David Oates (archaeologist)

{{Short description|British archaeologist (1927–2004)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} {{EngvarB|date=February 2020}} {{Infobox academic | honorific_prefix = Professor | name = David Oates | honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|FSA|FBA|size=100%}} | image = David_Oates_(archaeologist).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Edward Ernest David Michael Oates | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1927|2|25}} | birth_place = [[Stoke Climsland]], Cornwall, England | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2004|3|22|1927|2|25}} | death_place = [[Cambridge]], Cambridgeshire, England | death_cause = | region = | nationality = | period = | occupation = | title = | boards =  | known_for = | spouse = {{marriage|[[Joan Oates]]|1956|2004}} | children = Three | era = | discipline = [[Archaeology]] | sub_discipline = [[Ancient Near East]] | movement =  | religion =  | denomination =  | education = | alma_mater =  | thesis_title = | thesis_url = | thesis_year = | school_tradition = | doctoral_advisor = | doctoral_students = | notable_students =  | main_interests = | workplaces = [[Trinity College, Cambridge]] [[University of Cambridge]] [[British School of Archaeology in Iraq]] [[UCL Institute of Archaeology|Institute of Archaeology]], [[University of London]] [[McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research]] | notable_works = | notable_ideas = | influences =  | influenced =  | awards = [[Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London]] (1954) [[Fellow of the British Academy]] (1974) | website = | footnotes = }} '''Edward Ernest David Michael Oates''', {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|FSA|FBA|size=100%|sep=,}} (25 February 1927 – 22 March 2004), known as '''David Oates''', was a British [[archaeologist]] and academic specializing in the [[Ancient Near East]]. He was director of the excavations at [[Nimrud]] from 1958 to 1962, [[Tell al-Rimah]] from 1964 to 1971 and at [[Tell Brak]] from 1976 to 2004. He was Professor of Western Asiatic Archaeology at the [[UCL Institute of Archaeology|Institute of Archaeology]] from 1969 to 1982 and Fellow of the [[McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research]] from 1997 to 2004.

==Early life== Oates was born on 25 February 1927 in [[Stoke Climsland]], Cornwall, England.<ref name="obit - Archiv für Orientforschung">{{cite journal|last1=Collon|first1=Dominique|title=David Oates (1927–2004)|journal=Archiv für Orientforschung|year=2003|volume=50|pages=512–513|jstor=41668698}}</ref> He was educated at [[Callington Community College|Callington County School]], a [[state school|state]] secondary school in [[Callington, Cornwall]], and [[Oundle School]], a [[Private schools in the United Kingdom|private]] boarding school in [[Oundle]], Northamptonshire.<ref name="obit - British Institute for the Study of Iraq">{{cite journal|title=Obituaries: Professor David Oates, MA, FSA, FBA (1927–2004)|journal=Iraq|year=2004|volume=66|pages=v–vii|publisher=British Institute for the Study of Iraq}}</ref> He studied [[classics]] and [[archaeology]] at [[Trinity College, Cambridge]] and graduated in 1949 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.<ref name="obit - Archiv für Orientforschung" /> He was awarded the Rome Scholarship to study at the [[British School at Rome]] from 1949 to 1951.<ref name="obit - British Institute for the Study of Iraq" /> During his studies in Rome, he took part in his first [[archaeological survey]]; an investigation of Roman olive farms in [[Libya]].<ref name="obit - Times">{{cite news|title=David Oates; Obituary|work=The Times|issue=68043|date=7 April 2004|page=26}}</ref>

==Academic career== In 1951, Oates returned to his alma mater, [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], as a [[research fellow]].<ref name="obit - Archiv für Orientforschung" /> From 1953 to 1954, he took part in the [[Excavation (archaeology)|excavations]] led by [[David Talbot Rice]] of the [[Great Palace of Constantinople]] in [[Istanbul]], Turkey.<ref name="obit - British Institute for the Study of Iraq" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Palace of the Emperors Excavation|url=http://biaa.ac.uk/research/item/name/palace-of-the-emperors-excavation|website=Research|publisher=British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara|accessdate=13 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402133744/http://biaa.ac.uk/research/item/name/palace-of-the-emperors-excavation|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1954, he was sent to [[Iraq]] by the [[British Academy]] to review the work of [[Aurel Stein|Sir Aurel Stein]].<ref name="obit - Times" /> This work led to the publication of a [[monograph]], ''Studies in the Ancient History of Northern Iraq'', in 1968.<ref name="obit - Archiv für Orientforschung" /> From 1955 to 1962, he worked on [[Max Mallowan]]'s excavation of [[Nimrud]]; Oates was director of the excavation from 1958.<ref name="obit - Times" /> In addition to his fellowship at Trinity College, he was also a lecturer in archaeology at the [[University of Cambridge]] from 1957 to 1965.<ref name="bio - Oxford Index">{{cite book|last1=Curtis|first1=John|title=Proceedings of the British Academy, Volume 153 Biographical Memoirs of Fellows, VII |chapter=David Oates 1927–2004|chapter-url=http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.5871/bacad/9780197264348.003.0014|via=Oxford Index|year=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.5871/bacad/9780197264348.003.0014|isbn=9780197264348|accessdate=13 March 2015}}</ref>

From 1964 to 1971, he led excavations at [[Tell al-Rimah]] in northern Iraq.<ref name="bio - British Museum">{{cite web|title=Prof David Oates (Biographical details) |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/term_details.aspx?bioId=93110|website=Research|publisher=The British Museum|accessdate=12 March 2015}}</ref> From 1965 to 1969, he was Director of the [[British School of Archaeology in Iraq]] and lived in [[Baghdad]] with his family.<ref name="bio - Oxford Index" /> In June 1967, with the [[Six-Day War]] being fought by neighbouring countries, he was told by British consulate officials to leave Iraq. However, with the support of the local population (protection was offered by Iraqi cultural officials and Iraqi neighbours brought him gifts of strawberries as a sign of peace) he remained in the country.<ref name="obit - Times" /> In 1968, following the [[17 July Revolution]], he decided that Iraq was no longer safe for his family and they planned to leave the country.<ref name="obit - Archiv für Orientforschung" />

In 1969, he was appointed Professor of Western Asiatic Archaeology at the [[UCL Institute of Archaeology|Institute of Archaeology]] in London, England. This allowed him and his family to return to the UK.<ref name="obit - Times" /><ref name="bio - British Museum" /> In 1976, he restarted excavations at [[Tell Brak]]; it had previously been excavated under Max Mallowan.<ref name="obit - Archiv für Orientforschung" /> He continued to oversee the excavation until his death.<ref name="obit - Times" /> He took early retirement from the Institute of Archaeology in 1982.<ref name="obit - British Institute for the Study of Iraq" /> From 1997 to his death, he was a fellow of the [[McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research]] at the University of Cambridge.<ref name="bio - British Museum" />

Oates died in Cambridge on 22 March 2004.<ref name="obit - Archiv für Orientforschung" /> His funeral was held at the [[Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge|Trinity College Chapel]], on 31 March.<ref name="obit - British Institute for the Study of Iraq" />

==Personal life== In addition to English, Oates spoke Arabic, Turkish, Italian and French.<ref name="obit - Times" />

During the excavation of Nimrud, he met [[Joan Oates|Joan Lines]]. She was an American who had joined the excavations from the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]. They married in 1956 and together had three children. They collaborated on a number of archaeological publications and excavations.<ref name="obit - British Institute for the Study of Iraq" /><ref name="obit - Times" />

==Honours== In 1954, Oates was elected [[Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London]] (FSA).<ref name="obit - Independent">{{cite news|title=Obituary: Professor David Oates; Archaeologist who oversaw excavations on an old-fashioned scale in Iraq and Syria|work=The Independent|date=1 April 2004|page=34}}</ref> In 1974, he was elected [[Fellow of the British Academy]] (FBA).<ref name="bio - British Academy">{{cite web|title=OATES, Professor David (25/02/1927-22/03/2004) |url=http://www.britac.ac.uk/fellowship/directory/dec.cfm?member=2308 |website=British Academy Fellows |publisher=British Academy |accessdate=14 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225901/http://www.britac.ac.uk/fellowship/directory/dec.cfm?member=2308 |archivedate=3 March 2016 }}</ref>

In 2002, he was honoured with a [[Festschrift]]: * {{cite book|editor1-last=Oates|editor1-first=J.|editor2-last=McMahon|editor2-first=A. M.|editor3-last=Martin|editor3-first=H.|title=Of pots and plans: papers on the archaeology and history of Mesopotamia and Syria presented to David Oates in honour of his 75th birthday|date=2002|publisher=NABU Publications|location=London|isbn=1897750625}}

==Selected works== *{{cite book|last1=Oates|first1=David|title=Studies in the ancient history of northern Iraq|date=1968|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=London}} *{{cite book|last1=Oates|first1=David|last2=Oates|first2=Joan|title=The rise of civilization|date=1976|publisher=Elsevier|location=Oxford|isbn=072900015X}} *{{cite book|last1=Oates|first1=Carolyn|last2=Postgate|first2=Carolyn|last3=Oates|first3=David|title=The excavations at Tell al Rimah: the pottery|date=1997|publisher=British School of Archaeology in Iraq|location=Warminster|isbn=0856687006}} *{{cite book|last1=Oates|first1=David|last2=Oates|first2=Joan|last3=McDonald|first3=Helen|title=Excavations at Tell Brak: Vol. 1: The Mitanni and Old Babylonian periods|date=1998|publisher=McDonald Institute|location=Cambridge|isbn=0951942050}} *{{cite book|last1=Oates|first1=David|last2=Oates|first2=Joan|last3=McDonald|first3=Helen|title=Excavations at Tell Brak: Vol. 2: Nagar in the third millennium BC|date=2001|publisher=McDonald Institute|location=Cambridge|isbn=9780951942093}} *{{cite book|last1=Oates|first1=Joan|last2=Oates|first2=David|title=Nimrud: an Assyrian imperial city revealed|date=2001|publisher=British School of Archaeology in Iraq|location=London|isbn=0903472252}}

==References== {{Portal|Cornwall}} {{reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oates, David}} [[Category:1927 births]] [[Category:2004 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century British archaeologists]] [[Category:21st-century British archaeologists]] [[Category:Archaeologists of the Near East]] [[Category:People from Stoke Climsland]] [[Category:People educated at Oundle School]] [[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]] [[Category:Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge]] [[Category:Academics of the UCL Institute of Archaeology]] [[Category:Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London]] [[Category:Fellows of the British Academy]]