Philip Arthur Rahtz (11 March 1921 – 2 June 2011)[1][2] was a British archaeologist.
Rahtz was born in Bristol. After leaving Bristol Grammar School, he became an accountant[3] before serving with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.[4] During war service, Rahtz became friends with the archaeologist Ernest Greenfield, the excavator of Great Witcombe Roman Villa, Gloucestershire and Lullingstone Castle, Kent. This friendship sparked a personal interest in archaeology and a professional career, which began with excavations at Chew Valley Lake (north Somerset) in 1953.[5]
A wide range of excavations in the area followed including Old Sarum in 1957,[6] Glastonbury Tor in 1964–1966[3] and a Romano-Celtic Temple at Pagans Hill, Chew Stoke, from 1958.[7][8][9][10] He also excavated at Bordesley Abbey, Worcestershire.[1] Rahtz later ran summer school excavations for the University of Birmingham. He achieved his first permanent job as a lecturer at that university in 1963, and in 1978 he was appointed professor and first head of department at the University of York.
In 2003 he was awarded the Frend Medal for his outstanding contribution to the archaeology of the early Christian Church.[11] In February 2013, a one-day conference was held in Cheddar to celebrate his life and work in Somerset.[12]
Rahtz died in 2011 at age 90. He was married to his second wife, Lorna, with whom he had a son, Matthew. He had five other children from his first marriage: Gentian, Nicholas, Diana, David and Sebastian.[3] The last-mentioned son worked in the digital humanities, including computer methods in archaeology.
^ ab"Philip Rahtz (1921–2011)". Historian on the edge. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
^Filip, Jan (2011). "Manuel Excyclopedique de Prehistoire ... – Google Books". books.google.com. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
^ abcHills, Catherine (29 July 2011). "Philip Rahtz obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
^"Philip Rahtz". University of York. Archived from the original on 24 June 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
^"Philip Rahtz (1921–)". A Brief History of Archaeological Research in Somerset. Somerset County Council. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
^Historic England (2014). "Old Sarum (1015675)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
^P. Rahtz, P. and Harris, L.G. 1958. "The temple well and other buildings at Pagans Hill, Chew Stoke, North Somersetshire", Proceedings of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society. pp: 25-51
^Hucker, Ernest (1997). Chew Stoke Recalled in Old Photographs. Ernest Hucker.
^Boon, George C. (1989). "A Roman Sculpture Rehabilitated: The Pagans Hill Dog". Britannia. 20. Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies: 201–217. doi:10.2307/526163. JSTOR 526163.
^Gelling, Margaret. "Temples in Somerset and neighbouring areas" (PDF). Archeology Data Service. Retrieved 3 January 2007.
^Cramp, Rosemary J (2003). "Anniversary Address 2003". The Antiquaries Journal. 83: 1–8. doi:10.1017/s0003581500077659. S2CID 162565085. Archived from the original on 8 August 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
^"Philip Rahtz; a day conference to celebrate his life and work in Somerset on 2 February 2013". Victoria County History. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
Philip Arthur Rahtz (11 March 1921 – 2 June 2011) was a British archaeologist. Rahtz was born in Bristol. After leaving Bristol Grammar School, he became...
Dyke was excavated by Augustus Pitt Rivers between 1888 and 1891 and by PhilipRahtz in advance of road widening in 1958. Bokerley Dyke may have originated...
JSTOR 2850219. S2CID 163005650. Rahtz, Philip (1993). English Heritage Book of Glastonbury. Batsford. ISBN 978-0-7134-6866-3. Rahtz, Phillip; Watts, Lorna (2003)...
information professional. Born in 1955 to Somerset-focused archaeologist PhilipRahtz, Sebastian trained in archaeology, before delving into the computing...
well has been in almost constant use for at least two thousand years. PhilipRahtz found several dozen flints from the upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic...
A second excavation occurred in the 1950s under John W. G. Musty and PhilipRahtz. In 2014, an on-site geophysical survey of the inner and outer bailey...
Research, University of Cambridge. In the 1960s, Hill excavated with PhilipRahtz at Beckery chapel, Glastonbury. She was appointed as a lecturer in Cambridge...
employment. Archaeological excavations carried out between 1953 and 1955 by PhilipRahtz and Ernest Greenfield from the Ministry of Works found evidence of extensive...
was on a promontory overlooking the River Chew. It was excavated by PhilipRahtz between 1949 and 1953. In addition to the foundations of the temple a...
Thorpe, as well as the geographer Trevor Rowley and archaeologists PhilipRahtz and Philip Barker. His dissertation was on the development of settlement in...
Antiquaries of London, the committee proposed an investigation to be led by PhilipRahtz from the University of York and Rupert Bruce-Mitford, but the British...
63, American political activist (Black Panther Party), heart attack. PhilipRahtz, 90, British archaeologist. Joel Rosenberg, 57, American science fiction...
of London begins publication of The Antiquaries Journal. March 11 - PhilipRahtz, English archaeologist (d. 2011) May 2 - B. B. Lal, Indian archaeologist...
the other. During the 1967 excavation, this time by the archaeologist PhilipRahtz,'some 50 to 60 skeletons were found.' all of the skeletons are believed...
flooding of the reservoir, archaeological excavations were carried out by PhilipRahtz and Ernest Greenfield employed by the Ministry of Works, from 1953 to...
author (b. 1935) 2 June Josephine Hart, Irish-born writer (b. 1942) PhilipRahtz, archaeologist (b. 1921) 3 June Pat Jackson, film director (b. 1916)...
composer (died 2003) John Christoforou, painter (died 2014) 11 March – PhilipRahtz, archaeologist (died 2011) 12 March – Joe Fagan, footballer and manager...
Dean of the Faculty of Law, Vice-Principal and Pro-Vice-Chancellor PhilipRahtz, British archaeologist Brinley Rees, lecturer in Classics (1970–1975)...
during the Second World War. During war service he became friends with PhilipRahtz who persuaded Greenfield to take up professional archaeology. His excavations...
trackways up to 1.7 metres (5 ft 7 in) deep. There was excavation in 1958 by PhilipRahtz. He established that there was a farmstead of several enclosures, the...
for his development of processual archaeology (born 1931). June 2 – PhilipRahtz, English archaeologist (born 1921). List of years in archaeology "Archaeologists...
Sherwood Sandstones. Pottery of the period is known from Clipstone due to PhilipRahtz's excavation in 1956 and Trent and Peak Archaeology's watching brief and...
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