Ralph Stefan Solecki (October 15, 1917 – March 20, 2019) was an American archaeologist.[1] Solecki was born in Brooklyn, New York in October 1917,[2] the son of Polish immigrants – Mary (nee Tarnowska), a homemaker, and Casimir, an insurance salesman.[3] From 1959 to 1988, he was a member of the faculty at Columbia University. His best-known excavations were at the Neanderthal site at Shanidar Cave, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. His publications include early works on aerial photography and photo-interpretation as well as two volumes on Shanidar (1971, 1972).
Ralph Solecki | |
|---|---|
 Ralph Solecki statue at Shanidar Cave archaeological Park | |
| Born | October 15, 1917 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 20, 2019 (aged 101) Livingston, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Archaeologist |
| Spouse | Rose Solecki |
| Relatives | John Solecki, William Solecki (sons) |
He was married to fellow archaeologist Rose Solecki, and they were the parents of American geographer William Solecki and UNHCR official John Solecki. In 2013, he was interviewed about his work by The Wall Street Journal.[4] He died in March 2019, at the age of 101.[3][5]
See also
edit- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
- List of hominina (hominid) fossils (with images)
References
edit- ^ "In Memory of Ralph Solecki (1917-2019)". Columbia Center for Archeology. May 11, 2019.
- ^ Mead, Margaret (1965). Anthropologists and what they do. F. Watts. p. 178.
- ^ a b Roberts, Sam (April 11, 2019). "Ralph Solecki, Who Found Humanity in Neanderthals, Dies at 101". The New York Times.
- ^ "Archeologist Ralph Solecki Recalls His Neanderthal Cave Discovery". The Wall Street Journal. July 11, 2013.
- ^ Wick, Steve (March 29, 2019). "Archeologist Ralph Solecki remembered as 'pioneer' of North Fork history". Suffolk Times.
External links
edit- Matthew R. Goodrum: "Ralph Solecki." In: Biographical Dictionary of the History of Paleoanthropology. Edited by Matthew R. Goodrum. (2020) Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uR944nQWfZrH_2vL0yjwoqUs5MI6sifU/view
- Ralph Stefan Solecki (b. 1917)
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