J. Theodore (James Theodore) Bent

Born in 1852, he was an English explorer, archaeologist, and author who studied at Wadham College, Oxford, and went on to build a reputation through travel and research in the eastern Mediterranean and beyond.

He is especially associated with expeditions in places including the Greek world, southern Africa, and southern Arabia. He wrote a series of travel and archaeological works, and many accounts of his journeys note how closely he worked with his wife, Mabel Bent, who accompanied him on his travels.

Bent died in 1897, still relatively young, but his books and expedition records helped preserve a vivid picture of late Victorian exploration and antiquarian scholarship.