1862-1943

Hungarian-born British archaeologist and geographer who traveled extensively in central and southern Asia in the 1920s and 1930s. Stein investigated and recorded a large number of prehistoric, classical, and medieval sites in Iran, India, and particularly Chinese Turkistan. His most significant discovery (1906-08) was the uncovering of frescoes (and a vast collection of priceless manuscripts) in Ch'ien Fo-Tung, The Cave of the Thousand Buddhas, while tracing ancient caravan routes between China and the West. Stein became a British subject in 1904, and was knighted in 1912.