author
Thomas Athol Joyce
1878–1942
A British anthropologist and museum scholar, he helped introduce general readers to the ancient cultures of Mexico, Central America, and South America. His books blend fieldwork, museum expertise, and a clear gift for explaining unfamiliar worlds.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born on August 4, 1878, Thomas Athol Joyce was a British anthropologist who became a specialist in American and African anthropology at the British Museum. He studied at Dulwich College and Oxford, joined the museum staff in 1902, and built a reputation as a careful interpreter of material culture and archaeology.
Joyce is especially remembered for writing accessible books on the ancient Americas, including works on Mexican archaeology, Central American and West Indian archaeology, and South American archaeology. He also took part in expeditions to Maya sites in British Honduras, bringing firsthand experience to the subjects he described for both scholars and general readers.
During the First World War he served at the War Office and was appointed OBE. He later became a leading figure in British anthropology, serving as president of the Royal Anthropological Institute. He died on January 3, 1942.