author
W. S. W. (William Sandys Wright) Vaux
1818–1885
A leading Victorian antiquary and numismatist, he helped shape how museum visitors understood the ancient world. His books on Assyria, Persia, and classical antiquities brought scholarly discoveries to a wider public.
1 Audiobook
Ancient history from the monuments: Greek cities & islands of Asia Minor
by W. S. W. (William Sandys Wright) Vaux
About the author
Born in Oxford in 1818, William Sandys Wright Vaux was educated at Westminster School and Balliol College, Oxford. He went on to build a distinguished career at the British Museum, first in the Department of Antiquities and later as Keeper of Coins and Medals.
Vaux was known for his deep knowledge of ancient coins, medals, and Near Eastern history. He wrote works including Nineveh and Persepolis and Handbook to the Antiquities in the British Museum, helping readers make sense of Assyrian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek, and Etruscan material at a time when public interest in archaeology was rapidly growing.
He was also active in the wider scholarly world, serving learned societies and earning election as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He died in 1885, remembered as a careful scholar who connected museum collections, classical learning, and the excitement of new archaeological discovery.