Archaeological Jubilrr on the Occasion of the Centenary of Birth of Betty Meggers (1921–2012)

Abstract

This article is related to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the world famous North American archaeologist Betty Jane Meggers (1921–2012), who made an invaluable contribution to the study of archaeological antiquities in Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, etc. Her long list of achievements includes the creation of a chronological chart for the archaeological cultures of the coastal part of Ecuador (in collaboration with Clifford Evans), remaining relevant today. Also, the name of B. J. Meggers is often mentioned in the context of the debatable hypothesis “Jōmon-Valdivia” which was made at the very beginning of the 1960s. It is focused on the possibility of transoceanic contacts between the population of the Japanese archipelago and the inhabitants of the Pacific coast of South America 5500–6000 years ago. This was preceded by a significant period of B. Meggers’ work in the Amazon (1947–1954). A brief outline of the first half of life and career of the North American researcher allows us to trace the main stages of transformations of her scientific interests. Keywords: South America, Brazil, Ecuador, Amazonia, biography, research history