In 1939, Dorothy Garrod became the first woman Professor in either Cambridge or Oxford. Garrod at the time was Director of Studies at Newnham College, Cambridge University and had been in charge of excava­tions in Gibraltar, Western Judaea, Southern Kurdistan and Mount Carmel for which she is now renowned. Trained by Marett at Oxford and Abbe Henri Breuil in France, she was one of our finest archaeologists. By 1939, Garrod had unearthed the well-preserved skull of 'Abel', a Neanderthal child, in Gibraltar, discovered and named the Natufian culture while excavating Shukba near Jerusalem, directed the long term, large scale excavations at Mount Carmel and traveled with Bruce Howe as her assistant to explore Bacho Kiro in Bulgaria.

Once elected Professor, she became instrumental in establishing Archaeology and Anthropology as a full degree course and influential in Cambridge's decision to admit women to full membership in 1948. After retirement, she continued excavating in Lebanon and France. Here, with her close friend Suzanen Cassou de Saint Mathurin, she discovered the superb Magdalenian sculptured frieze at Angles-sur-l'Anglin.