Rose Solecki

Rose L. Solecki (born November 18, 1925) was an American archaeologist, who worked with her husband Ralph Solecki on excavations in Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Sudan.

Rose Solecki
Born	Rose Muriel Lilien (1925-11-18) November 18, 1925 (age 98) New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Archaeologist
Spouse	Ralph Solecki
Relatives	John Solecki, William Solecki (sons)

Early life

Rose Muriel Lilien was born in New York City, the daughter of Israel Lilien and Anna Muchel Lilien. Her father was born in Poland.^[1] Her brothers Harry and Sidney were baseball card collectors before World War II.^[2] She earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Hunter College in 1945, and her master's and doctoral degrees from Columbia University.^[3] While she was a graduate student at Columbia, she participated in archaeological excavations in Arizona under the supervision of Emil W. Haury,^[4][5] and in Peru under the supervision of William Duncan Strong.^[6] She wrote A Study of Central Andean Ceramic Figurines (1981) based on her doctoral research.^[7]

Career

Shanidar Cave in Iraq, site of the Soleckis' archaeological work in the 1950s and 1960s.

Rose Solecki joined her husband's excavation of the Shanidar cave sites in Iraq between 1956 and 1960.^[8][9] The sites contained rich evidence of Neanderthal life,^[10] including several complete skeletons.^[11][12] They also had archaeological projects in Lebanon, Iran, Turkey, Syria, and Sudan. Until Ralph Solecki's retirement in 1990, she was a research associate affiliated with Columbia University; from 1990 to 2000, Rose Solecki was Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Texas A&M University.^[3]

The Soleckis co-authored many scholarly articles, and The Proto-Neolithic Cemetery in Shanidar Cave (2004, with Anagnostis P. Agelarakis), based on their years of work in Iraq.^[13] Rose Solecki also wrote Tepe Seavan, a Dalma Period Site in the Margavar Valley, Azerbaijan, Iran (1973)^[14] and An Early Village Site at Zawi Chemi Shanidar (1981).^[15]

Personal life

Rose married Ralph Solecki in 1955.^[16] They had two sons, John Solecki (a United Nations official)^[17][18] and William Solecki (a geography professor).^[19] Ralph Solecki died in 2019, aged 101 years. The Soleckis' papers, and a 2018 oral history with both of them,^[20] are archived in the National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.^[3] Columbia University gives an annual Ralph and Rose Solecki Award, for an archaeology student chosen by the faculty.^[21]

References

1. "Rose Lilien from Assembly District 22 Manhattan". 1940 Census District 31-1884. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
2. Vrechek, George (2007). "Harry Lilien (1922-2007), Pioneer Collector" Sports Collectors Digest.
3. Kamph, Molly. "Ralph S. and Rose L. Solecki papers · SOVA". National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
4. Dixon, Sally (1947-07-29). "Diggers Must Be People Too". Tucson Citizen. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Haury, Emil W. (2015-11-01). Point of Pines: A History of the University of Arizona Archaeological Field School. University of Arizona Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-8165-3313-8.
6. Silverman, Helaine. Cahuachi in the Ancient Nasca World. University of Iowa Press. pp. 54, 203. ISBN 978-1-58729-471-6.
7. Lilien, Rose Muriel (1981). A Study of Central Andean Ceramic Figurines. Columbia University.
8. Maisels, Charles Keith (2005-10-24). The Near East: Archaeology in the 'Cradle of Civilization'. Routledge. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-134-66468-9.
9. Edwards, Owen. "The Skeletons of Shanidar Cave". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
10. "Cave Relics Tell of 'Modern' Man". The Spokesman-Review. 1961-04-01. p. 12. Retrieved 2020-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Plumb, Robert K. (October 9, 1960). "New Light is Shed on Neaderthals". The New York Times. p. 16 – via ProQuest.
12. "3 Skeletons 45,000 Years Old Unearthed". The Indianapolis Star. 1960-10-06. p. 34. Retrieved 2020-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Solecki, Ralph S.; Solecki, Rose L.; Agelarakis, Anagnostis P. (2004). The Proto-Neolithic Cemetery in Shanidar Cave. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-58544-272-0.
14. Solecki, Rose L. (1973). Tepe Seavan, a Dalma Period Site in the Margavar Valley, Azerbaijan, Iran.
15. Solecki, Rose L. (1981). An early village site at Zawi Chemi Shanidar. Undena Publications. ISBN 978-0-89003-068-4.
16. Roberts, Sam (2019-04-11). "Ralph Solecki, Who Found Humanity in Neanderthals, Dies at 101". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
17. Redden, Jack (February 23, 2009). "Mother calls for release of abducted UNHCR staff member". United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
18. Akin, Stephanie (2009-04-05). "Kidnappers Release North Jersey Native". The Herald-News. pp. A10. Retrieved 2020-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
19. Diskin, Colleen (2003-08-09). "City hot spots rooted in lack of cooling trees". The Record. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
20. Emily (2018-06-05). "A Year-in-Review: The Ralph S. and Rose L. Solecki Papers and Artifacts Project". Smithsonian Collections Blog. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
21. "Ralph and Rose Solecki Award". Columbia Center for Archaeology. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 2020-01-19.