1899 in archaeology
Below are notable events in archaeology that occurred in 1899.
Events
- 31 December: A large standing stone at Stonehenge falls over.
Explorations
- Tell Halaf, Syria, discovered by Max von Oppenheim.
Excavations
- Excavations of Babylon by Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft directed by Robert Koldewey begin.
- Excavation of Anglo-Saxon town wall in Clarendon Quadrangle of Bodleian Library, Broad Street, Oxford, England.
Finds
- Chinese oracle bones from the site of Yinxu are identified by Wang Yirong, director of the Imperial College of China, as carrying Shang dynasty writing.
- Roman Empire-related silver plate is found near Qalagah, Azerbaijan.
- Södermanland runic inscription 140.
- Sand quarriers find over 800 fragmentary Neanderthal remains representing at least 12 and likely as many as 70 individuals on the hill of Hušnjakovo in Krapina in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, identified by Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger.
Publications
- John Myres - A catalogue of the Cyprus museum, with a chronicle of excavations undertaken since the British occupation, and introductory notes on Cypriote archaeology.
- Ernest-Théodore Hamy - article on the Dumbarton Oaks birthing figure.
Births
- 30 December: Helge Ingstad, Norwegian explorer; co-discoverer of Viking artifacts at L'Anse aux Meadows.
- William Duncan Strong, American archaeologist and anthropologist.