John Bryan Ward-Perkins
Encyclopedia
John Bryan Ward-Perkins CMG, CBE
, FBA (3 February 1912, Bromley
, Kent
, United Kingdom
– 28 May 1981, Cirencester
, United Kingdom
) was a British
Classical architectural historian and archaeologist, and director of the British School at Rome
.
, Oxford
, graduating in 1934. He was awarded the Craven traveling fellowship at Magdalen College
, which he used to study archaeology in Great Britain
and France
. He served as assistant under Sir R. E. Mortimer Wheeler
(1890-1976) from 1936-39 at the London Museum. There he wrote a catalog of the museum's collection. During these years Ward-Perkins was also involved in the excavation of a Roman villa near Welwyn Garden City. In 1939 Ward-Perkins became chair of archaeology at the Royal University of Malta.
During World War II
Ward-Perkins saw military service in the British Royal Artillery in North Africa. He was assigned to protect the sites of Leptis Magna
and Sabratha
. There he gained an intimate knowledge of Tripolitania
and its Roman ruins. After the war he was appointed as director of the Allied sub-commission for monuments and fine arts in Italy. He married Margaret Sheilah Long in 1943. She was a daughter of Henry William Long, a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Together they had three sons and a daughter.
(1957) and as Rhind Lecturer in Edinburgh
in 1960. In 1970 he wrote the Roman section of the prestigious Pelican History of Art volume on Etruscan and Roman architecture, co-authored with Axel Boëthius
. Among his many students: the art historian Roger Ling, archaeologist Timothy W. Potter
, ancient historian Barri Jones
.
. He also reinitiated the project to map the Roman Empire, Tabula imperrii romani, which had begun in 1928 but had become inactive. He was instrumental in the founding of the Association for Classical Archaeology, and the issuing of its journal, Fasti Archaeologici. Perhaps one of his most important contributions was the use of field survey to assess archaeological land patterns in Italy, forever changing archaeological inquiry. One of his major survey projects, the South Etruria Survey, produced a body of evidence that remains useful to scholars. In these techniques he was a pioneer, as well as in the field of ancient marble studies.
. One other, David, is a successful consultant based between London and France, and the other, Hugh, based in Italy, is a well-noted musician, specialised in ancient music.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FBA (3 February 1912, Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
– 28 May 1981, Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Classical architectural historian and archaeologist, and director of the British School at Rome
British School at Rome
The British School at Rome was established in 1901 and granted a Royal Charter in 1912 as an educational institute in the fields of archaeology, literature, music, and history of Rome and Italy of every period, and for the study of the fine arts and architecture...
.
Background
He was the eldest son of Bryan Ward-Perkins, a British civil servant in India, and Winifred Mary Hickman. Ward-Perkins attended the Winchester School and New CollegeNew College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, graduating in 1934. He was awarded the Craven traveling fellowship at Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, which he used to study archaeology in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He served as assistant under Sir R. E. Mortimer Wheeler
Mortimer Wheeler
Brigadier Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH, CIE, MC, FBA, FSA , was one of the best-known British archaeologists of the twentieth century.-Education and career:...
(1890-1976) from 1936-39 at the London Museum. There he wrote a catalog of the museum's collection. During these years Ward-Perkins was also involved in the excavation of a Roman villa near Welwyn Garden City. In 1939 Ward-Perkins became chair of archaeology at the Royal University of Malta.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Ward-Perkins saw military service in the British Royal Artillery in North Africa. He was assigned to protect the sites of Leptis Magna
Leptis Magna
Leptis Magna also known as Lectis Magna , also called Lpqy, Neapolis, Lebida or Lebda to modern-day residents of Libya, was a prominent city of the Roman Empire. Its ruins are located in Khoms, Libya, east of Tripoli, on the coast where the Wadi Lebda meets the sea...
and Sabratha
Sabratha
Sabratha, Sabratah or Siburata , in the Zawiya District in the northwestern corner of modern Libya, was the westernmost of the "three cities" of Tripolis. From 2001 to 2007 it was the capital of the former Sabratha wa Sorman District. It lies on the Mediterranean coast about west of Tripoli...
. There he gained an intimate knowledge of Tripolitania
Tripolitania
Tripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...
and its Roman ruins. After the war he was appointed as director of the Allied sub-commission for monuments and fine arts in Italy. He married Margaret Sheilah Long in 1943. She was a daughter of Henry William Long, a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Together they had three sons and a daughter.
Professional career
In 1946 Ward-Perkins accepted the position of Director of the British School at Rome. He maintained a scholarly interest in North Africa, largely because excavation work in Italy remained impossible. When peninsular excavations in Italy did resume, Ward-Perkins obtained aerial photographs from RAF reconnaissance of Italy, in order to map out excavations. He remained at the British School in Rome until his retirement in 1974. In the 1950s his interest focused on the technical aspects of Roman construction and resulted in The Shrine of St Peter and the Vatican Excavations (1956) and David Talbot Rice's The Great Palace of the Byzantine Emperors (1958). In 1963 Ward-Perkins revived the stalled publication project of the Corpus signorum imperii Romani, a body of Roman sculpture held in collections throughout the world. He served as visiting professor in numerous institutions, including New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(1957) and as Rhind Lecturer in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1960. In 1970 he wrote the Roman section of the prestigious Pelican History of Art volume on Etruscan and Roman architecture, co-authored with Axel Boëthius
Axel Boëthius
Axel Boëthius was a scholar and archaeologist of the Etruscan culture. Boëthius was primarily a student of Etruscan and Italic architecture. His father was the historian Simon Boëthius....
. Among his many students: the art historian Roger Ling, archaeologist Timothy W. Potter
Timothy W. Potter
Timothy William Potter was a prominent archaeologist of ancient Italy, as well as of Roman Britain, best known for his focus on landscape archaeology....
, ancient historian Barri Jones
Barri Jones
Geraint Dyfed Barri Jones was a classical scholar and archaeologist.Born in St Helens to Welsh-speaking parents, he attended High Wycombe Royal Grammar School from 1947–1954, and won a Welsh Foundation Scholarship to read classics at Jesus College, Oxford.-Fieldwork and...
.
Topics of interest
Ward-Perkins’ major interests were in the materials of ancient art and city topography. He wrote works on city planning in classical Greece and Rome and the historical topography of VeiiVeii
Veii was, in ancient times, an important Etrurian city NNW of Rome, Italy; its site lies in Isola Farnese, a village of Municipio XX, an administrative subdivision of the comune of Rome in the Province of Rome...
. He also reinitiated the project to map the Roman Empire, Tabula imperrii romani, which had begun in 1928 but had become inactive. He was instrumental in the founding of the Association for Classical Archaeology, and the issuing of its journal, Fasti Archaeologici. Perhaps one of his most important contributions was the use of field survey to assess archaeological land patterns in Italy, forever changing archaeological inquiry. One of his major survey projects, the South Etruria Survey, produced a body of evidence that remains useful to scholars. In these techniques he was a pioneer, as well as in the field of ancient marble studies.
Descendants
One of his three sons is the historian Bryan Ward-PerkinsBryan Ward-Perkins
Bryan Ward-Perkins is an archaeologist and historian of the later Roman Empire and early Middle Ages, with a particular focus on the transitional period between those two eras, an historical sub-field also known as Late Antiquity. His published work has focused primarily on the urban and economic...
. One other, David, is a successful consultant based between London and France, and the other, Hugh, based in Italy, is a well-noted musician, specialised in ancient music.
Publications
- Roman Imperial Architecture. New York: Penguin Books, 1981.
- David Talbot Rice, ed. The Great Palace of the Byzantine Emperors. Second Report. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh Press, 1958: 52-104.
- "The Italian Element in Late Roman and Early Medieval Architecture." Proceedings of the British Academy 23 (1947): 163-94.
- and Reynolds, Joyce Maire. The Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania. Rome: British School at Rome, 1952.
- and Toynbee, J. M. C. The Shrine of St. Peter and the Vatican Excavations. New York: Longmans, Green, 1956.
- The Art of the Severan Age in the Light of Tripolitanian Discoveries. Proceedings of the British Academy 37. London: British Academy, 1953.
- Cities of Ancient Greece and Italy: Planning in Classical Antiquity. New York: G. Braziller, 1974.
- Landscape and History in Central Italy. 2nd J.L. Myres Memorial Lecture. Oxford: B. H. Blackwell, 1965.
- Marble in Antiquity : Collected Papers of J.B. Ward-Perkins. Archaeological Monographs of the British School at Rome 6. London: British School at Rome, 1992.
- Studies in Roman and Early Christian Architecture. London: Pindar Press, 1994.
- “A Carved Marble Fragment at Riom (Puy-de-Dome) and the Chronology of the Aquitanian Sarcophagi.” Antiquaries Journal 40 (January-April 1960): 25-34.
- “Nero's Golden House.” Antiquity 30 (December 1956): 209-219.
- “The Hunting Baths at Leptis Magna.” Archaeologia 93 (1949): 165-195.