Anta Montet White

Born in Strasbourg, France, her family moved to Paris during the Second World War, where she spent most of her childhood. Following in the footsteps of her father, Pierre Montet, an Egyptologist famous for discovering the treasures of Tanis, she majored in archeology under the tutelage of some of France’s most renowned prehistorians, André Leroi-Gourhan and François Bordes. It was in Paris that she met her American husband, Kenneth White, with whom she moved to the US.

She spent the bulk of her career at the University of Kansas, becoming the chairperson of her department and carving a place for herself at a time when her field featured very few female scholars. She was a rare woman of her generation to lead on-site projects, including archeological excavations in France, Austria, Poland, and the former Yugoslavia. Her work focused on Paleolithic archaeology, hunter-gatherer societies, and their use of stone tools. It brought to light the remarkable inter-relationships in the stone age cultures of Europe, showing that early hunter-gatherers were skilled artisans who engaged in long distance trade for raw materials. It also was a fertile training ground for the students she sponsored to take part in her digs, many of whom went on to launch their own successful careers in archeology.

Following her retirement from academia, Ms. Montet White moved to Washington DC, where she was for many years a research fellow at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

She is survived by her son Alan White and daughter Valerie Gwinner (Britt Gwinner); grandchildren Dylan White, Laura White (Tharian Cherian), Jeremy Gwinner (Jack Stevens), and Addison Gwinner; and two great-grandchildren.

The memorial for Anta Montet White will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at 4 pm, at 2044 Pierce Mill Rd NW, Washington, DC 20010.