Alexander Stuart Murray, FBA (8 January 1841March, 1904) was a Scottish

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

. He was known for excavations on

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

Life

Murray was born at

Arbroath Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( gd, Obar Bhrothaig ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast some ENE of Dundee and SSW of Aberdeen. The ...

, and educated there, at the Royal High School,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and at the Universities of

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. In 1867 he entered the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

as an assistant in the department of Greek and Roman antiquities under Sir Charles Newton, whom he succeeded in 1886. His younger brother,

George Robert Milne Murray George Robert Milne Murray (11 November 1858 – 16 December 1911) was a Scottish naturalist, botanist, diatomist and Phycologist, algologist, noted for his association with T. H. Huxley and with the Discovery Expedition. He was the naturalist a ...

(1858–1911), was made keeper of the botanical department in 1895, a rare instance of two brothers becoming heads of departments at the museum. In 1873 Murray published a ''Manual of Mythology'', and in the following year contributed to the ''Contemporary Review'' two articles—one on the

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

ic question—which led to a friendship with Mr Gladstone, the other on Greek painters. In 1874 he also published the popular work ''Who's Who in Mythology''. In 1880-1883 he brought out his ''History of Greek Sculpture: From the Earliest Times Down to the Age of Pheidias'', which at once became a standard work. In 1886, he was selected by the

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usua ...

to deliver the next year's Rhind lectures on archaeology, out of which grew his ''Handbook of Greek Archaeology'' (1892). In 1894-1896 Murray directed excavations in Cyprus including those at

Enkomi Enkomi ( el, Έγκωμη; tr, Tuzla) is a village near Famagusta in Cyprus. It is the site of an important Bronze Age city, possibly the capital of Alasiya. Enkomi is under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. In 1974, Enkomi had about ...

; they were undertaken by means of a bequest of £2000 from Miss Emma Tournour Turner. The objects obtained are described and illustrated in ''Excavations in Cyprus'', published by the trustees of the museum in 1900. Murray's other official publications include three folio volumes on Terra-cotta

Sarcophagi A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a cadaver, corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from ...

, White

Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Vases and Designs from Greek Vases. In 1898 he wrote for the ''Portfolio'' a monograph on Greek bronzes, founded on lectures delivered at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in that year, and he contributed many articles on archaeology to standard publications. In recognition of his services to archaeology he was made LL.D. of

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

in 1887 and elected a corresponding member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences in 1900.

Works

* ''Manual of Mythology'' (1873) * ''Who's Who in Mythology: A Classic Guide to the Ancient World'' (1874) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0517017415
/ref> *
Two Vases from Cyprus
' (1887) *
Excavations in Cyprus: bequest of Miss E. T. Turner to the British Museum
' (1900)

References

External links

* * 1841 births 1904 deaths 19th-century Scottish people People from Arbroath People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Scottish archaeologists Employees of the British Museum Fellows of the British Academy {{UK-archaeologist-stub