1881 in archaeology
Below are notable events in archaeology that occurred in 1881.
Explorations
- Alfred Maudslay begins his thorough examination of Quiriguá.
Excavations
- Timgad, Algeria, is excavated.
- The excavations at Olympia, Greece which began in 1875 and were led by Ernst Curtius end.
- Mount Nemrut, Turkey, is excavated by German engineer Karl Sester.
- Great Pyramid of Cholula in Mexico is investigated by Swiss-born American archaeologist Adolph Bandelier.
- Pyramid of Unas in Egypt is investigated by French archaeologist Gaston Maspero.
Finds
- March – Augustus Pitt Rivers finds palaeolithic flints in concreted gravels of the Nile terraces near Thebes.
- July 6 – "Official" discovery of the Royal Cache collective tomb at Deir el-Bahari in Egypt, containing eleven pharaohs and dozens of other royal individuals. The contents are removed within 48 hours.
- Capt. H. L. Wells, RE, finds Qadamgah in Fars province, Persia (Iran).
- The birch bark Bakhshali manuscript, incorporating perhaps the earliest known use of mathematical zero, is unearthed near Bakhshali in British India.
Publications
- John Evans – The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland.
- H. A. Fletcher – "The archaeology of the west Cumberland iron trade". Transactions of the Cumberland & Westmorland Archaeological Society 5:5-21.
- Possible earliest use of the term "Industrial archaeology" in the English language.
Other events
Births
- December 19 – Hetty Goldman, American archaeologist
Deaths
- January 24 – Frances Stackhouse Acton, English botanist, archaeologist, artist and writer
- May 19 – Joseph Barnard Davis, English craniologist
- June 21 – Ferdinand Keller, Swiss archaeologist