John Boardman (archaeologist)
Encyclopedia
Professor Sir John Boardman FBA (born 20 August 1927) is a classical art historian and archaeologist, "Britain's most distinguished historian of ancient Greek art."
, where he read Classics
beginning in 1945. After completing two years' national service
in the Intelligence Corps he spent three years in Greece
, from 1952 to 1955, as the Assistant Director of the British School at Athens
.
On his return to England in that year, Boardman took up the post of Assistant Keeper at the Ashmolean Museum
in Oxford
, thus beginning his life-long affiliation to it. In 1959 he was appointed Reader in Classical Archaeology in the University of Oxford
, and in 1963 was appointed a Fellow of Merton College
. Here he remained until his appointment as Lincoln Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology, a position previously held by John Beazley
, and the concomitant Fellowship of Lincoln College
in 1978. He was knighted in 1989 and retired in 1994, and is now Emeritus Professor.
John Boardman is a Fellow of the British Academy, from whom he received the Kenyon Medal for Classical Studies in 1995. He was awarded the Onassis Prize for Humanities in 2009.
He is an Honorary Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and of Merton and Lincoln Colleges in Oxford, as well as the holder of many other academic distinctions.
He has carried out archaeological excavations at many sites, including in Smyrna
, Crete
, Chios
and at Tocra in Libya
. His voluminous publications focus primarily on the art and architecture of ancient Greece
, and in particular on sculpture, engraved gems, and vase-painting.
Additionally, he is the author of the preeminent text, The Greeks Overseas, on the ancient Greek diaspora throughout the Mediterranean, in which Greek populations from the Aegean
region, Greek coastal mainland and Western Turkey
settled the coastal regions of Italy
, North Africa
, southern France
, reaching as far as southern Spain
. The book has now undergone four editions, as new archaeological research emerges.
Biography
John Boardman was educated at Chigwell School (1938-1945); then Magdalene College, CambridgeMagdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
, where he read Classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
beginning in 1945. After completing two years' national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the Intelligence Corps he spent three years in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, from 1952 to 1955, as the Assistant Director of the British School at 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...
.
On his return to England in that year, Boardman took up the post of Assistant Keeper at the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, thus beginning his life-long affiliation to it. In 1959 he was appointed Reader in Classical Archaeology in the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and in 1963 was appointed a Fellow of Merton College
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
. Here he remained until his appointment as Lincoln Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology, a position previously held by 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 the concomitant Fellowship of Lincoln College
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
in 1978. He was knighted in 1989 and retired in 1994, and is now Emeritus Professor.
John Boardman is a Fellow of the British Academy, from whom he received the Kenyon Medal for Classical Studies in 1995. He was awarded the Onassis Prize for Humanities in 2009.
He is an Honorary Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and of Merton and Lincoln Colleges in Oxford, as well as the holder of many other academic distinctions.
He has carried out archaeological excavations at many sites, including in Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, Chios
Chios
Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...
and at Tocra in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. His voluminous publications focus primarily on the art and architecture of ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, and in particular on sculpture, engraved gems, and vase-painting.
Additionally, he is the author of the preeminent text, The Greeks Overseas, on the ancient Greek diaspora throughout the Mediterranean, in which Greek populations from the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
region, Greek coastal mainland and Western Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
settled the coastal regions of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, reaching as far as southern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The book has now undergone four editions, as new archaeological research emerges.
Selected publications
- "Greek Burial Customs" (1971)
- "Archaic Greek Gems"(1968)
- "Greek Gems and Finger Rings" (1970, 2001)
- "Excavations at Emporio, Chios" (1964)
- The Greeks Overseas (1st ed. 1964; rev. ed. 1973; 3rd ed. 1980; 4th ed. 1999)
- The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity, a volume based on his series of Andrew Mellon Lectures at the National Gallery of ArtNational Gallery of ArtThe National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
, Washington DC in 1993. - Persia and the West (2000)
- The History of Greek Vases (2001)
- The Archaeology of Nostalgia (2002)
- The World of Ancient Art' (2006)
- "The Marlborough Gems" (2009)
- "The Relief Plaques of Central Asia and China" (2009/10)