author
W. A. (William Abbott) Oldfather
1880–1945
An influential American classicist, he helped build the study of the ancient world at the University of Illinois and was especially known for his work on Greek history and geography. His career joined rigorous scholarship with a vivid love of teaching, travel, and the outdoors.
1 Audiobook
The Defeat of Varus and the German Frontier Policy of Augustus
by W. A. (William Abbott) Oldfather, H. V. (Howard Vernon) Canter
About the author
Born on October 23, 1880, in Urumiah, Persia, to American missionary parents, William Abbott Oldfather became one of the leading American classical scholars of his generation. He studied at Northwestern University and later at the University of Munich, training in the strong German scholarly tradition that shaped much of his later work.
Oldfather spent most of his professional life at the University of Illinois, where he served as professor of classics, led the department, and helped establish a serious and lasting program in classical studies. His scholarship ranged widely, but he was especially noted for research on ancient Locris in Greece and for work connected with classical texts, including Epictetus.
He was remembered not only as a learned scholar but also as a memorable teacher and a forceful personality on campus. Oldfather died on May 27, 1945, after drowning while trying to rescue a student in Lake Michigan, a tragic end that deeply marked colleagues and former students.