Reginald Allender Smith

For other people named Reginald Smith, see Reginald Smith (disambiguation).

Reginald Allender Smith (1873 – 18 January 1940) was an archaeologist of Palaeolithic to late Anglo-Saxon materials.^[1] He was Keeper of British and Medieval Antiquities at the British Museum from 1927 to 1938, and authored several books and British Museum catalogues.^[2][1]

Smith attended University College, Oxford. He was first appointed to a job at the British Museum in 1898, and was succeeded by T D Kendrick upon his retirement from the role of Keeper.^[1] He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1903, serving as vice president from 1926 to 1929 and as director from 1929 to 1940.^[2][1]

He was on the side of the skeptics during the inquiry as to whether or not Piltdown Man was genuine, known for having offered a single line of testimony concerning a "bone implement" purported to be a tool. He remarked simply, it was reported, on "the possibility of the bone having been found and whittled in recent times."^[3]

Selected publications

• Smith, Reginald Allender (1907–1909). "Notes on Bronze Hanging-Bowls and Enamelled Mounts". Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London. 2nd series. XXII. Society of Antiquaries: 63–86.
• A Guide to the Antiquities of Roman Britain in the Department of British and Mediaeval Antiquities. London: Trustees of the British Museum, 1922.
• British Museum Guide to Anglo-Saxon Antiquities. British Museum. Department of British and Mediaeval Antiquities, 1923. Reprinted: Ipswich, Suffolk: Anglia Pub., 1993.
• Flints: An Illustrated Manual of the Stone Age for Beginners. London: British Museum, 1928.