Helen Loughlin, Andrew Burnett, Peter Wilson and Helen Geake (5758434782) (cropped)

Andrew Michael Burnett, (born 23 May 1952) is a British

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

and museum curator, who specialises in

Roman coins Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction to the Republic, during the third century BC, well into Imperial times, Roman currency saw many changes in form, denom ...

. He was Deputy Director of 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 ...

from 2003 to 2013, and Keeper of its Department of Coins and Medals from 1992 to 2003. He was president of the

Royal Numismatic Society The Royal Numismatic Society (RNS) is a learned society and charity based in London, United Kingdom which promotes research into all branches of numismatics. Its patron was Queen Elizabeth II. Membership Foremost collectors and researchers, bo ...

from 2013 to 2018.

Early life and education

Burnett was born on 23 May 1952 to Margaret and Sir John Harrison Burnett. He was educated at

Fettes College Fettes College () is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, with over two-thirds of its pupils in residence on campus. The school was originally a boarding school for boys only and became co-ed in 1983. In ...

, a

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

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

, Scotland. He studied '' Literae Humaniores'' (ancient history and philosophy) at Balliol College, Oxford, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

(BA) degree. He continued his studies at the Institute of Archaeology, graduating from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

with a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(PhD) degree.

Career

In 1974, Burnett joined the

as a research assistant in the Department of Coins and Medals. He was made assistant keeper in 1979, promoted to deputy keeper in 1990, before finally serving as keeper and head of department from 1992 to 2003. He was then Deputy Director of the British Museum from 2002 to 2013. Since 2013, he has been an honorary professor at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. In addition to his museum work, he has been active in the

: he was secretary from 1983 to 1990, vice-president from 1999 to 2004, and served as its president from 2013 to 2018. He has been an honorary vice-president since 2019. He was also President of The Roman Society from 2008 to 2012, and President of the International Numismatic Commission from 1997 to 2003.

Honours

On 6 May 1982, Burnett was elected a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(FSA). In 2003, he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), the United Kingdom's

national academy A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with State (polity), state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, most frequently in the sciences but ...

for the humanities and social sciences. In the

2012 New Year Honours 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, he was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) "for services to the British Museum and numismatics". In 2020, he was awarded the Derek Allen Prize by the British Academy "for his outstanding contribution to the development of the study of coinage of the Roman Empire and a career of public service". A ''

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

'' was published in his honour in 2015. It was edited by

Roger Bland Roger Farrant Bland, (born 3 April 1955) is a British curator and numismatist. At the British Museum, he served as Keeper of the Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure from 2005 to 2013, Keeper of the Department of Prehistory and Europ ...

and Dario Calomino, and was titled "Studies in Ancient Coinage in Honour of Andrew Burnett".

Selected works

* * * * ''The Hidden Treasures of this Happy Island: A History of Numismatics in Britain from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment'', 3 vols (Spink & Son Ltd, London, 2020. ISBN 0-901405-36-1)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnett, Andrew 1952 births Living people British numismatists British curators Employees of the British Museum Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Presidents of the Royal Numismatic Society Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Fettes College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Alumni of the UCL Institute of Archaeology