Who was Mary Anning?

Dr. dig responds:
Mary Anning (1799-1847) wasn't actually an archaeologist. She was a fossil hunter, whose discoveries along the Dorset coast of England contributed lots to the scientific field of palaeontology.

Mary Anning's important contributions to the field of palaeontology were her amazing discoveries, or perhaps the fact that she asked questions about the fossil discoveries she was making. Most people at that time simply accepted fossil remains as old sea shells or curiosities. Mary Anning wanted to know more and tried to find answers to her questions about how old these bones and shells were. One of her most important discoveries was that of a very large ichthyosaur, which is now in the British Museum in London.