Robert W. Neuman

Born in 1930 and later based for much of his career in Louisiana, Robert W. Neuman was an archaeologist best known for studying the prehistory and historical archaeology of the Gulf South and the Plains. Records from the Smithsonian describe his work with the River Basin Surveys’ Missouri Basin Project in the late 1950s and 1960s, followed by a long tenure as curator of anthropology at Louisiana State University from 1967 until his retirement in 1994.

He wrote and edited important works on Louisiana archaeology, including An Introduction to Louisiana Archaeology and Louisiana Prehistory with Nancy W. Hawkins. His writing is remembered for pulling together a wide range of archaeological evidence into readable, useful overviews that helped define the field for students, researchers, and anyone curious about the region’s earliest history.

An obituary published after his death in 2019 portrays him as both a serious scholar and a warm, memorable presence in the archaeological community. Taken together, the available sources show a career devoted to preserving, interpreting, and sharing the human history of Louisiana and neighboring regions.