Wendell Phillips, dead at the age of 54, was surely the world’s richest archaeologist. The “riches” part of his rags-to-riches story resulted from hundred of oil leases which gave him the right to extract and sell the black gold. At his death, he was the largest individual holder of oil concessions in the world. Some time ago, his personal wealth was estimated in excess of $120 million.
Lowell Thomas, the radio commentator and explorer, once referred to Phillips as “the American Lawrence of Arabia”. Phillips knew and loved the Arabian desert like few other westerners. Of all his honors, he was proudest of the fact that he had been made a Bedouin sheikh—the only American so honored. In addition to his title as sheikh of the Bal-Harith tribe, Phillips was awarded honorary doctorates by 21 universities and colleges.
In the late forties, Phillips organized the American Foundation for the Study of Man “to conduct worldwide research on the origins, development and history of man”. The Foundation’s expeditions were led by Phillips himself. One of the world’s great salesmen, Phillips convinced major corporations—like United States Steel, Coca Cola, Chrysler Corporation and Pan American Airways—to sponsor and finance his efforts. He then convinced major scholars to join him on the expeditions.
Phillips developed a warm, personal relationship with William F. Albright who accompanied Phillips on several expeditions. The first was to Egypt and the Sinai. In the Sinai, Albright explored the Egyptian temple at Serabit el-Khadem and the proto-Sinaitic inscriptions, which may hold the key to the invention of the alphabet. On this same trip Albright located the Red Sea port which served the Egyptian’s turquoise-mining expeditions to Serabit.
Later Albright joined Phillips on expeditions to Southern Arabia. Other members of the expeditions included Dr. Frank Albright (no relation to William), Father Albert Jamme, and Dr. Gus Van Beek. Phillips’ group excavated numerous sites including Marib, thought by many to be the Queen of Sheba’s capital. The excavations were interrupted by raids from Bedouin tribesmen, apparently instigated by royal politics, and the archaeologists eventually had to flee, barely escaping with their lives.
Phillips wrote a swashbuckling account of this adventure in a book entitled Qataban and Sheba: Exploring the Ancient Kingdoms on the Biblical Spice Routes of Arabia. Eventually translated into five languages, it was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the 50 best books of the year 1955.
In 1971, Phillips sponsored a festschrift for his friend and mentor, Professor Albright, for which Phillips wrote a moving personal appreciation.
Phillips died in Arlington, Virginia, on December 3, 1975, following a heart attack.
Wendell Phillips, dead at the age of 54, was surely the world’s richest archaeologist. The “riches” part of his rags-to-riches story resulted from hundred of oil leases which gave him the right to extract and sell the black gold. At his death, he was the largest individual holder of oil concessions in the world. Some time ago, his personal wealth was estimated in excess of $120 million. Lowell Thomas, the radio commentator and explorer, once referred to Phillips as “the American Lawrence of Arabia”. Phillips knew and loved the Arabian desert like few other westerners. Of all his honors, […]
You have already read your free article for this month. Please join the BAS Library or become an All Access member of BAS to gain full access to this article and so much more.
