Sylvanus Griswold Morley

Sylvanus Griswold Morley

Sylvanus Griswold Morley
Born	1883
Died	1948
Society Membership membership Hon. Fellow (USA) elected_AI 1943.01.26

Notes

House Notes

1936.12.15 The following were nominated as Hon. Fellows, it being resolved to elect two Hon. Fellows only: Dr Teilhard du Chardin, Baron von Eickstedt, Prof. S.G. Morley, Prof. S. Zamiatnine, Prof. Lundborg.
1938.12.13 The following were nominated as Hon. Fellows: Prof. E.A. Hooton, Mons. Le Rouzic, Prof. C. van Riet Lowe, Dr Broome, Mrs Hoernle, Dr Ralph Linton, Prof. S.G. Morley.
1942.01.20 Preliminary consideration was given to the election of Hon. Fellows for 1942, and the following names were mentioned: For USA: Prof. S.G. Morley, Dr Ralph Linton, Prof. M. Herskovits, Dr Wilson Wallace (of Minneapolis); For Belgium: Father Van Wing; For Iceland: Dr Hanneson

Notes From Elsewhere

Sylvanus Griswold Morley (June 7, 1883 – September 2, 1948) was an American archaeologist, epigrapher, and Mayanist scholar who made significant contributions toward the study of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in the early 20th century.

Morley made extensive excavations of the Maya site of Chichen Itza that he directed on behalf of the Carnegie Institution. He also published several large compilations and treatises on Maya hieroglyphic writing, and wrote popular accounts on the Maya for a general audience.

To his contemporaries, "Vay" Morley[1] was one of the leading Mesoamerican archaeologists of his day. Although more recent developments in the field have resulted in a re-evaluation of his theories and works, his publications, particularly on calendric inscriptions, are still cited. In his role as director of various projects sponsored by the Carnegie Institution, he oversaw and encouraged many others who later established notable careers in their own right. His commitment and enthusiasm for Maya studies helped inspire the necessary sponsorship for projects that would ultimately reveal much about ancient Maya civilization.

Morley also conducted espionage in Mexico on behalf of the United States during World War I, but the scope of those activities only came to light well after his death. His archaeological field work in Mexico and Central America provided suitable cover for investigating German activities and anti-American activity at the behest of the United States' Office of Naval Intelligence.

... In 1925, a young English Cambridge anthropology student named John Eric Sidney Thompson wrote to Morley seeking employment with the Carnegie programme on digs in Central America. Thompson had studied Morley's 1915 work and from that taught himself Maya calendrics, which were a particular passion for Morley. The Carnegie Institution at Morley's urging accordingly hired Thompson, and he soon found himself at work in Chichen Itza, involved with its architectural reconstruction (for which task Thompson had no particular qualifications). During the 1925–26 season, Thompson became well-acquainted with Morley, the two of them along with their wives (the newly married Thompson was in fact on his honeymoon) making several side-trips together. However, at the end of the 1926 season, Thompson left Carnegie's employ to take up a post offered by Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. This post offered Thompson far greater freedom and diversity for his research. Thompson and Morley were to remain close and like-minded colleagues in spite of this move.

Publications

External Publications

1915 – An Introduction to the Study of Maya Hieroglyphs
1920 – The Inscriptions of Copán
1938 – The Inscriptions of Petén (5 vols.)
1946 – The Ancient Maya (revised 3rd ed. issued in 1956 by G. W. Brainerd)

Related Material Details

RAI Material

his letters in MS 79 (Correspondence with R.C.E. Long)