Dr. David H. Kelley, Ph.D. - Archaeoastronomy, Linguistics, and Mesoamerica

Dr. Kelley, Professor Emeritus, Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, is a Canadian archaeologist and epigrapher, most noted for his work on the phonetic analysis and major contributions toward the decipherment of the writing system used by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, the Maya script.  Dr. Kelley was among the last students of Alfred M. Tozzer at Havard University, where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1957 with a dissertation on trans-Pacific diffusion of the Mesoamerican calendar from Asia. In 1976, Kelley published an extensive treatise on Maya writing that summarizes his ideas. Kelley's volume remains a major resource. 

His landmark book "Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy," (co-Authored with Eugene F. Milone) is considered a definitive and essential sourcebook. Before teaching at the University of Calgary, David Humiston Kelley had taught (during the 1960s) at the University of Nebraska, and before that at Texas Tech. His doctoral dissertation at Harvard was entitled "Our Elder Brother Coyote".

Academic papers and books published by Dr. Kelley include:

• - Kelley, David H. (January 1962). "Glyphic Evidence for a Dynastic Sequence at Quirigua, Guatemala". American Antiquity 27 (3): pp.323–335. doi:10.2307/277799. 
• - A Cylinder Seal from Tlatilco, American Antiquity, Vol. 31, No. 5, Part 1 (Jul., 1966), pp. 744-746
•  - Astronomical Identities of Mesoamerican Gods Journal of History of Astronomy, Archaeoastronomy Supplement, Vol. 11, p.S1
•  - Maya Astronomical Tables and Inscriptions, Native American Astronomy. Edited versions of papers presented at a Symposium, held at Colgate University, September 23-26, 1975, Edited by Anthony F. Aveni. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1977., p.57
•  - Deciphering the Maya script, Austin: University of Texas Press, 1976
•  - A History of the Decipherment of Maya Script, Anthropological Linguistics 4:1-48. 1962.
•  - Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy by David H. Kelley (Author), Eugene F. Milone (Author), Springer, 2004

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