Dorothy Garrod, first woman Professor at Cambridge.

Dorothy Garrod, first woman Professor at Cambridge. Key-words: Dorothy Garrod Professor Dorothy Annie Elizabeth Garrod (5 May, 1892–18 December, 1968) 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. , women, Cambridge, archaeology,universities In May 1939, the accomplished Palaeolithic archaeologist, DorothyGarrod, was elected Cambridge's Professor of Archaeology -- thefirst woman to hold a Chair at either Cambridge or Oxford. Garrod waswell qualified for the position in several ways. Trained by R.R. Marettat Oxford and the Abbe Henri Breuil Henri ��douard Prosper Breuil (February 28, 1877, Mortain, Manche, Normandy–August 14, 1961, L'Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise, France), often referred to as Abb�� Breuil, was a French archaeologist, anthropologist, ethnologist and geologist. in France, she was renowned for herexcavations in Gibraltar, Palestine, Southern Kurdistan and Bulgaria. By1939, Garrod was one of Britain's finest archaeologists. She haddiscovered the well-preserved skull fragments of 'Abel', aNeanderthal child, in Gibraltar, identified the Natufian culture The Natufian culture existed in the Mediterranean region of the Levant. It was an Epipalaeolithic culture, but unusual in that it established permanent settlements even before the introduction of agriculture. whileexcavating Shukbah near Jerusalem, directed the large, long-termexcavations at Mt Carmel, established the Palaeolithic succession forthat crucial region and then travelled, in 1938, to explore theimportant Palaeolithic cave of Bacho Kiro in Bulgaria. Published reportsof her excavations had appeared promptly and were very favourablyreviewed. The pre-historian, Grahame Clark, who was to succeed her tothe Disney Chair in 1952, described Garrod's The Stone Age of MountCarmel (1937) as 'pure gold' (Clark 1937: 488). Garrod's papers Regardless of her accomplishments, Garrod has remained a shadowyfigure. Until recently, persistent rumours suggested she had burnt herliterary remains. However, as part of my Ph.D research into theinstitution of prehistory prehistory,period of human evolution before writing was invented and records kept. The term was coined by Daniel Wilson in 1851. It is followed by protohistory, the period for which we have some records but must still rely largely on archaeological evidence to at Cambridge University Cambridge University,at Cambridge, England, one of the oldest English-language universities in the world. Originating in the early 12th cent. (legend places its origin even earlier than that of Oxford Univ. , I located, with PaulBahn's and Genevieve Pincon's help, a vast store ofGarrod's unpublished and unsorted material held in the Bibliothequedu Musee des Antiquites Nationales outside Paris (Smith et al. 1997).This material is kept under the name of French archaeologist SuzanneCassou de Saint-Mathurin, who had excavated with Garrod in France andLebanon. When Saint-Mathurin died in 1991, boxes of Garrod'sdiaries, letters, field notes, photographs and manuscripts werebequeathed to the MAN along with Saint-Mathurin's papers. Reserved, assured, delightful These unpublished papers, along with personal recollections ofcolleagues and former students, reveal a contrast between Garrod'spersonality as Professor and her behaviour in every other context. Inthe field she is at ease and gently humorous; reserved but fun. In theFaculty, however, she is described as 'cripplingly shy' --dry, distant, difficult to know. Excerpts from her correspondence andfield diaries and comments of her contemporaries document this strikingcontrast. Garrod's earliest letters, long before her Professorship,show a spontaneous, joyful attitude toward life and work. 'My dear Jean', wrote Garrod to her cousin in 1921,'The last week in France was great fun. It was really almost toomoving to be true. You crawl on your stomach for hours ... climbing upyawning abysses (lighted only by an acetylene lamp Acetylene Lamp , also known as Drake is a tall middle-aged man with a thin nose, large forehead, wide frowny eyes and often a small moustache with big glasses. He has a "notch" on the back of his head, and there is a running gag throughout Tezuka's work about how a lit ...) and get knockedon the head by stalactites and on the legs by [stalag sta��lag?n.A German prisoner of war camp for officers and enlisted personnel.[German, short for Stammlager, base camp : Stamm, base, stem (from Middle High German ]mites, and in theend arrive at all sorts of wonders; bison modelled in clay, andportraits of sorcerers, and footprints of Magdalenian man'. Garrodwas about to meet her life-long mentor, the renowned pre-historian, AbbeHenri Breuil. 'Comte Begouen, our host ... is a dear, and we alsomet the Abbe Breuil who ... explores impossible caves in a Roman collar Noun 1. Roman collar - a stiff white collar with no opening in the front; a distinctive symbol of the clergyclerical collar, dog collarcollar, neckband - a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over and bathing dress. He got an Hon. degree at Cambridge last year, butmore fully clothed'. The humour and joie de vivre joie de vi��vre?n.Hearty or carefree enjoyment of life.[French : joie, joy + de, of + vivre, to live, living. evident in thisletter are typical of Garrod (Box 72: MAN). 'She was eager, fastidious fas��tid��i��ousadj.1. Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail.2. Difficult to please; exacting.3. Having complex nutritional requirements. Used of microorganisms. , apparently not robust, but with aclear sense of values ... and courage ... hence the very strenuous fieldwork [in] --France, Spain, Palestine, Kurdistan ... caves andunderground rivers', Garrod's cousin, Jean Cousin, Jean(zhäN kzăN`), c.1490–c.1560, celebrated French painter, designer, and sculptor. Smith wrote in 1968(Box 72, MAN). Garrod's notebooks and diaries from the verystrenuous excavations at Mount Carmel Caves, Palestine, from 1929-1934,document bonhomie bon��ho��mie?n.A pleasant and affable disposition; geniality.[French, from bonhomme, good-natured man : bon, good (from Latin bonus; see deu-2 and courage under stress. Field conditions were harsh. The crew endured uncomfortable,primitive living conditions living conditionsnpl → condiciones fpl de vidaliving conditionsnpl → conditions fpl de vieliving conditionsliving , terrible heat, sticky humidity, limited andcontaminated water, faulty equipment, dust, hot 'Khamseen'winds, violent electrical storms, torrential rains and exposure toserious disease. During their first season at Mount Carmel, Kitson Clarkcaught tick fever tick fevern.Any of various febrile diseases transmitted by ticks, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Texas fever.tick feverSee Rocky Mountain spotted fever. from being bitten by the abundant lice. During thefinal 1934 excavation season, one crew member, Ruth Waddington, wasrushed to the German Hospital in Haifa with malaria. The camp 1934 diary is permeated with lighthearted stories thatbelie be��lie?tr.v. be��lied, be��ly��ing, be��lies1. To picture falsely; misrepresent: "He spoke roughly in order to belie his air of gentility"James Joyce. these difficult circumstances. 'There was considerableconsternation as there had been predictions of a cloudburst, anearthquake and the end of the world', writes crew member, MrsKennedy Shaw, nee Eleanor Dyott (25 May 1934, camp diary found near Box62, MAN). 'Mud, muck, ooze OOZE - Object oriented extension of Z. "Object Orientation in Z", S. Stepney et al eds, Springer 1992. upon the floor, torn tents and thunder-- all were forgotten as the sherry bottle was opened. Though it mightbe mentioned all knives were carefully cleared off the table ... as thedark showed blue lightning' (crew member Anne Fuller's April1934 entry). The women named their tents and tiny mud brick huts the'Tibn Towers', arranged daily tea and an occasional Sundayseaside holiday. Frequent official visitors were handled with patient humour.'The Towers must above all things keep up appearances', Fullerobserves. 'The afternoon was awaited with some anxiety, as MissHilda Wills had announced her intention of visiting the Towers',reports Garrod on 14 April 1934. 'At 2.0 precisely Miss W.'scar was sighted turning into the "drive". DG hastened down toreceive her, putting the finishing touches finishing touchesfinish npl the finishing touches → der letzte Schlifffinishing touchesnpl → ultimi ritocchi mplto her toilet as the carapproached the causeway ... though ignorant of prehistory [Miss Wills]displayed just the right amount of interest -- in short behaved like thebest type of Cultured English Hat ... drank tea in the parlour of theTowers, and drove away, leaving a cheque.... Sabbath Sherry was drunk at6.45, the toast being ... a "hat" of the best, named Miss Wills, a presenter ofgifts and not bills, drove up to the Towers and stayed several hours,leaving twenty-five pounds and no mils' (camp diary, 14 April 1934, MAN). During her 1938 reconnaissance expedition to chart Palaeolithicsites in Anatolia, Garrod was 'largely self-propelled'. As inearly field situations, her 'demeanor and dealings with the variousInstitutes and with the Turkish authorities were ... civil, effectiveand sure-footed with mutual respect and cordiality evident at alltimes'. Although ultimately in charge of key decisions, she alwaysencouraged contributions from the young Harvard researchers, James Gaulas well as Bruce Howe. Meeting at meals for 'good talk andwork', Garrod suggested that Howe spend his next year (1938-1939)in Cambridge to benefit from the Museum's extensive collections ofStone Age material and to attend Grahame Clark's and GlynDaniel's lectures on prehistory (Howe pers. comm. 1998). Garrod as Professor: reserved and frightened Garrod's appointment 'was rather a bombshell as far as Icould gather. It definitely ruffled ruf��fle?1?n.1. A strip of frilled or closely pleated fabric used for trimming or decoration.2. A ruff on a bird.3. a. A ruckus or fray.b. Annoyance; vexation.4. the dovecotes', reports Howe.Her election was greeted with excitement and high expectations,especially by the Cambridge women's colleges Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are comprised exclusively or almost exclusively of women. . The Newnham CollegeRoll Letter announced with pride, 'Miss Garrod's election tothe Disney Professor has been the outstanding event of the year and hasfilled us with joy' (Letter of January 1940: 11). Fellow femalescholars felt uplifted by her achievement (Alison Duke, in conversationwith the author, 1998). 'The excitement of her appointment wasgreat', reports Eleanor Robertson, archaeology student, class of1938 (pers. comm. 1998). The wider University community also took note.'The election of a woman to the Professorship of Archaeology is animmense step forward towards complete equality between men and women inthe University' (The Cambridge Review May 1939). With her election, Garrod was catapulted into a difficult situationwithin a new Faculty. As the first prehistorian to assume the DisneyChair, she was Professor of a subject only recently introduced into thecurriculum and not yet fully institutionalized. Both prehistoricarchaeology History is the study of the past using written records. Archaeology can also be used to study the past alongside history. Prehistoric archaeology is the study of the past before historical records began. and anthropology were fighting for academic recognition,funding and accommodation (Smith 1997). Garrod's predecessor, EllisMinns Sir Ellis Hovell Minns (1874 - 1953) was a British academic and archaeologist whose studies focused on Eastern Europe.Educated at Charterhouse, he went to Pembroke College, Cambridge studying the Classical tripos including Slavonic and Russian. , did most of his teaching in the respected Classics Tripos ratherthan in Archaeology and Anthropology. 'Archaeological studies otherthan [classical archaeology 'Classical archaeology' is a term given to archaeological investigation of the great Mediterranean civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Nineteenth century archaeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann were drawn to study the societies they had read about in Latin and ] were still in an embryonic state',writes archaeologist Charles Phillips, who served on the Faculty Boardduring the 1930s (unpublished memoirs [1975-80]: 141). Archaeology wasstill considered a 'hobby pursuit' and a 'lastresort' or 'soft' option according to former students.Many bright students who chose archaeology were told that they had nofuture. Among these were the pioneers of modern prehistoric archaeology:Cyril Fox, Louis Leakey and Grahame Clark (Clark, in conversation withthe author, 1994). From the beginning, Garrod seemed ill at ease in all hierarchical,formal situations where she represented the Faculty. Although she was anexcellent tutor in informal, small groups -- 'her mother joined usfor a cup of tea before proceedings began. It was all very friendly andeasy' (Joan Lillico pers. comm. 1998) -- Garrod was uncomfortablewithin the more structured Faculty setting. Lecturing was 'not herchosen form of communication', states Dr Ann Sieveking, nee Paull,who listened to Garrod discuss the Upper Palaeolithic in 1951.Sieveking's observation is supported by Garrod's own statementto her friend, Mlle Germaine Henri-Martin: 'j'aime mieuxecrire que discuter de vive voix' [I much prefer to write thandiscuss aloud] (19 February 1961, Box 38, MAN). According to archaeologist, Tom Lethbridge (Memoirs [1965]: 99),Garrod's position on the Board of the Faculty of Archaeology andAnthropology was 'one of considerable frustration anddifficulty'. During and before Garrod's tenure, the FacultyBoard wrangled continually with a powerful University body called theGeneral Board of the Faculties which controlled finances and finaldecisions on innumerable matters. The Faculty Board repeatedly disagreewith the General Board on issues of funds and accommodations. 'TheFaculty Board does not however agree with the view of the GeneralBoard' is the Faculty's refrain in the official Minutes. It was precisely her administrative encounters with the GeneralBoard and its Secretary, John T. Saunders, who is remembered as a hardman, that seem to have caused Garrod the most consternation. As aProfessor in the Faculty and as Head of her Department, she dealtcontinually with Saunders and the General Board. According to herSecretary, Miss Mary Thatcher (in conversation with the author, 1998),it was while Garrod was Department Head that the Faculty overspent ontheir allowance for electricity. The Board received a letter fromSaunders suggesting that Garrod please go and explain. 'Shemight have been a schoolgirl', states Thatcher, who accompaniedGarrod, 'she shook with fear'. During the meeting, Garrodasked Saunders what the Faculty might do to improve the situation. Heanswered, 'Well, Professor Garrod, when you see a light on, turn itoff' (Thatcher, in conversation, 1998). Garrod often argued with the General Board on a moral basis. Afterthe War, returning from National Service, Garrod received her stipendfor several months while lesser Faculty members did not. She argued withthe General Board that this was unfair. The General Board ignored herargument, stating that no Faculty were allowed stipends until theystarted to lecture. When she pointed out that she, as Professor, had notstarted lecturing but was receiving pay, the General Board respondedthat it could consider only hardship cases within her Faculty. Garrodsuggested that since it was an issue of discrimination between officersof the same Faculty and as all the junior teaching officers were notreceiving stipends, all were hardship cases. The General Board ignoredher arguments. When Garrod's responses to the General Board, recorded in theFaculty Minutes, are studied, she presents herself as relating toUniversity officials as she had related to officials while onexcavations and expeditions. While on expeditions, Garrod assumed thatthe other side was eminently reasonable and that a fair debate couldsolve all. She was forthcoming with Faculty needs and seemed to expectthe General Board to give a clear answer. Her actions are reminiscent ofher writing style, described by Clark (1937: 488) as 'dispassionate... scientific ... modest'. She seemed to follow an idealizedscientific model of discourse whereby if her hypothesis were to bewrong, open discussion would lead to a better solution. Interpretation: what was Dorothy Garrod's difficulty in beingProfessor? There were very few women in teaching posts in Cambridge Universityin 1939. Garrod was a modest, shy person and appears to have beenuncomfortable with the attention her election elicited. The fact thatshe was a woman barred her from some 'behind the scenes'interactions and also from social settings where deals might have beenstruck. Women were not allowed, for example, to dine at the men'scolleges where issues were resolved during conversations at High Table.She would not have been present at important informal discussions wherebureaucratic manoeuvrings might have been agreed upon. Negotiating scrimmages with powerful committees was difficultbecause Garrod was unaccustomed to the often sharp style of Cambridgeinstitutional interactions and was uncomfortable with the verbalsparring and sarcastic retorts which were an acceptable part of thenegotiating process. In the electricity budget incident mentioned, shewould have felt it rude to respond to Saunders in kind. However, whenshe did not retort, he would have judged her as 'weak'. As aresult of Garrod's background and personality, she was poorlysuited to such interactions. Garrod had no experience in hierarchical, institutional settings,where she would have been under a General Board, yet overundergraduates. She had never gone to a public school such asMarlborough, as had her brothers, or entered Cambridge and stayed thereto build her career, as had Grahame Clark. She was accustomed to leadingsmall egalitarian research teams where she had control of funding andfinal decisions; she was ill-prepared for the University's rankedsystem. Throughout, Garrod seems to have been operating on the moreco-operative, reasoned and even dignified mode of behaviour she hadenjoyed in the practice of research. This behaviour was maladaptive MaladaptiveUnsuitable or counterproductive; for example, maladaptive behavior is behavior that is inappropriate to a given situation.Mentioned in: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy within Cambridge's arcane institutional, hierarchical arena wherecontrol and manipulation of scarce resources were critical and wherebureaucratic effectiveness required a tacit knowledge of how to act. Shenever became acculturated to the type of informal behaviour needed to bea 'Cambridge man'. All indications are that she was uncomfortable in her professorialrole and left as soon as her sense of duty allowed. Upon retirement in1952, the Faculty presented her with an ornate scroll, inscribed inLatin, which reveals their respect and can be translated as: To Dorothy Annie Elizabeth Garrod ... indefatigable explorer ofantiquity, who for thirteen years professed the science of archaeologyin Cambridge with such great learning, such great splendour, such greatfriendliness and humanity, her colleagues, acquaintances, friends, whosenames are written beneath, joyfully giving thanks for so many thingswell done ... moved not only by love ... give with pleasure this clockas a gift. 'caelum non animum mutant, qui trans [mare] currunt'[Horace. Epistles, Book I, 11, line 27] 'those who hasten across[the sea] change their horizon, not their soul' (Quoted by courtesy of Madeleine Lovedy Smith.) Acknowledgements. All knowledge is community based. This isespecially true when published sources do not yet exist. I have hencerelied upon personal reminiscences and unpublished material toreconstruct Garrod's past. Interpretations only emerged after hoursof discussions with colleagues, friends and supervisors. Space does notallow me to mention names but I can say it was a joy and privilege towork with the over 140 people who contributed. Grants arranged by PaulMellars, Jane Renfrew and Lucy Cavendish College, the Social Sciencesand Humanities Research Council of Canada The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (French: (le) conseil de recherches en sciences humaine en Canada) (SSHRC/CRSH) is a Canadian federal agency which supports university-based training and research and training in the humanities and social , the Garrod Fund of theCambridge Department of Archaeology, The American School of PrehistoricResearch and the LEE Foundation funded this research. This paper isdedicated to Loren and Lester. References CLARK, J.G.D. 1937. Review of The Stone Age of Mount Carmel:Excavations at the Wady wa��dy?n.Variant of wadi. el-Mughara 1, by D.A.E. Garrod & D.M.A.Bate bate?1?tr.v. bat��ed, bat��ing, bates1. To lessen the force or intensity of; moderate: "To his dying day he bated his breath a little when he told the story", Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 3(2): 486-8. FACULTY OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY BOARD MINUTES. 1927-1943.Cambridge University Archives: Min. V.92a. 1944-1947. Cambridge University Archives: Min. V.94. LETHBRIDGE, T.C. [1965]. The ivory tower. Unpublished memoirs inpossession of Mrs Lethbridge. PHILLIPS, C.W. [1975-1980]. Unpublished memoirs in possession ofthe Phillips family. SMITH, P.J. 1997. Grahame Clark's new archaeology, Antiquity71: 11-30. SMITH. P.J., J. CALLANDER, P.G. BAHN & G. PINCON. 1997. DorothyGarrod in words and pictures, Antiquity 71: 265-70. PAMELA JANE SMITH, Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge CB3 0BU,England. pjs1011@cam.ac.uk