Patty Jo Watson, a professor emerita in anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Arlington, Mass. She was 92.
Watson was one of the world’s leading experts on cave archaeology and agricultural origins. She was a pioneer in ethnoarchaeology — the branch of archaeology that studies contemporary societies to aid the understanding of archaeological remains left by ancient peoples.
At WashU, Watson was a founding member of the Department of Anthropology and developed the archaeology laboratory in McMillan Hall, training a large number of students to become archaeologists.
Watson worked extensively to improve knowledge about the archaeology of the pre-Columbian southeastern United States. She also set new standards in the practice of archaeology. Watson developed a technique and set of equipment for the flotation of archaeological materials that allowed samples to be processed more effectively and efficiently. Plant evidence collected in this way has revolutionized our understanding of the pattern and timing of plant domestication and of the origins of food production.
Watson began her career excavating prehistoric sites in Iraq, Iran and Turkey. She later shifted her primary focus to North America, where her research emphasized understanding prehistoric people who explored and mined portions of the world’s longest cave system in Mammoth Cave National Park.
“It is hard to fully explain Pat’s immense legacy,” said T.R. Kidder, the Edward S. and Tedi Macias Professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences.
“As a woman in a largely male-dominated field, Pat broke gender barriers and inspired a generation of women to follow in her footsteps,” he said. “Pat was a grit-tempered woman and she will be missed.”
Watson grew up in rural Nebraska and Iowa. She earned master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology from the University of Chicago in 1956 and 1959, respectively. Watson joined the WashU faculty in 1969 and twice served as chair of anthropology. She retired from teaching in 2004.
Watson was an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She received achievement awards from the Society for American Archaeology, the American Anthropological Association and the Archaeological Institute of America, among other accolades. In 2012, the Southeastern Archaeological Conference established the Patty Jo Watson Award for best article or book chapter about southeastern archaeology in Watson’s honor.
Watson was preceded in death by her husband, Richard “Red” Watson, a professor emeritus of philosophy in Arts & Sciences. She is survived by her sister, Sharon Kay Dreyer; daughter, Anna M. Watson (Laurie L. Caldwell); and grandsons, Riley K.S. Watson and Liam M.S. Watson. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Sept. 13 at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass. The service will be livestreamed and recorded.