Paul Bahn
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Paul Gerard Bahn, (born 29 July 1953)'Bahn, Paul (1953-)'
''Encyclopedia.com''. Accessed 2 July 2020.
is a British
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, ...
, translator, writer and broadcaster who has published extensively on a range of archaeological topics, with particular attention to
prehistoric art In the history of art, prehistoric art is all art produced in preliterate, Prehistory, prehistorical cultures beginning somewhere in very late geological history, and generally continuing until that culture either develops writing or other met ...
. He is a contributing editor to ''
Archaeology 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, ...
'' magazine. With
Colin Renfrew Andrew Colin Renfrew, Baron Renfrew of Kaimsthorn, (25 July 1937 – 24 November 2024) was a British archaeologist, paleolinguist and Conservative peer noted for his work on radiocarbon dating, the prehistory of languages, archaeogenetics, ...
, he wrote the popular archaeology textbook ''Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice''.


Early life and education

Born and raised in
Kingston-upon-Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...
, Bahn was educated at the Marist College in the city and at
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...
, where he studied
archaeology 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, ...
and graduated with a BA in 1974. He completed his Ph.D. thesis on the prehistory of the French
Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
at Cambridge in 1979.


Career

After receiving his doctorate, Bahn held several post-doctoral fellowships, at
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and London, as well as a
Getty Foundation The Getty Foundation, based in Los Angeles, California, at the Getty Center, awards grants for "the understanding and preservation of the visual arts".Getty FoundationAbout the Foundation. Retrieved September 18, 2008. In the past, it funded the ...
postdoctoral fellowship in the History of Art and the Humanities. He went freelance in the mid-80s, and since then has devoted himself to writing, editing and translating books on archaeology, plus occasional journalism. His main research interest is prehistoric art, especially rock art of the world, and most notably Palaeolithic art, as well as the archaeology of
Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...
. He led the team which discovered the first
Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...
cave art in Britain in 2003 and 2004. He is a contributing editor to ''
Archaeology 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, ...
'' magazine published by the
Archaeological Institute of America The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is North America, North America's oldest learned society and largest organization devoted to the world of archaeology. AIA professionals have carried out archaeological fieldwork around the world and ...
(AIA), and has lectured on many archaeological study tours sponsored by the AIA and others across Europe, Africa, North America and
Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...
. Bahn has also been an active consultant expert to a number of archaeological
documentaries A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...
, including the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
production "The Making of Mankind" and the trilogy of programmes "Human Origins" for the ''Nova'' series produced by
WGBH-TV WGBH-TV (channel 2), branded GBH or GBH 2 since 2020, is the primary PBS List of PBS member stations, member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Affiliated stations and facilities WGBH-TV is the Flagship (broadcasting), ...
, Boston.AIA (n.d.) Bahn's 2012 memoir, ''The Cambridge Rapist - Unmasking The Beast of Bedsitland'' recalls his student days at a time when
serial rapist A serial rapist is someone who commits multiple rapes, whether with multiple victims or a single victim repeatedly over a period of time. Some serial rapists target children. The terms ''sexual predator'', ''repeat rape'' and ''multiple offending' ...
Peter Samuel Cook was at large.


Honours

On 9 January 1986, Bahn was elected 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 ...
(FSA).


Published works

* ''Pyrenean Prehistory'' (1984) * ''Ancient Places'' (with Glyn Daniel, 1986) * ''Images of the Ice Age'' (1988, with Jean Vertut) * ''The Bluffer's Guide to Archaeology'' (1989, 2nd ed. 1999, 3rd ed. 2004) * ''Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice'' (1991, with Colin Renfrew—2nd ed. 1996, 3rd ed. 2000, 4th ed. 2004, 5th ed. 2008, 6th ed. 2012) * ''Easter Island, Earth Island'' (with John Flenley, 1992) * ''100 Great Archaeological Discoveries'' (1995) * ''Mammoths'' (with Adrian Lister, 1995; 2nd ed. 2000) * ''Archaeology: a very short introduction'' (1997) * ''Journey Through the Ice Age'' (with Jean Vertut, 1997) * ''The Cambridge Illustrated History of Prehistoric Art'' (1998) * ''Disgraceful Archaeology'' (with Bill Tidy, 1999) * ''Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction'' (
Very Short Introductions ''Very Short Introductions'' (''VSI'') is a book series published by the Oxford University Press (OUP). The books are concise introductions to particular subjects, intended for a general audience but written by experts. Most are under 200-page ...
series, 2000, 2nd ed. 2012) * ''The Enigmas of Easter Island'' (with John Flenley, 2003) * ''Cave Art: A Guide to the Decorated Ice Age Caves of Europe '' (2007; 2nd ed. 2012) * ''The Cambridge Rapist - Unmasking The Beast of Bedsitland'' (2012, Vanguard Press, ) * ''The History of Archaeology: An Introduction'' (editor, 2013) *


References


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bahn, Paul 1953 births English archaeologists Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Living people English prehistorians