author
Percy Gardner
1846–1937
A leading classical archaeologist and numismatist, he helped shape the study of Greek art and coins in Britain and brought archaeology to a wide reading public. His work connected museum collections, university teaching, and big questions about the ancient world.
1 Audiobook
Sculptured tombs of Hellas
by Percy Gardner
About the author
Born in London in 1846, Percy Gardner became one of Britain’s best-known classical scholars. He studied at Christ’s College, Cambridge, later worked in the British Museum’s Department of Coins and Medals, and built a reputation through his research on Greek coinage and ancient art.
Gardner held two major academic posts: he was Disney Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge from 1879 to 1887, then Lincoln and Merton Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art at Oxford for many years after that. He was known not only as a specialist in archaeology and numismatics, but also as a prolific writer and lecturer whose books helped bring Greek art, religion, and history to a broader audience.
Remembered as an influential teacher as well as a scholar, Gardner played an important role in establishing classical archaeology as a serious university discipline in Britain. He died in Oxford in 1937, leaving behind a large body of work on the ancient Mediterranean world.