September 10, 1890

Mortimer Wheeler (September 10,  1890, to July 22, 1976) was a British archaeologist. He did not invent the scientific approach to archaeology wherein the careful recording of stratigraphic content and context is a key aspect of a scientific approach. He did however adopt it enthusiastically and publicize the benefits in his own work. The use of precise grids for making records was one of his introductions. Before World War II he had established himself as a leader in the field of archaaeology.

Wheeler published the results of his work in frequent books, partly because he wanted to sustain a public interest in archaeology. The titles below are just a few of his books:

Rome beyond the Imperial Frontiers, (1954)
Civilizations of the Indus Valley and beyond (1966).

Wheeler's The Indus Civilization:(1953) was a contribution to the Cambridge History of India. It is in this last volume that we learn that " the cat, useful in all societies for preserving grain from rodents, was known in Harappan times is proved by a brick from Chanhu-daro bearing the footprint of [one.]

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