Peter Mathews (born 12 June 1951 in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, Australia) is an Australian

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, ...

epigrapher Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

, and

Mayanist A Mayanist () is a scholar specialising in research and study of the Mesoamerican pre-Columbian Maya civilisation. This discipline should not be confused with Mayanism, a collection of New Age beliefs about the ancient Maya. Mayanists draw ...

. He was a professor at the

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

, and is Co Director of the Naachtun Archaeology Project. Between 1979 and 1986 he taught in the Department of Anthropology at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He was a professor of Archaeology and Maya Hieroglyphs at

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...

until his retirement at the end of 2011. He continued to lecture at the university throughout 2012, until his end of tenure in 2013. He graduated with a B.A. in 1975 from the

where he studied with

David H. Kelley David Humiston Kelley (April 1, 1924 in Albany, New York – May 19, 2011) was an American archaeologist and epigrapher. He was associated with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and later with the University of Calgary. He is most noted for his w ...

, and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

with a MPhil, and PhD, where he studied with

Michael D. Coe Michael Douglas Coe (May 14, 1929 – September 25, 2019) was an American archaeologist, anthropologist, epigraphy, epigrapher, and author. He is known for his research on pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, particularly the Maya civilization, Maya, an ...

. During his time at Yale he was a

MacArthur Fellow The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and 30 individuals workin ...

, at the age of 33. In the 1960s, he dubbed artifacts to be from an unknown "Site Q", which some think is

La Corona La Corona is the name given by archaeologists to an ancient Maya court residence in Guatemala's Petén department that was discovered in 1996, and later identified as the long-sought "Site Q", the source of a long series of unprovenanced limes ...

. In 1973, he was invited to the first Mesa Redonda,

Palenque Palenque (; Yucatec Maya: ), also anciently known in the Itza Language as Lakamha ("big water" or "big waters"), was a Maya city-state in southern Mexico that perished in the 8th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. 799 AD ...

conference. In 1997, he and ten Mexican colleagues were attacked, held, and released, near the Maya site of

El Cayo San Ignacio and Santa Elena are towns in western Belize. San Ignacio serves as the cultural-economic hub of Cayo District. It got its start from mahogany and chicle production during British colonisation. Over time it attracted people from the su ...

."Ordeal in Chiapas: Archaeologists Survive Attack During Attempt to Rescue Maya Altar from Looters"
''SAA Journal'', John W. Hoopes, 15-4

Awards

* 1984

MacArthur Fellows Program The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and ...

* 2002 Fellow of the Academy of the Humanities in Australia

Works

* * * * *
"MAYA HIEROGLYPH DICTIONARY"
''FAMSI'' *Foster, Lynn V., Mathews, Peter
''Handbook to life in the ancient Maya world''
Oxford University Press US, 2005,

References

External links

''Archeology'', Tom Gidwitz, Volume 55 Number 3, May/June 2002

''NOVA: Cracking the Code''

''The New York Times'', JOHN NOBLE WILFORD, 16 May 2006

Department of Anthropology, Cleveland State University, Fall 2004, Barbara Grale, Editor {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Peter 1951 births Living people MacArthur Fellows Yale University alumni Academic staff of the University of Calgary Academic staff of La Trobe University People from Canberra Australian archaeologists Australian Mesoamericanists 20th-century Mesoamericanists 21st-century Mesoamericanists Mayanists Mesoamerican epigraphers University of Calgary alumni