Sándor Bökönyi (1926–1994)

Internationally renowned archaeozoologist, full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, former director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

In 2026 we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sándor Bökönyi.

The overview below presents the main milestones of his life and scientific career.

HAS • MTMT •PIM•NEVPONT

Biography

Born

Vállaj, 17 March 1926

He grew up as the child of rural schoolteacher parents. He completed his secondary education at the Piarist Gymnasium of Debrecen, where he graduated in 1944.

Education and Fellowships

1944–1950

Department of Veterinary Medicine, Technical and Economic University – later the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hungarian University of Agricultural Sciences; degree in veterinary medicine
1960

University of Veterinary Medicine – doctoral examination; degree of Doctor medicinae veterinariae (Dr. med. vet.)
1966–1967

United States, Ford Foundation Fellowship

Scientific Career

1949–1951

Hungarian Natural History Museum

later the National Centre of Museums and Monuments

1951–1973

Hungarian National Museum – Department of Archaeology

Founder and Head of the Archaeozoological Collection

1973–1993

Institute of Archaeology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Senior Research Fellow, later became Scientific Advisor

1979–1981

Interdisciplinary Department

Head of Department

1981–1993

Director

Institute of Archaeology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences

1993–1994

Professor emeritus

Academic Degrees

1960

Candidate of Biological Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
1970

Doctor of Biological Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
1985

Corresponding Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
1990

Full Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
1992

Member of Academia Europaea

Research Activities

“Already as a veterinary student I was dealing with serological questions (blood groups of domestic animals), and later my attention turned toward domestication and the history of domestic animals.”

“Since 1951 I have participated in almost every major Hungarian archaeological excavation that yielded animal bone material. With the involvement of the new generation of archaeozoologists and the administrative responsibilities of my directorship, this activity gradually decreased. Alongside these activities I also worked on numerous large-scale foreign and international excavations from France to Iran. During study trips and scientific meetings I visited many countries, mainly in the fields closest to my interests, where I also delivered lectures. Particularly productive were my one-year Ford Foundation fellowship in the United States (1966/67) and my half-year cultural exchange scholarship in Iraq in 1969, where I was able to review practically the entire animal bone material of the Near East, laying the scientific foundations for my later work. In 1970/71 I spent a year as a visiting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Later I was visiting professor for one month each at Saarbrücken in 1980, Rome in 1983, and again at the University of California in 1992.”

Budapest, 16 May 1994 [Source: Scientific autobiography]

Archaeological sites related to Sándor Bökönyi’s research in Europe, the Near East, Northeast Africa and Central Asia:

Teaching Activities

1951–1952

Eötvös Loránd University, Lecturer
1970–1971

University of California (UCLA), Visiting Professor
1980

Universität des Saarlandes, Visiting Professor
1983

Sapienza Università di Roma, Visiting Professor
1984–1994

Eötvös Loránd University, Honorary Professor
1992

University of California (UCLA), Visiting Professor

Scientific and Professional Memberships

Member of the Presidium of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Chairman of the Archaeological Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Member of the Complex Committee on Hungarian Prehistory (HAS)
Chairman of the Interdepartmental Paleontology Committee (HAS)
Chairman of the Committee of Art History, Architectural History and Archaeology (HAS TMB)
Member of the Sub-Commission on Animal Husbandry, UISPP
Founding Member and Executive Committee Member of ICAZ
Corresponding Member of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI)
Corresponding Member of the Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente (IsMEO)
Founding Member and Co-Editor of the Archaeolingua Foundation
Editorial Board Member of Acta Archaeologica Hungarica
Editorial Board Member of ArchaeoZoologia (Bordeaux)
Editorial Board Member of Starinar (Belgrade)

Awards

1978 – Academy Award (Hungarian Academy of Sciences)
1991 – Rómer Flóris Memorial Medal

Interviews and memorial texts reflecting his life and scholarly career

- Karasszon, Dénes: Állatorvos-tudomány és régészet – Beszélgetés Bökönyi Sándor akadémikussal, archeozoológus professzorral
  [Veterinary science and archaeology – A conversation with academician Sándor Bökönyi, professor of archaeozoology] (1995)
  
  Magyar Állatorvosok Lapja. Access
- Bálint, Csanád: Búcsú Bökönyi Sándortól [Farewell to Sándor Bökönyi] (1926–1994) [1995]
  
  Magyar Tudomány. Access
- Eiben, Ottó: Bökönyi Sándor (1926–1994) [1995]
  
  Anthropologiai Közlemények. Access
- Death Notices. Sándor Bökönyi [1995]
  
  [Anthropology News]. Access
- Marion Lichardus-Itten: Nécrologie Sándor Bökönyi (1926–1994) [1995]
  
  [Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Française]. Access
- Bartosiewicz, László: Sándor Bökönyi (1926–1994) [1996]
  
  Acta Archaeologica Hungaricae. Access
- Bartosiewicz, László: Bökönyi Sándor 1926–1994 [1997]
  
  Archaeologiai Értesítő. Access
- Anreiter, Peter – Bartosiewicz, László – Jerem, Erzsébet – Meid, Wolfgang (eds.): Man and the Animal World. Studies in memoriam Sándor Bökönyi. Archaeolingua Kiadó, Budapest [1998]
  
  Access