Christopher Jones, 77, archaeologist, University of Pennsylvania Museum
Christopher Jones, 77, of Kimberton, a University of Pennsylvania Museum archaeologist known for his discovery and deciphering of inscriptions left by the ancient Maya culture of Guatemala, died Thursday, Sept. 3, of cancer at his home.
Christopher Jones, 77, of Kimberton, a University of Pennsylvania Museum archaeologist known for his discovery and deciphering of inscriptions left by the ancient Maya culture of Guatemala, died Thursday, Sept. 3, of cancer at his home.
As a research associate and later a consulting scholar for the museum, Dr. Jones was engaged in ongoing study and massive publication efforts pertaining to Tikal - one of the largest ancient cities in the Americas.
Tikal was the capital of a city-state during the Classical period (200 to 900). The Penn Museum conducted excavations there from 1956 to 1970.
One of a small number of scholars who were both skilled epigraphers and excavators, Dr. Jones unearthed part of the historical record preserved in the inscriptions in stone at the site.
He deciphered a complex list of kings and dates that revealed the dynastic history of the famous city.
Simon Martin, associate curator and keeper of the American Section at the Penn Museum and a Maya scholar himself, praised Dr. Jones for having left "a lasting mark in the scholarship of the ancient Maya."
Martin called the Maya hieroglyphs that Dr. Jones interpreted "dauntingly difficult."
A native of Gates Mills, Ohio, he attended local schools. He earned a bachelor's degree at Harvard University and then a master's degree and a doctorate, both in anthropology, from Penn.
Dr. Jones' career stretched from 1973 to 2001, but his engagement with historic excavation began while he was a student at Penn.
His doctoral dissertation, "The Twin-Pyramid Group Pattern: A Classic Maya Architectural Assemblage at Tikal, Guatemala," was based on excavation from 1962 to 1965 with the Penn Museum, under the direction of William Coe.
In addition to his field work at Tikal, he directed site-core excavations at Quirigua, another Penn Museum project, in 1976 and 1977.
Although his work and publications were scholarly, Dr. Jones delighted in sharing his love and knowledge of the Maya with the public; he was instrumental in creating the Penn Museum's annual Maya Weekend.
For the first such weekend, April 9 and 10, 1983, he prepared a workbook, "Deciphering Maya Hieroglyphs," to take readers through the intricacies of Maya writing. The first weekend drew 125 listeners; over time, their number grew to 600.
"Chris will be remembered by his many friends and colleagues for his tireless enthusiasm and for an extraordinary gentle personality, with a kindness, generosity, and concern for others that shone through at all times," Martin said. "He was a perfectionist in the best sense of the word."
He is survived by his wife, Leslie Wright; sons Edward K., William P., Frederick W., and Ashton G.; seven grandchildren; and two brothers.
A memorial service is to be at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, in the Widener Lecture Hall at the Penn Museum, 3260 South St., Philadelphia 19104. Burial was private.
Donations may be made to the Penn Museum at the address above, or to Schuylkill Friends Meeting, 37 N. Whitehorse Rd., Phoenixville, Pa. 19460.
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