Francis Turville-Petre
Encyclopedia
Francis Adrian Joseph Turville-Petre (4 March 1901 – 16 August 1941) was a British
archaeologist
, famous for the discovery of the Neanderthal
Galilee Man (Galilee Skull) in 1925 and his work at Mount Carmel
, in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine, now Israel
. He was a close friend of Christopher Isherwood
and W. H. Auden
.
, landed gentry
family in England
, the oldest of the five children of Oswald and Margaret Petre (née Cave). He was the older brother of Gabriel Turville-Petre
, the noted scholar of Icelandic
and early Scandinavian
. The family moved to the ancestral home of Bosworth Hall
, Husbands Bosworth
, Leicestershire
in 1907.
Turville-Petre went up to Exeter College
, Oxford University in 1920. He was admitted as a Diploma student in Anthropology
at Michaelmas Term
, 1921, studying physical anthropology and cultural anthropology (ethnology
with archaeology and technology). He was awarded the Certificate in Physical Anthropology in 1922 and a Diploma in 1924. Following the completion of his studies in Oxford, Turville-Petre went to work on excavations in the Levant
. In 1925 he conducted digs in two caves in Wadi el-Amud
, Mugharet ez-Zuttiyeh (Robber's Cave) and Mugharet el-Emirah (Princes' Cave) near the Sea of Galilee
. It was in the Zuttiyeh Cave that he discovered the partial frontal cranial remains of a Neanderthal individual, named the 'Galilee Skull' or 'Galilee Man'. He was later invited by Dorothy Garrod
to join her excavations at Kebara Cave
on Mount Carmel. He also took part in excavations in the Sulaimaniya administrative region in Iraqi Kurdistan
in October – December 1928, excavating (with Dorothy Garrod) the caves of Zarzi and Hazar Merd.
In 1928 he moved to Berlin
, Germany
and stayed at the Institute of Sexual Research
, run by Dr Magnus Hirschfeld
. Whilst based in Berlin Turville-Petre was an active member of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee
, which campaigned for gay legal reform and tolerance
, and attended the Congress of the World League for Sexual Reform (also founded by Hirschfeld) in Copenhagen
in 1928. Known by his friends as 'Fronny', Turville-Petre was openly gay. He encouraged his friend Christopher Isherwood
to join him in Berlin, and together with W. H. Auden
they enjoyed life, and especially the nightlife, in the city. Turville-Petre left Berlin in 1931, and took up residence on his private island of St Nicolas near Euboea
, in Greece
. Isherwood visited him there in 1933.
Turville-Petre was the model for the title character of a lost play by Auden, The Fronny (1930); for the central character of their 1935 play The Dog Beneath the Skin
, Auden and Isherwood preserved the name Francis and the idea of the character's wanderings through Europe, but the character in the later play did not resemble Turville-Petre himself.
Isherwood's stay with Turville-Petre on St Nicolas has been described as 'farcical but grim', and in 1959 Isherwood wrote a lightly fictionalised version of Fronny in Down There on a Visit
, where he is portrayed as Ambrose, the mad king of a small Greek island.
Turville-Petre died in Cairo
, Egypt
in 1941 at the age of 40.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
archaeologist
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, famous for the discovery of the Neanderthal
Neanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
Galilee Man (Galilee Skull) in 1925 and his work at Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...
, in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine, now Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He was a close friend of Christopher Isherwood
Christopher Isherwood
Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood was an English-American novelist.-Early life and work:Born at Wyberslegh Hall, High Lane, Cheshire in North West England, Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed...
and W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
.
Life
Francis Turville-Petre was born into a CatholicRoman Catholicism in Great Britain
Roman Catholicism in the United Kingdom refers to the practice of Roman Catholicism in Great Britain and Ireland since the creation of the United Kingdom....
, landed gentry
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
family in 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...
, the oldest of the five children of Oswald and Margaret Petre (née Cave). He was the older brother of Gabriel Turville-Petre
Gabriel Turville-Petre
Edward Oswald Gabriel Turville-Petre F.B.A. was Professor of Ancient Icelandic Literature and Antiquities at the University of Oxford...
, the noted scholar of Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
and early Scandinavian
North Germanic languages
The North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages, the languages of Scandinavians, make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages, along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages...
. The family moved to the ancestral home of Bosworth Hall
Bosworth Hall (Husbands Bosworth)
Bosworth Hallis a 16th century west facing country house at Teddingworth Road, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire. A new and additional hall was built facing south west and adjoining the older house in about 1790. In about 1870 a Victorian Gothick wing was created to link the two buildings...
, Husbands Bosworth
Husbands Bosworth
Husbands Bosworth is a large crossroads village in South Leicestershire on the A5199 road from Leicester city to Northampton and the A4304 road from Junction 20 of the M1 motorway to Market Harborough....
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
in 1907.
Turville-Petre went up to Exeter College
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
, Oxford University in 1920. He was admitted as a Diploma student in 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...
at Michaelmas Term
Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:*University of Cambridge*University of Oxford*University of St...
, 1921, studying physical anthropology and cultural anthropology (ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
with archaeology and technology). He was awarded the Certificate in Physical Anthropology in 1922 and a Diploma in 1924. Following the completion of his studies in Oxford, Turville-Petre went to work on excavations in the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
. In 1925 he conducted digs in two caves in Wadi el-Amud
Amud stream
The Amud stream , also known as the Wadi Amud, is a stream in the Upper Galilee which spills into the Sea of Galilee.The source of the stream is at Ramat Dalton which is located 800 meters above sea level...
, Mugharet ez-Zuttiyeh (Robber's Cave) and Mugharet el-Emirah (Princes' Cave) near the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
. It was in the Zuttiyeh Cave that he discovered the partial frontal cranial remains of a Neanderthal individual, named the 'Galilee Skull' or 'Galilee Man'. He was later invited by Dorothy Garrod
Dorothy Garrod
Dorothy Annie Elizabeth Garrod CBE was a British archaeologist who was the first woman to hold an Oxbridge chair, partly through her pioneering work on the Palaeolithic period. Her father was Sir Archibald Garrod, the physician.-Life:Born in Oxford, she attended Newnham College, Cambridge...
to join her excavations at Kebara Cave
Kebara Cave
Kebara Cave is an Israeli limestone cave locality of the Wadi Kebara, situated at 60 - 65 metres ASL on the western escarpment of the Carmel Range, some 10km north-east of Caesarea...
on Mount Carmel. He also took part in excavations in the Sulaimaniya administrative region in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
in October – December 1928, excavating (with Dorothy Garrod) the caves of Zarzi and Hazar Merd.
In 1928 he moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
and stayed at the Institute of Sexual Research
Institut für Sexualwissenschaft
The Institut für Sexualwissenschaft was an early private sexology research institute in Germany from 1919 to 1933. The name is variously translated as Institute of Sex Research, Institute for Sexology or Institute for the Science of Sexuality...
, run by Dr Magnus Hirschfeld
Magnus Hirschfeld
Magnus Hirschfeld was a German physician and sexologist. An outspoken advocate for sexual minorities, Hirschfeld founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, which Dustin Goltz called "the first advocacy for homosexual and transgender rights."-Early life:Hirschfeld was born in Kolberg in a...
. Whilst based in Berlin Turville-Petre was an active member of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee
Scientific-Humanitarian Committee
The Scientific-Humanitarian Committee was founded in Berlin on the 14th or 15 May, 1897, to campaign for social recognition of homosexual, bisexual and transgender men and women, and against their legal persecution...
, which campaigned for gay legal reform and tolerance
LGBT social movements
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender social movements share inter-related goals of social acceptance of sexual and gender minorities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies have a long history of campaigning for what is generally called LGBT rights, also called gay...
, and attended the Congress of the World League for Sexual Reform (also founded by Hirschfeld) in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 1928. Known by his friends as 'Fronny', Turville-Petre was openly gay. He encouraged his friend Christopher Isherwood
Christopher Isherwood
Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood was an English-American novelist.-Early life and work:Born at Wyberslegh Hall, High Lane, Cheshire in North West England, Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed...
to join him in Berlin, and together with W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
they enjoyed life, and especially the nightlife, in the city. Turville-Petre left Berlin in 1931, and took up residence on his private island of St Nicolas near Euboea
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
, in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Isherwood visited him there in 1933.
Turville-Petre was the model for the title character of a lost play by Auden, The Fronny (1930); for the central character of their 1935 play The Dog Beneath the Skin
The Dog Beneath the Skin
The Dog Beneath the Skin, or Where is Francis? A Play in Three Acts, by W. H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood, was the first Auden-Isherwood collaboration and an important contribution to English poetic drama in the 1930s...
, Auden and Isherwood preserved the name Francis and the idea of the character's wanderings through Europe, but the character in the later play did not resemble Turville-Petre himself.
Isherwood's stay with Turville-Petre on St Nicolas has been described as 'farcical but grim', and in 1959 Isherwood wrote a lightly fictionalised version of Fronny in Down There on a Visit
Down There on a Visit
Down There on a visit is the 1962 novel from English author Christopher Isherwood.Through his political advocacy and the literary success of his friends, Auden and Spender, Christopher Isherwood became something of a literary rockstar...
, where he is portrayed as Ambrose, the mad king of a small Greek island.
Turville-Petre died in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1941 at the age of 40.
Selected works
- 1927 Francis A J Turville-Petre; Dorothea M A Bate; Charlotte Baynes; Arthur Keith Researches in Prehistoric Galilee, 1925-1926 London, Council of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem
- 1932 "Excavations in the Mugharet el-Kebarah" Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 62, 271-276
- 1932 "Excavations at the Cave Mugharet-el-Kebarah, near Zichron Jakob, Palestine" Man 32(20), 15
Sources
- Bar-Yosef, O., B. Vandermeersch, B. Arensburg, A. Belfer-Cohen, P. Goldberg, H. Laville, L. Meignen, Y. Rak, J. D. Speth, E. Tchernov, A-M. Tillier, and S. Weiner, 1992, "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel" Current Anthropology 33(5), 497-550
- Bar-Yosef, Ofer and Callander, Jane, 1997, "A forgotten archaeologist: the life of Francis Turville-Petre" Palestine Exploration Quarterly
- Lehmann, John, 1976, "Two of the Conspirators" Twentieth Century Literature Christopher Isherwood Issue 22(3), 264-275
- Page, Norman, 2000, Auden and Isherwood: The Berlin Years Palgrave Macmillan, London ISBN 9780312227128
- Diploma students in Anthropology at Oxford University