John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury (1834-1913), banker, Liberal politician, philanthropist, scientist and polymath. He made significant contributions in archaeology, ethnography, and several branches of biology. He helped establish archaeology as a scientific discipline, and was also influential in 19th debates concerning evolutionary theory. He spoke in support of the evolutionist Thomas Huxley at the famous 1860 Oxford evolution debate. During the 1860s, he published many articles in which he used archaeological evidence to support Darwin's theory. In 1865 he published one of the most influential archaeological text book of the nineteenth century, Pre-historic times, as illustrated by ancient remains, and the manners and customs of modern savages. He invented the terms Paleolithic and Neolithic to denote the Old and New Stone Ages, and he introduced a Darwinian-type theory of human nature and development. |