The Long-Suppressed Story of One Woman's Discoveries and the Man Who Stole Credit for Them
October 13, 2014
A chance discovery of the letters and journals of Mary Ross Ellingson, a John Hopkins graduate student in the early 1930s, plunged archeologist Kaiser into the world of 1930s classical archeology. Ellingson’s words revealed little-known information about one of the most important excavations in classical archeology: the 1931 season at Olynthus, Greece. Kaiser guides readers through his discovery, uncovering details about the daily lives of people on the dig—and sexism in the field at the time. Unfortunately, this interesting story is buried in an unfortunate structure and delivery. The book is not merely the story that emerged from Kaiser’s research: it’s the story of him researching, complete with commentary about how he ought to stop reading and go home to dinner. The peculiar format’s purpose only becomes clear near the end, when Kaiser addresses the hurdles he faced trying to publish an academic article on Ellingson. The scandal promised in the book’s title isn’t revealed until the book’s finale, making this less a work about the scandal than about the 1931 dig and its participants. Ellingson’s story is an important one, but Kaiser’s delivery is awkward and disappointing.
November 1, 2014
The purpose of Kaiser's (archaeology, Univ. of Evansville; Roman Urban Street Networks) latest work is twofold. First, the author intends to engage the reader in a dynamic story of changing theoretical and methodological practices in classical archaeology in the 1930s that resulted in a focus on daily life in ancient Greece. Second, he examines the changing climate of classical archaeology by delving into the personal and professional relationship between then-student Mary Ross Ellingson and her academic mentor, classical archaeologist David M. Robinson. Through letters, photographs, scrapbooks, and professional publications of the site of Olynthus, Greece, Kaiser examines the then-held attitudes of intellectual rights of research and data among academic archaeologists and the events that led to Robinson's plagiarism of Ellingson's original research on terracotta figurines from Olynthus. The author succeeds in documenting the evolving roles of women in archaeology in the 20th century and places his discussions broadly within the gender-biased realm of women in academia and science at the same time. VERDICT Kaiser's exciting and timely volume should force readers to openly confront gender-related biases in science and academia. Of interest to those concerned with gender-related studies as well as the history of science or archaeology.--John Dockall, Austin, TX
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