Keef was born in Amritsar in 1898, during the British Raj, and her family later moved to England where she went to school. Keef's father died when she was 3 years old. During the First World War, Keef worked for the YMCA and the St John's Ambulance,[1] and received a medal for her work with the YMCA.[5]
In 1934 Keef completed a diploma in archaeology, studying at University College London.[6] In 1938 she volunteered at the excavation of Angmering Roman villa.[3] She also excavated at Chester hill fort in Scotland in 1939.[7]
Keef worked at a hospital during the Second World War, and was a hospital librarian, but in 1941 was allowed time away from the hospital to join excavations at Angmering.[3][8] Two years later she took part in 'The Conference on the Future of Archaeology' at the Institute of Archaeology in London, contributing to a discussion on the role of archaeological societies.[9]
Keef directed excavations at the hillfort known as Harting Beacon between 1948 and 1952; the results were largely unpublished aside from a note in The Antiquaries Journal, however, Owen Bedwin later published a summary of the excavations in the Sussex Archaeological Collections based on Keef's notes accessed after her death.[4] Keef ran the West Sussex excavation group. With the group she excavated a Romano-British farmstead near Lambs Lea in Sussex in 1953–54.[10]
Keef, Phoebe; Wymer, J. J.; Dimbleby, G. W. (1965). "A Mesolithic Site on Iping Common, Sussex, England". Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, London. 31: 85–92. doi:10.1017/S0079497X00014730.
Notes
^The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland reported Keef's death during 1978–79.[2]
^"Phoebe Alice Marion Keef". beyond-notability.wikibase.cloud. Retrieved 1 February 2025.; citing London University Gazette Supplement Wed 31 July 1935 (London Uni Gazette 1934-1935, UP 1/3/31)
