Humfry Payne
Encyclopedia
Humfry Gilbert Garth Payne (19 February 1902 – 9 May 1936) was an English
archaeologist, director of the British School of Archaeology in Athens
from 1929 to his death.
, Buckinghamshire
Payne was the only son of the historian Edward J Payne, fellow of University College Oxford, and Emma L H Pertz. He attended Westminster School
and afterwards Christ Church, Oxford
where he was awarded first class honours in classical Mods
(1922) and Greats
(1924). In 1926 married the journalist Dilys Powell
.
(1926 to 1928) followed during which he researched in Mediterranean archaeology. Payne received the Conington Prize
for classical learning in 1927 for work on painted Greek pottery. He supervised partially John Beazley
and Alan Blakeway and they published joint papers on black-figured Attic
pottery excavated at Naucratis
. There were large collections of vase material from Corinthia, Payne took up the challenge of studying and collating the information which he published in 1931 as Necrocorinthia, which was admired and made his name throughout the archaeological world.
Payne spent summer archaeological excavation seasons 1927-1929 on Crete, around Knossos
where Arthur Evans
was working. In 1929 his work had been recognised when he was appointed as the director of the British School of Archaeology in Athens. He then, in 1930, instigated the dig at Perachora
, a settlement on the Gerania peninsula on the Gulf of Corinth
. There the sanctuary and harbour sites were to be dug from 1930 to 1933, and later in 1939 and in the 1960s. This work was written up as Perachora: the sanctuaries of Hera Akraia and Limenia, mostly by Payne, edited by Thomas Dunbabin to be published in 1940; a second volume was to be published in 1962.
He also worked on archaic sculptures which had been found at the Acropolis
50 years earlier. This work, published in 1936 as Archaic marble sculpture from the Acropolis was to confirm his reputation. It changed views on the origin of many pieces; for example it identified potential reunions of sculptured parts in French museums with other parts in the Acropolis Museum, without Payne the commonality of their sources would have remained unrecognised.
His career came to an early end when he died from an infection of staphylococcus
in the Evangelismos Hospital in Athens. He is buried in the cemetery of Agios Georgios at Mycenae where his tombstone bears the words Mourn not for Adonais.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
archaeologist, director of the British School of Archaeology in Athens
British School at Athens
The British School at Athens is one of the 17 Foreign Archaeological Institutes in Athens, Greece.-General information:The School was founded in 1886 as the fourth such institution in Greece...
from 1929 to his death.
Personal
Born at WendoverWendover
Wendover is a market town that sits at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
Payne was the only son of the historian Edward J Payne, fellow of University College Oxford, and Emma L H Pertz. He attended Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and afterwards Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
where he was awarded first class honours in classical Mods
Honour Moderations
Honour Moderations are a first set of examinations at Oxford University in England during the first part of the degree course for some courses ....
(1922) and Greats
Literae Humaniores
Literae Humaniores is the name given to an undergraduate course focused on Classics at Oxford and some other universities.The Latin name means literally "more humane letters", but is perhaps better rendered as "Advanced Studies", since humaniores has the sense of "more refined" or "more learned",...
(1924). In 1926 married the journalist Dilys Powell
Dilys Powell
Elizabeth Dilys Powell was a British journalist, author and film critic.She was born into a middle class family in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Her mother was Mary Jane Lloyd; her father, Thomas Powell, a bank manager...
.
Career
A research studentship at Christ Church (1926 to 1931) and assistantship in the department of antiquities at the Ashmolean MuseumAshmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
(1926 to 1928) followed during which he researched in Mediterranean archaeology. Payne received the Conington Prize
Conington Prize
The Conington Prize is awarded annually by the University of Oxford.The cash prize is offered for a dissertation on a subject chosen by the writer and approved by the Board of the Faculty of Classics...
for classical learning in 1927 for work on painted Greek pottery. He supervised partially John Beazley
John Beazley
Sir John Davidson Beazley was an English classical scholar.Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Beazley attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he was a close friend of the poet James Elroy Flecker. After graduating in 1907, Beazley was a student and tutor in Classics at Christ Church, and in 1925 he...
and Alan Blakeway and they published joint papers on black-figured Attic
Attic
An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...
pottery excavated at Naucratis
Naucratis
Naucratis or Naukratis, , loosely translated as " power over ships" , was a city of Ancient Egypt, on the Canopic branch of the Nile river, 45 mi SE of the open sea and the later capital of Ptolemaic Egypt, Alexandria...
. There were large collections of vase material from Corinthia, Payne took up the challenge of studying and collating the information which he published in 1931 as Necrocorinthia, which was admired and made his name throughout the archaeological world.
Payne spent summer archaeological excavation seasons 1927-1929 on Crete, around Knossos
Knossos
Knossos , also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square...
where Arthur Evans
Arthur Evans
Sir Arthur John Evans FRS was a British archaeologist most famous for unearthing the palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete and for developing the concept of Minoan civilization from the structures and artifacts found there and elsewhere throughout eastern Mediterranean...
was working. In 1929 his work had been recognised when he was appointed as the director of the British School of Archaeology in Athens. He then, in 1930, instigated the dig at Perachora
Perachora
Perachora, also Perahora or Perakhora is an inland settlement in the Loutraki-Perachoras municipality of the Corinthia prefecture in the periphery of Peloponnese in Greece. It is located about 7 km NW of the town of Loutraki in a hilly environment surrounded by higher elevation of the Geraneia...
, a settlement on the Gerania peninsula on the Gulf of Corinth
Gulf of Corinth
The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece...
. There the sanctuary and harbour sites were to be dug from 1930 to 1933, and later in 1939 and in the 1960s. This work was written up as Perachora: the sanctuaries of Hera Akraia and Limenia, mostly by Payne, edited by Thomas Dunbabin to be published in 1940; a second volume was to be published in 1962.
He also worked on archaic sculptures which had been found at the Acropolis
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...
50 years earlier. This work, published in 1936 as Archaic marble sculpture from the Acropolis was to confirm his reputation. It changed views on the origin of many pieces; for example it identified potential reunions of sculptured parts in French museums with other parts in the Acropolis Museum, without Payne the commonality of their sources would have remained unrecognised.
His career came to an early end when he died from an infection of staphylococcus
Staphylococcus
Staphylococcus is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria. Under the microscope they appear round , and form in grape-like clusters....
in the Evangelismos Hospital in Athens. He is buried in the cemetery of Agios Georgios at Mycenae where his tombstone bears the words Mourn not for Adonais.
Written works
- Necrocorinthia: a study of Corinthian art in the archaic period. (1931), Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Archaic marble sculpture from the Acropolis, (1936), Manchester: Cresset Press (with Gerard Mackworth Young).
- Perachora: the sanctuaries of Hera Akraia and Limenia, (1940), Oxford: Clarendon Press (ed T J Dunbabin).
- Protokorinthische Vasenmalerei, (1974), Mainz: Verlag Philipp von Zabern, (reprint).
Further reading
- Powell, Dilys, (1943), The Traveller’s Journey is Done, London: Hodder & Stoughton.
- Mantis, Alexandros, (2009), Humfry Payne: Explorations in Greece, Athens: Foinikas Publications & Club Hotel Casino Loutraki.
Sources
- The Times, 11 May 1936. p. 17.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. OUP (2004).