John Lee's much anticipated book about the first African American archaeologist and member of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) in 1890-1891, John W. Gilbert, is finally out. Gilbert's admirable story, from the segregated schools of Georgia to Brown University and from there to Greece and back to America, was largely forgotten, until John W. I. Lee, Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara, rediscovered him through meticulous archival research in many libraries and repositories, including the ASCSA Archives. Don't miss this beautifully written biography which digs deep into the African American history of the late 19th century but also studies the early development of American archaeology in Greece.

Please note that the author donates all royalties to support Paine College and the William Sanders Scarborough Fellowship at the American School.

You can also watch here John Lee's talk about Gilbert at Cotsen Hall, at the Annual Archives Lecture, on March 21, 2019.

Photo: Gilbert (far left) and John Pickard (far right) at the harbor of Eretria in 1891. ASCSA Archives (and Figure 7.7 in the book).