Discovering Dorothea: The Life of the Pioneering Fossil-Hunter Dorothea Bate - Softcover

Shindler, Karolyn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0565094378 ISBN 13: 9780565094379

Publisher: The Natural History Museum, 2017

Synopsis

In 1898, a 19-year-old girl marched into the Natural History Museum and demanded a job. At the time, no women were employed there as scientists, but for the determined Dorothea Bate this was the first step in an extraordinary career as a pioneering explorer and fossil-hunter and the beginning of an association with the Museum that was to last for more than 50 years. As a young woman in the early 1900s she explored the islands of Cyprus, Crete and the little known Majorca and Menorca, braving parental opposition and considerable physical hardship and danger. In remote mountain caves and sea-battered cliffs, she discovered, against enormous odds, the fossil evidence of unique species of extinct fauna, previously unknown to science, including dwarf elephants and hippos, giant dormice and a strange small goat-like antelope. Thirty years later in Bethlehem, she excavated against a backdrop of violence and under the shadow of war. By the end of her life Dorothea had earned an international reputation as an expert in her field. 'Discovering Dorothea' captures the indomitable spirit of a woman who, against social pressure and in the face of physical hardship, devoted her life to discovery and deepened our knowledge of the natural world.

About this title

Review

'Shindler's wonderment at Dorothea is contagious ... She distils the driven energy, resilience and good-natured charm of this instinctive scientist' --Daily Telegraph

'A splendidly readable and sympathetic account of a life dominated by a singular and singleminded passion.' --Literary Review

'Shindler's excellent book serves to illuminate not only the travails of fieldwork a century ago, but also the problems faced by women seeking to carve out their own intellectual space... A compelling read.' --Richard Fortey, author, 'Earth: An Intimate History'

From the Back Cover

In 1898, a 19-year-old girl marched into the Natural History Museum in South Kensington and demanded a job. At the time, no women were employed there as scientists, but for the determined Dorothea Bate this was the first step in an extraordinary career as a pioneering explorer and fossil-hunter and the beginning of an association with the Museum that was to last for more than fifty years.

As a young woman in the early 1900s, she explored the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus, Crete and the little-known Majorca and Menorca, braving parental opposition and considerable physical hardship and danger. In remote caves in mountains and sea-battered cliffs, she discovered, against enormous odds, the fossil evidence of unique species of extinct fauna, previously unknown to science, including dwarf elephants and hippos, giant dormice and a strange, small, goat-like antelope. A woman of immense charm, wit and intelligence, she revelled in the social life of British-ruled Cyprus, playing croquet on the lawns of Government House and dancing with sailors on its asphalt tennis courts. In Crete she watched as archaeologists revealed the glories of the Minoan civilisation. Thirty years later in Palestine, she excavated against a background of violence and the growing threat of war.

Her remarkable career brought her into contact with many of the greatest archaeologists and palaeontologists of the twentieth century, among them Sir Arthur Evans, Louis and Mary Leakey and Agatha Christie's husband, Sir Max Mallowan. Internationally respected as an outstanding palaeontologist during her lifetime, Dorothea was largely forgotten after her death. Now, working from unpublished letters, papers and work diaries and re-tracing her steps, Karolyn Shindler has rediscovered Dorothea's life. This vivid and engaging biography reveals not only a unique and indomitable woman, but also the splendid personalities who worked behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum and in the expanding world of archaeology in the first half of the twentieth century.

About this edition

• Publisher: The Natural History Museum
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0565094378
• ISBN 13: 9780565094379
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 160