Fairservis, Walter Ashlin, 1921-1994

Walter A. Fairservis Jr. was an authority on the rise and fall of ancient civilizations, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and China. Born in Brooklyn in 1921, Fairservis traveled throughout the United States with his mother, an actress. He received B.A. and M.A. degrees in anthropology from Columbia University and a second M.A. and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

For many years Fairservis was associated with the American Museum of Natural History in New York where he first volunteered in 1941. In 1949 Fairservis led the first American archaeological expedition to Afghanistan where he discovered a long forgotten imperial city. In 1960 Fairservis led an expedition to Pakistan and discovered a large ceremonial complex which shed new light on the prehistoric Harappan civilization.

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