Jack Golson

Jack Golson was born in Rochdale, England on 13 September 1926.^[1][2] His father worked in the administration of coal mines in the area.^[2] He studied history and archaeology as an undergraduate at Cambridge University. He began a PhD in medieval history at Cambridge in 1951.^[2]

In 1954, he lectured at the archaeology department of Auckland University in New Zealand where he began studies on pre-history in the Pacific Islands.^[2] Golson also worked towards improving standards and methods of archaeology in New Zealand and organised the New Zealand Archaeological Association.^[3]

In 1957, he carried out the first systematic survey of archaeological remains on Savai'i island in Samoa.^[4] In 1961, he was appointed Fellow in Prehistory at the Australian National University^[5] and carried out research in Australia and Papua New Guinea. He was the president of the World Archaeological Congress (1990–1994).^[6]

In 1991, Golson retired after 30 years at the Australian National University. He became a visiting Fellow there while focusing his work on Papua New Guinea.^[7] In the 1997 Queen's Birthday Honours Golson was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "service to education, particularly in the fields of pre-history and archaeology research in Asia and the Pacific Region".^[8] In 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal.^[9]

In 2002, he became a Life Member of the Australian Archaeological Association. In 2009 he, along with Clare Golson, was awarded the World Archaeological Congress Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.^[10]

Golson died on 2 September 2023, at the age of 96.^[11]

• History of Papua New Guinea
• Archaeology in Samoa
• History of Tonga