Lorraine Copeland

Special operations executive

Copeland worked for British Intelligence during the Second World War, in the Special Operations Executive. She met her American husband, Miles Copeland Jr., during this period, when he was based in the UK undertaking counter-intelligence for the US Army Counter Intelligence Corps. They married on 25 September 1942 and soon afterwards Miles' work took them to the Near East, particularly Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, and it was whilst in this area that Copeland first developed her interest in archaeology. They held a church wedding September 25, 1943, at Holy Trinity Church, near Harley Street, London.

Archaeology

Copeland worked in the field of Palaeolithic and Neolithic archaeology for over fifty years, and was associated with the University College London Institute of Archaeology. Accompanied by Peter J. Wescombe she co-compiled three volumes titled "Inventory of Stone-Age Sites in Lebanon". Volume 1 (1965) covered the central portion of the western coast from Tripoli to the North bank of the Litani River. Volume 2 (1966) provided an inventory of Stone Age sites in Southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, expanding on the discovery of the Heavy Neolithic Qaraoun culture, named by Henri Fleisch. Volume 3 was published in 1997. She was an adviser to the Stone Age Institute. In 2004 the festschrift, From the River to the Sea: The Palaeolithic and the Neolithic on the Euphrates and in the Northern Levant, was published in her honour.

Archaeological sites investigated by Copeland

Lebanon

• Akkar plain foothills
• Antelias Cave
• Haret ech Cheikh
• Jebel Aabeby
• Jeita Grotto § Archaeology (Jeita II – Dahr el-Mghara)
• Mayrouba

Mayrouba § Mayrouba I

Mayrouba § Mayrouba IV

Mayrouba § Mayrouba VI

• Ourrouar
• Plain of Zgharta
• Sin el Fil § Prehistory and Roman period
• Ras Beirut § Archaeology (Ras Beirut XI or Minet ed Dhalia)
• Sands of Beirut
• Tell Kirri
• Tibnin § Prehistory
• Wadi Yaroun

South Lebanon

• Aadloun § Materials recovered (Aadloun IV)
• Ard Saouda
• Tell Dibbine

Beqaa Valley (Lebanon)

• Aammiq § Archaeology
• Al-Bireh, Rashaya § Archaeology
• Ard Tlaili
• Bustan Birke
• Duris
• Flaoui
• Haouch Tall Safiyeh
• Hashbai
• Joub Jannine § Archaeological sites (Joub Jannine II)
• Kamouh el Hermel § Shepherd Neolithic archaeological site
• Labweh § Archaeological sites (Tell Labweh, Tell Labweh South or Labweh I)
• Majdal Anjar § Archaeology
• Maqne
• Neba'a Faour
• Qaraoun

Qaraoun § Qaraoun I (Left Bank)

Qaraoun § Qaraoun II (Right Bank)

Qaraoun § Qaraoun III (Ain el Barde)

• Rayaq § Archaeology
• Ras Baalbek (Rock Shelter)
• Tahun ben Aissa
• Tell Aalaq
• Tell Ablah
• Tell Addus
• Tell Ahle
• Tell Ain Cerif
• Tell Ain Ghessali
• Tell Ain Nfaikh
• Tell Ain Sofar
• Tell Ayoub
• Tell Bar Elias
• Tell Beshara
• Tell Bir Dakoue
• Tell Deir
• Tell Delhamieh
• Tell Derzenoun
• Tell El Ghassil
• Tell El Hadeth
• Tell Hazzine
• Tell Hoch Rafqa
• Tell Jezireh
• Tell Jisr
• Tell Kabb Elias
• Tell Karmita
• Tell Majdaloun
• Tell Masoud
• Tell Meouchi
• Tell Murtafa
• Tell Nahariyah
• Tell Neba'a Chaate
• Tell Neba'a Litani
• Tell Rasm El Hadeth
• Tell Rayak
• Tell Saoudhi
• Tell Serhan
• Tell Shaikh Hassan al Rai
• Tell Shamsine
• Tell Zeitoun

Syria

• El Kowm

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★ Indicates sites discovered or first recorded by Copeland, sometimes with collaborators.

Family

Copeland married Miles on 25 September 1942 at St Mary's Church, Great Portland Street, London. The couple had four children, all of whom went on to have notable careers:

1. Their eldest son Miles Copeland III (born 2 May 1944) is an executive in the entertainment industry.
2. Ian Copeland (1949–2006) was a music promoter and booking agent.
3. Lorraine "Lennie" Copeland is a writer and film producer.
4. Stewart Copeland (born 16 July 1952) is a musician best known as the drummer for the band The Police.

Her husband Miles died on 14 January 1991. Lorraine Copeland died at Château de Marouatte (Marouatte Castle), Dordogne, France, on 27 April 2013. Lorraine Copeland is buried next to her husband, Miles Axe Copeland, Jr., in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul's Church (Church of England), Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire.