Peter Connolly
Encyclopedia
Peter Connolly is a renowned British
scholar of the ancient world, Greek
and Roman
military equipment historian, reconstructional archaeologist and illustrator
. A research Fellow at Oxford
in England
, and a talented artist, his accurate and detailed illustrations of the Classical world are well regarded. Connolly is a regular contributor to such periodicals as the Journal of Roman Military Equipment and Roman Frontier Studies.
and wrote his first book, The Roman Army, in 1975.
Connolly has also written and illustrated many books about the ancient world, several of them for children, including Pompeii
, Greece and Rome at War, The Greek Armies, The Roman Army and the award-winning Legend of Odysseus
. His 2003 book Colosseum: Rome's Arena of Death debunks many of the myths perpetuated about that structure in the movie Gladiator
.
Connolly appears regularly on television as an expert on ancient armies and their equipment, and in the 1980s presented a series for UK schools called "An Archaeological Background to the Gospels" in which he travelled to ancient sites in Israel
, illustrating the programmes with his own paintings, many of which appeared in his book Living in the Time of Jesus
of Nazareth
.
Connolly became a member of the Society of Antiquaries
in 1984 and a year later was awarded an honorary research fellowship at the Institute of Archaeology
of the University College London
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
scholar of the ancient world, Greek
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 Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
military equipment historian, reconstructional archaeologist and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
. A research Fellow at 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...
in England
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...
, and a talented artist, his accurate and detailed illustrations of the Classical world are well regarded. Connolly is a regular contributor to such periodicals as the Journal of Roman Military Equipment and Roman Frontier Studies.
Biography
Connolly studied at the Brighton College of Arts and CraftsFaculty of Arts and Architecture (University of Brighton)
The Faculty of Arts in the University of Brighton is a centre of education in the creative arts, architecture, design and humanities. In 2009 it took its new name, replacing the former Faculty of Arts & Architecture, embracing new subject areas from departments in Literature, Languages and...
and wrote his first book, The Roman Army, in 1975.
Connolly has also written and illustrated many books about the ancient world, several of them for children, including Pompeii
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
, Greece and Rome at War, The Greek Armies, The Roman Army and the award-winning Legend of Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
. His 2003 book Colosseum: Rome's Arena of Death debunks many of the myths perpetuated about that structure in the movie Gladiator
Gladiator (2000 film)
Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed...
.
Connolly appears regularly on television as an expert on ancient armies and their equipment, and in the 1980s presented a series for UK schools called "An Archaeological Background to the Gospels" in which he travelled to ancient sites in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, illustrating the programmes with his own paintings, many of which appeared in his book Living in the Time of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
of Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
.
Connolly became a member of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
in 1984 and a year later was awarded an honorary research fellowship at the Institute of Archaeology
Institute of Archaeology
The UCL Institute of Archaeology is an academic department of the Social & Historical Sciences Faculty of University College London , England. It is one of the largest departments of archaeology in the world, with over 80 members of academic staff and 500 students...
of the University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Works
Works are both written and illustrated by Connolly unless otherwise noted.- Crosher, Judith (1974), The Greeks, Macdonald Educational (Illustrated by Peter Connolly).
- Connolly, Peter (1975), The Roman Army, Macdonald Educational.
- Connolly, Peter (1977), The Greek Armies, Macdonald Educational.
- Connolly, Peter (1978), Hannibal and the Enemies of Rome, Macdonald Educational.
- Connolly, Peter (1978), Armies of the Crusades, Macdonald Educational.
- Connolly, Peter (1979), Pompeii, Macdonald Educational.
- Connolly, Peter (1981), Greece and Rome at War, Macdonald Phoebus Ltd.
- Revised 1998 edition, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
: Greenhill Books and PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
: Stackpole BooksStackpole BooksStackpole Books is an independent trade publishing company in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. It was founded by E. J. Stackpole Jr. in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1930 and was moved to its current headquarters in 1993. Stackpole publishes nonfiction books in the areas of crafts, outdoors, regional...
.
- Revised 1998 edition, London
- Connolly, Peter (1983), Living in the Time of Jesus of Nazareth, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
- Reprinted as A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus: From Herod the Great to Masada (1987)
- Reprinted as The Jews in the Time of Jesus: A History (1995)
- Reprinted as The Holy Land (1999)
- Connolly, Peter (1986), The Legend of Odysseus, Oxford University Press.
- Reprinted as The Ancient Greece of Odysseus, 1998.
- Connolly, Peter (1988), Tiberius Claudius MaximusTiberius Claudius MaximusTiberius Claudius Maximus was a Roman soldier who served with Legio VII Claudia in the Dacian Wars during the reign of emperor Domitian and emperor Trajan....
: The Legionary, Oxford University Press. - Connolly, Peter (1988), Tiberius Claudius Maximus: The Cavalryman, Oxford University Press.
- Hackett, John (1989), Warfare in the Ancient World, Facts On File (Illustrated by Peter Connolly).
- Coe, Michael (editor) (1989), Swords and Hilt Weapons, Grove PressGrove PressGrove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its...
(Contributor: Peter Connolly). - Connolly, Peter (1991), The Roman Fort, Oxford University Press.
- Burrell, Roy (1991), The Romans, Oxford University Press (Illustrated by Peter Connolly).
- Connolly, Peter (1993), Greek Legends: The Stories, the Evidence, Simon and Schuster.
- Burrell, Roy (1997), Oxford First Ancient History (Series: Oxford First Books), Oxford University Press (Illustrated by Peter Connolly).
- Connolly, Peter (editor) (1998), The Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval Warfare, RoutledgeRoutledgeRoutledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
. - Connolly, Peter and Hazel DodgeHazel DodgeHazel Dodge is senior Lecturer of Roman Archaeology at Trinity College, Dublin. She holds her degrees from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and her research interests include the Eastern Roman Empire, the Roman construction industry and the city of Rome. Her PhD concerns the use and...
(1998), The Ancient City, Life in Classical Athens & Rome, Oxford University Press. - Connolly, Peter (2001), Ancient Greece, Oxford University Press (Text by Andrew Solway).
- Connolly, Peter (2001), Ancient Rome, Oxford University Press (Text by Andrew Solway).
- Connolly, Peter (2003), Colosseum: Rome's Arena of Death, BBC BooksBBC BooksBBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
.