Edward Cecil Harris, is a prominent Bermudian

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

. He is best known for the "

Harris matrix The Harris matrix is a tool used to depict the temporal succession of archaeological contexts and thus the sequence of depositions and surfaces on a 'dry land' archaeological site, otherwise called a 'stratigraphic sequence'. The matrix reflects ...

", developed in February 1973 and considered by some to be the "industry standard" for stratigraphic archaeology. This was followed by a five-year investigation into archaeological practices. He determined that the methods did not properly account for stratigraphy, and published his findings in 1979 as the ''Principles of Archaeological Stratigraphy''. While attending

Columbia University School of General Studies The School of General Studies (GS) is a liberal arts college and one of the undergraduate colleges of Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights, Borough (New York City), New York City. GS is known prima ...

in the United States, Harris spent the summers assisting on archaeological digs in

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

, England. After graduating, he continued his archaeological work, including in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

, Norway and along the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

. In 1997 he worked towards a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

through the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, while working on excavations in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. In 1982, Harris became a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

, and in 1991 he became a Fellow at the

John Carter Brown Library The John Carter Brown Library is an independently funded research library of history and the humanities on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The library's rare book, manuscript, and map collections encompass a variety of ...

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

. Outside of academia, Harris has been awarded the ''Palmetto Award'' by the

Bermuda National Trust The Bermuda National Trust is a charitable organization which works to preserve and protect the heritage of Bermuda. According to its website, the organization has the following purposes: "The Bermuda National Trust is a charity, establishe ...

, for his efforts in the historical preservation of several buildings in 1994. In Bermuda, Harris served as the executive director of the

National Museum of Bermuda The National Museum of Bermuda, previously the Bermuda Maritime Museum from its opening in 1974 until 2009 (legislatively formalised in 2013), explores the maritime and island history of Bermuda. The maritime museum is located within the grounds ...

, and writes a history column, entitled "Heritage Matters", for the local newspaper. He is a frequent contributor to the annual '' Bermuda Journal of Archaeology and Maritime History'', and has served as its editor.

Publications

* ''Principles of Archaeological Stratigraphy'' (1979
now available free on the internet in 8 languages
* ''Pillars of the Bridge'' (1991) * ''Practices of Archaeological Stratigraphy'' (1993
now available free on the internet in English
* ''Bermuda Forts 1612-1957'' (1997)

Articles in BJAMH

Articles in the ''Bermuda Journal of Archaeology and Maritime History''. In 2001, he held the position of editor. * "Bermuda Defences at the End of the American Revolutionary War" (1989) * "A History of Some of the Islands in St. George's Harbour" (1991) with

J. C. Arnell J, or j, is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. J may also refer to: * Palatal approximant in the International Phonetic Alphabet * J, Cyrillic letter Je Astronomy * J, a provisional designation prefix for some objects discovered bet ...

* "The 1991 Archaeological Field Season at Fort Cunningham, Bermuda" (1991) with

Richard A. Gould Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and i ...

and

John R. Triggs John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

* "Review of The Geological Map of Bermuda" (1991) * "The 1992 Archaeological Field Season at Fort Cunningham, Bermuda" (1992) with Richard A. Gould and John R. Triggs * "The 1993 Archaeological Investigations at Castle Island, Bermuda" (1994) * "Archaeology of the King's Castle Island, Bermuda: The 1994 and 1995 Seasons" (1996) with Norman F. Barka and Heather M. Harvey * "The Archaeology of Daniel's Island Fort, Bermuda" (1996) with Norman F. Barka * "War and Peace: Historic Fortifications and Heritage Education in the Age of Cultural Tourism" (1998) * "The Archaeology of Paget Fort—Bermuda's First Fort" (1999)

References

External links

Bio at HarrisMatrix.comBermuda Maritime Museum

Columbia University School of General Studies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Edward C. Bermudian archaeologists 21st-century Bermudian people 20th-century Bermudian people Living people Brown University fellows Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Alumni of the University of London Columbia University School of General Studies alumni Members of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London