Charles Leonard Woolley (1880-1960) was a British archaeologist, best known for his excavations at Ur in Mesopotamia. He was knighted in 1935 for his services to archaeology.

Woolley was born in London, England, and educated at New College, Oxford. In 1905, he became assistant keeper of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. He carried out major excavations at Carchemish just before the First World War. His work at Ur began in 1922, and he made important discoveries in the course of excavating the royal cemeteries there. Woolley was one of the first "modern" archaeologists.

Books

  • Digging Up The Past (1930)
  • Alalakh (1955)