deaths
July 29, 2012
James Mellaart, English archaeologist and author (born 1925)
James Mellaart
James Mellaart FBA was a British and Dutch archaeologist and author who is noted for his discovery of the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük in Turkey. He was expelled from Turkey when he was suspected of involvement with the antiquities black market. He was also involved in a string of controversies, including the so-called mother goddess controversy in Anatolia, which eventually led to his being banned from excavations in Turkey in the 1960s. After his death, it was discovered that Mellaart had forged many of his "finds", including murals and inscriptions from the Çatalhöyük site.
July 29
July 29 is the 210th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 155 days remain until the end of the year.