Wendell Phillips is often considered one of the wealthiest individuals associated with archaeology, primarily due to his extensive involvement in oil leasing rather than traditional archaeological pursuits. Although he was an archaeologist by training, his significant wealth stemmed from acquiring numerous oil leases, which allowed him to extract and sell petroleum—commonly referred to as black gold. His financial success was remarkable, especially considering his relatively early death at age 54. This combination of archaeological background and substantial oil industry investments contributed to his reputation as one of the wealthiest figures linked to archaeology, though his primary source of wealth was in the energy sector rather than archaeological discoveries.