Timothy W. Potter
Encyclopedia
Timothy William Potter was a prominent archaeologist of ancient Italy
, as well as of Roman Britain
, best known for his focus on landscape archaeology
.
Potter studied at Cambridge
, receiving his B.A. from Trinity College
(1966) and his Ph.D. in 1974; his Ph.D. thesis was entitled Archaeological Topography of Central and Southern Ager Faliscus. In the 1980s Potter excavated at Stonea, a Roman settlement in the fens of Cambridgeshire
.
Potter was a student of John Bryan Ward-Perkins
and a member of the South Etruria Survey conducted by the British School at Rome
. As part of the survey Potter worked on the Ager Faliscus leading to two influential books, A Faliscan Town in South Etruria: Excavations at Narce 1966-71 (1976) and The changing landscape of South Etruria (1979). Potter also authored a popular course textbook entitled Roman Italy (1987). The survey also led to his important excavations at Monte Gelato (1986-1990) and Narce
(1966-1971).
Potter taught at the University of Lancaster
(1973-1978) where he instituted a new archaeology program. In 1978 he moved to the British Museum
and their department of Prehistoric and Romano-British Antiquities, serving as assistant keeper from 1978 to 1995 and keeper from 1995 until his death.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, as well as of Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
, best known for his focus on landscape archaeology
Landscape archaeology
Landscape archaeology is the study of the ways in which people in the past constructed and used the environment around them. Landscape archaeology is inherently multidisciplinary in its approach to the study of culture, and is used by both pre-historical, classic, and historic archaeologists...
.
Potter studied at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, receiving his B.A. from Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
(1966) and his Ph.D. in 1974; his Ph.D. thesis was entitled Archaeological Topography of Central and Southern Ager Faliscus. In the 1980s Potter excavated at Stonea, a Roman settlement in the fens of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
.
Potter was a student of John Bryan Ward-Perkins
John Bryan Ward-Perkins
John Bryan Ward-Perkins CMG, CBE, FBA was a British Classical architectural historian and archaeologist, and director of the British School at Rome.-Background:...
and a member of the South Etruria Survey conducted by 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...
. As part of the survey Potter worked on the Ager Faliscus leading to two influential books, A Faliscan Town in South Etruria: Excavations at Narce 1966-71 (1976) and The changing landscape of South Etruria (1979). Potter also authored a popular course textbook entitled Roman Italy (1987). The survey also led to his important excavations at Monte Gelato (1986-1990) and Narce
Narce
Narce was a Faliscan settlement in Italy located 5 kilometers south of Falerii . Its residents spoke an Italic language related to Latin. It was inhabited from the 2nd millennium to the 3rd century B.C...
(1966-1971).
Potter taught at the University of Lancaster
Lancaster University
Lancaster University, officially The University of Lancaster, is a leading research-intensive British university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established by Royal Charter in 1964 and initially based in St Leonard's Gate until moving to a purpose-built 300 acre campus at...
(1973-1978) where he instituted a new archaeology program. In 1978 he moved to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and their department of Prehistoric and Romano-British Antiquities, serving as assistant keeper from 1978 to 1995 and keeper from 1995 until his death.