Ernest Arthur Gardner

Born in London in 1862, Ernest Arthur Gardner studied classics at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, graduating with a double first before moving into archaeology. Early in his career he worked on the Egypt Exploration Society’s excavations at Naucratis, then joined the British School at Athens, where he soon became director.

From 1887 to 1895 he led the British School at Athens and took part in excavations in Cyprus and Greece, including work at Old Paphos, Salamis, and Megalopolis. He later became Yates Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology at the University of London, served as editor of The Journal of Hellenic Studies, and was also active in university leadership, including a term as Vice-Chancellor of the University of London.

During the First World War he served in naval intelligence in Salonika and helped protect archaeological remains there. Alongside his academic posts, he wrote accessible books on Greek sculpture, Athens, and ancient religion that helped make classical archaeology more approachable for general readers as well as students. He died in 1939.