Cooper

Last updated

Jago Cooper
Born
Jago Elliott Cooper

(1977-06-01) 1 June 1977 (age 47)
St. Pancras, London, England, UK
NationalityBritish
OccupationArchaeologist

Museum Director

Professor

Jago Cooper (born 1 June 1977) is a British archaeologist. He is the Executive Director of the Sainsbury Centre and professor of Art and Archaeology at the University of East Anglia. [1] Formerly, he was Curator of the Americas at the British Museum whose career has focused on the archaeology of South America and the Caribbean, in particular the historic effects of climate change on island communities. Since 2011 he has written and presented a series of programmes for BBC Four, including Lost Kingdoms of South America, Lost Kingdoms of Central America, Easter Island: Mysteries of a Lost World, Masters Of The Pacific Coast: The Tribes Of The American Northwest, and The Inca: Masters of the Clouds. He has also published books on world art and archaeology.

Contents

Biography

Cooper attended Bryanston School in Dorset, [2] and University College London (UCL) where he was awarded BA, MA and PhD qualifications in archaeology. After periods on the teaching staff at the University of Leicester [3] and UCL, Cooper joined the British Museum's Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas in 2012.

Cooper's archaeological work has focused on the pre-Columbian archaeology of the Americas, including major projects at El Chorro de Maíta and Los Buchillones in Cuba. [4] He specialises in studying the historic effects of climate change in Caribbean island societies, most recently through examination of the cavescapes of Isla de Mona off Puerto Rico. [5] In 2012 he released the book Surviving Sudden Environmental Change: Answers from Archaeology with Payson D. Sheets which was described as being one of the "outstanding examples of 'thinking big'. . . carefully researched, interdisciplinary, focused and informative" by Erika Guttmann-Bond in the Antiquity Journal. [6]

In 2009 Cooper co-presented the Channel 4 series Man on Earth with Tony Robinson and Joy Singarayer, [7] and in 2011 wrote and presented the series Lost Kingdoms of South America for BBC Four, including four episodes exploring the Chachapoya people, the city of Tiwanaku, the legend of El Dorado and the Kingdom of Chimor. [8] A second series aired in September 2014 entitled Lost Kingdoms of Central America focusing on the Olmec, Chiriquí (Ngäbe) and Taíno people and the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan. [9] In 2013 he filmed a one off-special for BBC 4 entitled Easter Island: Mysteries of a Lost World which re-examined the historic collapse in Rapa Nui society. [10] January 2015 saw the broadcast of the two part series The Inca: Masters of the Clouds, also on BBC 4. [11]

Curated exhibitions

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost city</span> Human settlement that has become uninhabited

A lost city is an urban settlement that fell into terminal decline and became extensively or completely uninhabited, with the consequence that the site's former significance was no longer known to the wider world. The locations of many lost cities have been forgotten, but some have been rediscovered and studied extensively by scientists. Recently abandoned cities or cities whose location was never in question might be referred to as ruins or ghost towns. Smaller settlements may be referred to as abandoned villages. The search for such lost cities by European explorers and adventurers in Africa, the Americas, and Southeast Asia from the 15th century onward eventually led to the development of archaeology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellesmere Island</span> Island of the Arctic Archipelago in Nunavut, Canada

Ellesmere Island is Canada's northernmost and third largest island, and the tenth largest in the world. It comprises an area of 196,236 km2 (75,767 sq mi), slightly smaller than Great Britain, and the total length of the island is 830 km (520 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cusco</span> City in Peru

Cusco or Cuzco is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; in 2017, it had a population of 428,450. Its elevation is around 3,400 m (11,200 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machu Picchu</span> 15th-century Inca citadel in Peru

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain ridge at 2,430 meters (7,970 ft). Often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of the Inca Empire. It is located in the Machupicchu District within the Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, which is 80 kilometers (50 mi) northwest of the city of Cusco. The Urubamba River flows past it, cutting through the Cordillera and creating a canyon with a subtropical mountain climate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quipu</span> Andean record keeping system using knotted cords

Quipu, also spelled khipu, are recording devices fashioned from knotted cords. They were historically used by various cultures in the central Andes of South America, most prominently by the Inca Empire.

<i>Kon-Tiki</i> expedition 1947 raft journey from South America to Polynesia

The Kon-Tiki expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named Kon-Tiki after the Inca god Viracocha, for whom "Kon-Tiki" was said to be an old name. Heyerdal's book on the expedition was entitled The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas. A 1950 documentary film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. A 2012 dramatized feature film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cajamarca</span> City in Peru

Cajamarca, also known by the Quechua name, Kashamarka, is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Peru at approximately 2,750 m (8,900 ft) above sea level in the valley of the Mashcon river. Cajamarca had an estimated population of about 226,031 inhabitants in 2015, making it the 13th largest city in Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiram Bingham III</span> American academic, explorer, treasure hunter and politician (1875–1956)

Hiram Bingham III was an American academic, explorer and politician. In 1911, he publicized the existence of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu which he rediscovered with the guidance of local indigenous farmers. Later, Bingham served as the 69th Governor of Connecticut for a single day in 1925—the shortest term in history. He had been elected in 1924 as governor, but was also elected to the Senate and chose that position. He served as a member of the United States Senate until 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vilcabamba, Peru</span> Capital of the Neo-Inca State

Vilcabamba or Willkapampa, often called the Lost City of the Incas, is a lost city in the Echarate District of La Convención Province in the Cuzco Region of Peru. Vilcabamba, in Quechua, means "sacred plain". The modern name for the Inca ruins of Vilcabamba is Espíritu Pampa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chachapoya culture</span> Andean culture

The Chachapoyas, also called the "Warriors of the Clouds", was a culture of the Andes living in the cloud forests of the southern part of the Department of Amazonas of present-day Peru. The Inca Empire conquered their civilization shortly before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. At the time of the arrival of the conquistadors, the Chachapoyas were one of the many nations ruled by the Incas, although their incorporation had been difficult due to their constant resistance to Inca troops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huancayo</span> Place in Junin, Peru

Huancayo is the capital of the Junín Region and Huancayo Province, in the central highlands of Peru, in the Mantaro Valley and is crossed by the Shullcas, Chilca and Mantaro rivers. It was founded as a reduction by the name Santísima Trinidad de Huancayo on 1 June 1572, by Don Jerónimo de Silva, a Spanish conquistador. It is the fifth largest city in Peru, with a population of 500,000 and is among the highest cities in Peru, with an altitude of 3,256 meters above sea level. It is considered the economic and social center of central Peru

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paititi</span> Legendary Inca lost city

Paititi is a legendary Inca lost city or utopian rich land. It allegedly lies east of the Andes, hidden somewhere within the remote rainforests of southeast Peru, northern Bolivia or northwest Brazil. The Paititi legend in Peru revolves around the story of the culture-hero Inkarri, who, after he had founded Q'ero and Cusco, retreated toward the jungles of Pantiacolla to live out the rest of his days in his refuge city of Paititi. Other versions of the legend see Paititi as an Inca refuge in the border area between Bolivia and Brazil.

The Inca society was the society of the Inca civilization in Peru. The Inca Empire, which lasted from 1438 to 1533 A.D., represented the height of this civilization. The Inca state was known as the Kingdom of Cusco before 1438. Over the course of the empire, the rulers used conquest and peaceful assimilation to incorporate a large portion of western South America, centered on the Andes mountain ranges. The empire proved relatively short-lived however: by 1533, Atahualpa, the last Sapa Inca (emperor) of the Inca Empire, was killed on the orders of the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, marking the beginning of Spanish rule. The last Inca stronghold, the Neo-Inca State in Vilcabamba, was conquered by the Spanish in 1572.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johan Reinhard</span> American anthropologist

Johan Reinhard is an American anthropologist and archaeologist. Currently, he is a Research Professor at Future Generations University. formerly Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. He is also a senior research fellow at The Mountain Institute, a visiting professor at Catholic University, Salta, Argentina, an honorary professor of Catholic University, Arequipa, Peru.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cusichaca River</span> River in Peru

Cusichaca River, is a river in Peru located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, on the border of the districts Machupicchu and Ollantaytambo. Its waters flow to the Vilcanota River.

Man on Earth is a four-part British documentary television series presented by Tony Robinson. The programme documents the effects of climate change across 200,000 years of human history. The series premiered 7 December 2009 on Channel 4 with 1.4 million viewers. Accompanying Robinson to help explain the science are archaeologist Jago Cooper and climate modeller Joy Singarayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean civilizations</span> Civilizations of South Americas Andes Mountains

The Andean civilizations were South American complex societies of many indigenous people. They stretched down the spine of the Andes for 4,000 km from southern Colombia, to Ecuador and Peru, including the deserts of coastal Peru, to north Chile and northwest Argentina. Archaeologists believe that Andean civilizations first developed on the narrow coastal plain of the Pacific Ocean. The Caral or Norte Chico civilization of coastal Peru is the oldest known civilization in the Americas, dating back to 3500 BCE. Andean civilizations are one of at least five civilizations in the world deemed by scholars to be "pristine." The concept of a "pristine" civilization refers to a civilization that has developed independently of external influences and is not a derivative of other civilizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicha de jora</span> Prehispanic corn beer from Peru

Chicha de jora is a corn beer or chicha prepared by germinating maize, extracting the malt sugars, boiling the wort, and fermenting it in large vessels for several days. The process is essentially similar to the process for the production of European-style beer. Some add quinoa or other adjuncts to give it consistency before it is boiled down. Chancaca, a hard raw form of cane sugar, helps with the fermentation process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tunjo</span> Figures in the art of the Muisca, Columbia

A tunjo is a small anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figure elaborated by the Muisca as part of their art. Tunjos were made of gold or tumbaga; a gold-silver-copper alloy. The Muisca used their tunjos in various instances in their religion and the small votive offering figures have been found in various places on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia. Tunjos were used as offer pieces, to communicate with the gods and when the Muisca asked for favours from their deities. Muisca scholar Pedro Simón wrote about the tunjos of the Muisca.

References

  1. "Sainsbury Centre | About Us | Art Gallery & Museum | Norwich". Sainsbury Centre. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  2. "Jago Cooper (H '95) presents The Lost Kingdoms of South America". Bryanston School. 14 January 2013. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  3. "University of Leicester work highlighted at prestigious international event". University of Leicester. 6 September 2014.
  4. "Jago Cooper". British Museum. 6 September 2014. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  5. "New discoveries of cave art in the Caribbean". British Museum. 6 September 2014.
  6. Guttmann-Bond, Erika (December 2012). "Lessons from the past: coping with natural hazards and climate change". Antiquity. 86 (334). doi:10.1017/S0003598X00048407. S2CID   163203745.
  7. "Man on Earth". Channel 4. 6 September 2014.
  8. Cooper, Jago (Presenter); MacLaverty, John (Director and Producer); Downes, Mary (Series Producer) (14 January – 4 February 2013). Lost Kingdoms of South America. BBC. BBC Four.
  9. "Lost Kingdoms of Central America". BBC. 6 September 2014.
  10. "Easter Island: Mysteries of a Lost World". BBC. 6 September 2014.
  11. BBC 4. "The Inca: Masters of the Clouds". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. "Peru: a journey in time". The British Museum. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  13. "Arctic Indigenous Peoples". Climate Change and Law Collection. doi:10.1163/9789004322714_cclc_2018-0125-006 . Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  14. "Where the Thunderbird lives". The British Museum. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  15. "Arctic (British Museum)". thamesandhudson.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  16. Sunnucks, Laura Osorio; Cooper, Jago (2021). Mapping a new museum: politics and practice of Latin American research with the British Museum. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-000-41251-2. OCLC   1295132886.
  17. Pardo, Cecilia; Cooper, Jago (November 2021). Peru: A Journey in Time. British Museum Press. ISBN   978-0-7141-2491-9.