Basil Hennessy
Encyclopedia
John Basil Hennessy AO
(born 10 February 1925), is an Australia
n archaeologist of the Ancient Near East
and Emeritus Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Sydney
.
, Victoria
, Australia
in 1925, the eldest child of Thomas Basil Hennessy and Nell Poultney, Hennessy was educated in nearby Ballarat, before leaving school at 17 to join the Royal Australian Navy
. Released from military service in 1946, Hennessy enrolled at the University of Sydney
in early 1947 with the intention of studying anthropology
. In 1948, however, Arthur Dale Trendall
and James Stewart
founded the University's Department of Archaeology, Hennessy becoming one of their first undergraduates.
, finishing at Ankara
, capital of Turkey
where Hennessy held the inaugural student scholarship at the newly-created British School of Archaeology in Ankara.
Hennessy returned to Jerusalem at the end of 1951 in order to join the first season of renewed excavations at Jericho
under the direction of Kathleen Kenyon
. It was at Jericho that Hennessy was exposed to the Wheeler-Kenyon technique
of baulk-debris excavation, a technique he was to employ and adapt widely in his own subsequent excavations.
Returning to Australia via London
, Hennessy became engaged to Ruth Shannon. The couple were married in 1954 and subsequently had three children.
1954 also saw Hennessy join the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sydney, initially as a temporary lecturer (1954-55, 1957), then later as a full-time lecturer (1958-61). 1962 saw Hennessy and his young family leave Australia once more, in order that Hennessy might pursue postgraduate study at Oxford University, England
. During the period 1962-64, Hennessy studied at Magdalen College
, completing his DPhil under the supervision of Kathleen Kenyon
. His resulting dissertation, entitled The Foreign Relations of Palestine during the Early Bronze Age, remains one of the early standard works on that period.
. Appointed Assistant Director of the School in 1965, becoming Deputy Director later the same year, Hennessy achieved the full directorship in 1966, remaining as Director until 1970. During these years, Hennessy directed excavations at the Damascus Gate
in the Old City of Jerusalem (1964-66), at the Amman Airport Temple (1966), at Teleilat Ghassul (1967) and at Samaria
in 1968.
. During his tenure, Hennessy directed Australian excavations at Teleilat Ghassul (1975-77) and, from 1978 at Pella
(initially in association with Wooster College, Ohio
). Hennessy was also instrumental in founding the Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation at the University of Sydney in 1986.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 10 February 1925), is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n archaeologist of the Ancient Near East
Ancient Near East
The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia , ancient Egypt, ancient Iran The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia...
and Emeritus Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
.
Childhood, early career and education
Born in HorshamHorsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1925, the eldest child of Thomas Basil Hennessy and Nell Poultney, Hennessy was educated in nearby Ballarat, before leaving school at 17 to join the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
. Released from military service in 1946, Hennessy enrolled at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in early 1947 with the intention of studying anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. In 1948, however, Arthur Dale Trendall
Arthur Dale Trendall
Arthur Dale Trendall AC CMG was a New Zealand-born Australian art historian and classical archaeologist whose work on identifying the work of individual artists on Greek ceramic vessels at Apulia and other sites earned him international prizes and a papal knighthood...
and James Stewart
James Stewart (archaeologist)
James R. Stewart was a noted Australian archaeologist of Cyprus and the Ancient Near East at the University of Sydney.Stewart was born in Sydney and died at Bathurst, New South Wales.-Further reading:...
founded the University's Department of Archaeology, Hennessy becoming one of their first undergraduates.
Foreign ventures
Graduating with a BA Hons in 1950, Hennessy embarked on a tour throughout the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, finishing at Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, capital of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
where Hennessy held the inaugural student scholarship at the newly-created British School of Archaeology in Ankara.
Hennessy returned to Jerusalem at the end of 1951 in order to join the first season of renewed excavations at Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
under the direction of Kathleen Kenyon
Kathleen Kenyon
Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon , was a leading archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent. She is best known for her excavations in Jericho in 1952-1958.-Early life:...
. It was at Jericho that Hennessy was exposed to the Wheeler-Kenyon technique
Wheeler-Kenyon method
The Wheeler-Kenyon method is a method of archaeological excavation. The technique draws its origins from Mortimer Wheeler's work at Verulamium , and was later refined by Kathleen Kenyon during her excavations at Jericho ....
of baulk-debris excavation, a technique he was to employ and adapt widely in his own subsequent excavations.
Returning to Australia via London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Hennessy became engaged to Ruth Shannon. The couple were married in 1954 and subsequently had three children.
1954 also saw Hennessy join the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sydney, initially as a temporary lecturer (1954-55, 1957), then later as a full-time lecturer (1958-61). 1962 saw Hennessy and his young family leave Australia once more, in order that Hennessy might pursue postgraduate study at Oxford University, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. During the period 1962-64, Hennessy studied at Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, completing his DPhil under the supervision of Kathleen Kenyon
Kathleen Kenyon
Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon , was a leading archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent. She is best known for her excavations in Jericho in 1952-1958.-Early life:...
. His resulting dissertation, entitled The Foreign Relations of Palestine during the Early Bronze Age, remains one of the early standard works on that period.
Years in Jerusalem
Hennessy's completion of his doctorate coincided with the beginning of an intimate association with the British School of Archaeology in JerusalemBritish School of Archaeology in Jerusalem
The British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem was established in 1919. The London-based Palestine Exploration Fund was instrumental in its foundation. The first Director was British archaeologist John Garstang, and among its earliest students was architect-archaeologist George Horsfield, later...
. Appointed Assistant Director of the School in 1965, becoming Deputy Director later the same year, Hennessy achieved the full directorship in 1966, remaining as Director until 1970. During these years, Hennessy directed excavations at the Damascus Gate
Damascus Gate
Damascus Gate is the main entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. It is located in the wall on the city's northwest side where the highway leads out to Nablus, and from there, in times past, to the capital of Syria, Damascus; as such, its modern English name is Damascus Gate, and its modern Hebrew...
in the Old City of Jerusalem (1964-66), at the Amman Airport Temple (1966), at Teleilat Ghassul (1967) and at Samaria
Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
in 1968.
Return to Sydney
Hennessy left Jerusalem in 1970 because of the outbreak of Arab-Israeli hostilities, taking up the Edwin Cuthbert Hall Visiting Professorship in Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Sydney. The chair was fully restored in 1973, Hennessy holding the Sydney professorship from that year until his retirement in 1990, when he was replaced by the current chair, Daniel PottsDaniel Potts
Daniel Potts is a fictional character in the soap opera Shortland Street. The role was originated by actor Jarred Blakiston from 2004–2005 and again briefly in 2007 before Ido Drent took over in 2009...
. During his tenure, Hennessy directed Australian excavations at Teleilat Ghassul (1975-77) and, from 1978 at Pella
Pella
Pella , an ancient Greek city located in Pella Prefecture of Macedonia in Greece, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia.-Etymology:...
(initially in association with Wooster College, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
). Hennessy was also instrumental in founding the Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation at the University of Sydney in 1986.
Retirement and honours
Hennessy was appointed Emeritus Professor of Archaeology after his retirement in 1990 and in 1993 received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from his alma mater, the University of Sydney.Publications
- Stephania - A Middle and Late Bronze Age Cemetery in Cyprus, 1963.
- The Foreign Relations of Palestine During the Early Bronze Age, 1967.
- Pella in Jordan I (with A.W. McNicoll and R.H. Smith), 1982.