Clarence van Riet Lowe

Clarence van Riet Lowe FRSSAf (4 November 1894 – 7 June 1956[1]) was a South African civil engineer and archaeologist.

[2][4] His interest in archaeology was piqued when he collected hand axes in the Wadi el-'Arish between Egypt and Gaza in 1917.

[4] In 1923 he became assistant engineer in the Orange Free State which meant that he spent considerable time out assessing and supervising construction of 89 bridges.

[2] This also gave him time to locate, catalogue and collect artefacts from more than 300 prehistoric sites, mainly in the valleys of the Wilger, Vals, Rhenoster, Caledon, Modder and Riet rivers and around the towns of Smithfield, Fauresmith and Wilton.

[4][5] He was involved in the investigations of Mapungubwe in conjunction with Professors Fouché, Malan and Tromp of the University of Pretoria in 1933 and wrote about it in 1936.

[2][6][7] The president of the BSA, Jan Smuts initiated the creation of the Bureau of Archaeology in 1935 with van Riet Lowe as its first director.

[4] During the Second World War the government of Mozambique invited him to Lourenco Marques in the company of Abbé Breuil in 1941 and 1944.