Below are notable events in archaeology that occurred in 1916.

• Start of first excavations at Adelsö.
• In Ireland, the burial mound at Grannagh, near Ardrahan in County Galway, is first excavated by R. A. Stewart Macalister (re-excavated in 1969 by Etienne Rynne).

• Grafton Elliot Smith - On the Significance of the Geographical Distribution of Mummification: a study of the migrations of peoples and the spread of certain customs and beliefs.

• Uaxactun and the first known Maya inscription from the 8th Baktun of the Maya calendar are found by Sylvanus G. Morley.

• January 1 - Paul Faure, French Mediterranean archaeologist (d. 2007)
• June 14 - Joe Caldwell, American archaeologist (d. 1973)
• August 23 - Sheppard Frere, British archaeologist of the Roman Empire (d. 2015)^[1]
• August 27 - Halet Çambel, Turkish archaeologist (d. 2014)^[2]
• September 15 - Vronwy Hankey, British Near Eastern archaeologist (d. 1998)^[3]
• November 3 - Rúaidhrí de Valera, Irish archaeologist (d. 1978)
• Matteo Sansone, Italian archaeologist (d. 1992)
• Probable date - Tahsin Özgüç, Turkish archaeologist (d. 2005)

• May 25 - Jane Dieulafoy, French archaeologist, explorer, novelist and journalist (b. 1851)^[4]
• October 3 - James Burgess, Scottish archaeologist active in India (b. 1832)