David Clarke was born in Bromleigh, Kent, England, on November 3, 1937. He was educated at University of Cambridge, where he received his Bachelor's Degree in 1959 and his Ph.D. in 1964. Clarke was one of the most underappreciated, yet most influential, archaeologists of the 20th century. Clarke's use of spatial information, statistical analyses, and computer models brought innovation to his field. By bringing outside techniques into the field of archaeology, he greatly improved the study of archaeology.
Clarke is very well-known for his book Analytical Archaeology (1968) which illustrates one of the first large scale applications of systems theory in archaeology. In 1966, he was elected a Fellow of his own College, Peterhouse, where he served as a tutor until his death. His second work, a detailed monograph, was entitled Beaker Pottery of Great Britain and Ireland (1970). Clarke's teachings in Analytical Archaeology were demonstrative of systems theory, quantification and science reasoning in archaeology. Clarke added the fields of geography, ecology, and comparative anthropology into the field of archaeology. He was loved and respected by his students because of his inclusive attitudes, which is probably why he was never accepted by the Cambridge hierarchy. In the 1970's, Clarke's analytical teachings and writings transformed European archaeology. David Clarke died on June 27, 1976, at Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England at the young age of 38.
References:
Isaac, Glynn L. American Anthropologist Vol. 79 [3,1977]
University of California, Berkeley
Written by: Lillian Dolentz, 2009