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Lewis R. Binford
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Lewis R. Binford

American archaeologist
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Also known as: Lewis Roberts Binford
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Quick Facts
In full:
Lewis Roberts Binford
Born:
Nov. 21, 1931, Norfolk, Va., U.S. (born on this day)
Died:
April 11, 2011, Kirksville, Mo. (aged 79)
Also Known As:
Lewis Roberts Binford
Subjects Of Study:
Mousterian industry
See all related content

Lewis R. Binford (born Nov. 21, 1931, Norfolk, Va., U.S.—died April 11, 2011, Kirksville, Mo.) was an American archaeologist. Binford taught principally at the University of New Mexico (1968–91) and later at Southern Methodist University (1991–2003). In the mid-1960s, he initiated what came to be known as the “New Archaeology,” which champions the use of quantitative methods and the practice of archaeology as a rigorous science. He applied the new methodology in an influential study of Mousterian artifacts and later extended it to a study of the hunting activities of a living people, the Nunamiut, trying to draw analogies to prehistoric contexts.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.