John Lubbock

John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury (1834–1913), was an English banker, politician, and polymath. A partner in the family banking firm, he also served as a Liberal Member of Parliament and later entered the peerage as Baron Avebury. Lubbock made influential contributions to archaeology and prehistory, helping popularize the terms “Palaeolithic” and “Neolithic,” and wrote widely on ancient monuments and early human culture. An accomplished entomologist, he published studies of insects and animal behavior. In public life he supported social reforms, including measures affecting working hours and the preservation of historic sites, and promoted education and scientific inquiry.