Jones, Rhys Maengwyn (1941 - 2001)

Summary

Rhys Jones was one of Australia's foremost archaeologists. He was among the earliest archaeologists to appreciate the importance of ethnographic field studies to understanding archaeological data and a pioneer in the integration of archaeology and ethnography. His work was noted for its interdisciplinary approach and involvement with Aboriginal communities. In a career that involved fieldwork in many parts of Australia he is particularly noted for his work on glacial-age caves in southwest Tasmania which resulted in the inclusion on the World Heritage List of the Kutakina and other archaeological sites in the Franklin River catchment; in north eastern Arnhem Land in collaboration with his wife Betty Meehan and the Anbarra people; and his involvement in the excavations at Lake Mungo. His research was diverse, including dating techniques to establish the period of human habitation in Australia; rock art and fire-stick farming. He was a leader in discussion of world heritage, conservation and Aboriginal social justice issues and a major contribution to broader community understanding of indigenous cultures. The high regarded in which he was held by the indigenous people with whom he worked was demonstrated in the honours which they bestowed on him. The Rhys Jones Medal is awarded annually by the Australian Archaeological Association.

Details

Chronology

1963 - 1969

Career position - Teaching Fellow, Department of Anthropology, University of Sydney

1965 - 1972

Career position - Co-Editor, Mankind

1966

Education - Master of Arts (MA), University of Cambridge

1966 - 2001

Career position - Member, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies

1969 - 1993

Career position - Research Fellow, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University

1971

Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Australian National University

1977 - 1979

Career position - President, Australian Archaeological Association

1978 - 1990

Career position - Member of Council, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies

1982 - 2001

Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of the Humanities

1986 - 1987

Career position - Vice-President, Australian Academy of the Humanities

1987 - 2001

Award - Fellow, Society of Antiquaries, London

1991

Career position - Australian Fellow, Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

1993 - 2001

Career position - Professor, Department of Archaeology and Natural History, Australian National University

1995 - 1996

Career position - Professor in Australian Studies, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

2001

Life event - Retired

2002

Award - Inaugural recipient (posthumously), Rhys Jones Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Archaeology, Australian Archaeological Association

2003

Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) (posthumous) for service to archaeology, particularly in the areas of research and teaching, and as a leader in matters relating to world heritage, conservation and indigenous social justice issues

Related entries

Published resources

Books

• Griffiths, Billy, Deep time dreaming: uncovering ancient Australia (Carlton, Vic.: Black Inc., 2018), 376 pp. Details
• Tindale, Norman, B., Aboriginal tribes of Australia : their terrain, environmental controls, distribution, limits and proper names (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1974), 404 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Bowdler, S., 'The last typologist: Rhys Jones and the problem of the archaeologists' in History of the ages: essays in honour of Rhys Jones, Anderson, A., Lilley, I. and O'Connor, S., eds (Canberra: Pandanus Books and Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, 2001), pp. 35-44. Details
• Hiatt, L. R.; and Jones, Rhys, 'Aboriginal Conceptions of the Workings of Nature' in Australian Science in the Making, R. W. Home, ed. (Sydney: Cambridge University Press, 1988), pp. 1-22. Details
• Lambert, Jacquie, 'Rhys Jones and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies' in Histories of Old Ages: Essays in Honour of Rhys Jones, Anderson, Atholl, Lilley, Ian and O'Connor, Sue, eds (Canberra: Pandanus Books, ), pp. 23-4. Details
• Meehan, Betty, 'The early life of a new chum 1941 - 1969' in Histories of Old Ages: Essays in Honour of Rhys Jones, Anderson, Atholl, Lilley, Ian and O'Connor, Sue, eds (Canberra: Oandanus Books, 2001), pp. 1-15. Details
• Roberts, R. G., 'The Celtic chronologist: Rhys Jones and the dating of the human colonisation of Australia' in Histories of Old Ages: Essays in Honour of Rhys Jones, Anderson, Atholl, Lilley, Ian and O'Connor, Sue, eds (Canberra: Pandanus Books, 2001), pp. 89-93. Details
• Spriggs, Matthew and Jones, Rhys, 'Professor' in A community of culture: the people and prehistory of the Pacific, Spriggs, Matthew, Yen, Douglas E., Ambrose, Wal , Jones, Rhys, Thorne, Alan and Andrews, Ann, eds (Canberra: Department of Prehistory, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, 1993), pp. 27-31. Details

Edited Books

• Anderson, Atholl, Lilley, Ian and O'Connor, Sue eds, Histories of old ages: essays in honour of Rhys Jones (Canberra: Pandanus Books, 2001), 444 pp. Details
• Spriggs, Matthew; Yen, Douglas E.; Ambrose, Wal; Jones, Rhys; Thorne, Alan; and Andrews, Ann eds, A community of culture: the people and prehistory of the Pacific (Canberra: Department of Prehistory, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, 1993), 289 pp. Details

Journal Articles

• Chippendale, Christopher, 'Rhys Maengwyn Jones, Welshman and archaeologist', Antiquity, 75 (290) (2001), 672-4. Details
• Flannery, Tim, 'Brief life of clarity and compassion: Rhys Maengwyn Jones', Australian Archaeology, 53 (2001), 39-40. Details
• Golson, Jack, 'Rhys Maengwyn Jones (1941 - 2001)', Proceedings of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, 26 (2001). http://www.humanities.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/AAH-Obit-Jones-2001.pdf. Details
• Hiatt, L., 'Archaeologist who thrived on mateship', ANU Reporter (2001), 2. Details
• Jones, Rhys, 'Confessions of a wild colonial boy: Rhys Jones in conversation with Vincent Megaw', Australian Archaeology, 50 (2000), 12-26. Details
• Smith, Claire, 'Rhys Jones awarded the Order of Australia', Australian Archaeology, 56 (2003), 51. Details
• Taylor, Rebe, 'Archaeology and Aboriginal protest: the influence of Rhys Jones's Tasmanian work on Australian historiography', Australian Historical Studies, 45 (3) (2014), 331-49. Details
• Ward, Graeme K., 'Rhys Maengwyn Jones, AO Australian archaeologist 26 February 1941 - 19 September 2001', Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2002 (1) (2002), 111-5. Details

Resources

• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/79090986. Details
• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q7321796. Details
• 'Jones, Rhys Maengwyn (19410226-20010919)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1772652. Details

See also

• Flood, Josephine M., The moth hunters: Aboriginal prehistory of the Australian Alps (Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, 1980), 388 pp, https://www.ligatu.re/book/the-moth-hunters/. Details