1956 in archaeology

The year 1956 in archaeology involved some significant events.

Excavations

 * Large University of Pennsylvania project at Tikal begins.
 * Excavations of the Neolithic settlement at Argissa Magoula in Thessaly by Vladimir Milojčić of the University of Heidelberg begin (continue to 1958).
 * Excavations of the Danubian Neolithic settlement at Bylany in Bohemia begin.
 * Excavations at Brahmagiri.
 * Excavations at Teppe Hasanlu begin (continue to 1974).
 * Systematic excavation of Diolkos in Greece by Nikolaos Verdelis begins (continues to 1962).
 * Excavations at Longbridge Deverill Cow Down in the United Kingdom under the direction of Sonia Chadwick for the Ministry of Works (continues to 1960).

Publications

 * Documents in Mycenaean Greek by Michael Ventris and John Chadwick; documenting decipherment of Linear B writing.

Finds

 * Anders Franzén locates the Swedish warship Vasa, sunk on her maiden voyage in 1628, in Stockholm harbor.
 * K. M. A. Barnett discovers Lo Ah Tsai Stone Circle on Lamma Island in Hong Kong.

Events

 * W. F. Grimes succeeds V. Gordon Childe as director of the University of London Institute of Archaeology.

Births

 * March 24 - Alanah Woody, American archaeologist (d. 2007).
 * April 30 - Antonio Sagona, Australian archaeologist (d. 2017).
 * Yosef Garfinkel, Israeli archaeologist.

Deaths

 * June 6 - Hiram Bingham III, American rediscoverer of Machu Picchu (b. 1875).
 * September 6 - Michael Ventris, English co-decipherer of Linear B (car accident) (b. 1922).
 * September 12 - John Garstang, English archaeologist of the Near East (in Beirut) (b. 1876).
 * November 9 - Alan Wace, English archaeologist who worked on Linear B (b. 1879).