Brian A. Sparkes (born 16 May 1933) is a British Classical Archaeologist and Art Historian, specialising in the art of Ancient Greece. For most of his academic career, he has been based at
The University of Southampton
, mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour
, type = Public research university
, established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...
, where he was Professor of Classical Archaeology, and helped to found the Department of Archaeology.
Early life
Sparkes was brought up in Sheffield and attended
King Edward VII School from 1944 to 1952.
He took a Classics degree at
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
and was awarded first class honours in 1955. During those years he was one of the chief instigators for performin
Greek plays in the original Greekand himself played Hippolytus in the first production. The tradition started in 1953 continues to this day.
Academic career
From 1955 to 1957 he studied for a PhD (on Aristophanes and his Athenian background) that took him to Greece and gained him a School Studentship at the
British School of Archaeology.
In Athens he studied ceramic material in the Athenian Agora and as a consequence of this connection he was awarded a two-year studentship at
The American School of Classical Studies to start in 1957. This connection led to the direction of his academic work for the next ten years.
In the autumn of 1958 he was appointed as an assistant lecturer at Southampton University, where he stayed from the rest of his career until the 1990s when he retired as a Professor of Classical Archaeology, moving in the 1980s from the Classics Department to the Department of Archaeology which he had helped to establish. He chaired various committees in the University and in the 1990s became
Public Orator.
During his early years in Southampton, he travelled annually to Athens to continue his work in the Athenian Agora. He was awarded an Herodotus Fellowship at
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
Institute of Advanced Study for 1962–63 to work with Miss
Lucy Talcott
Lucy Talcott (April 10, 1899 – April 6, 1970) was an American archaeologist who worked on the excavations at the Ancient Agora of Athens for over twenty years. An expert on ancient Greek painted pottery, she coauthored the definitive study of Arc ...
on classical Athenian plain wares. The result of this investigation was published in 1970.
In 1964 he was appointed the editor of ''
The Journal of Hellenic Studies
''The Journal of Hellenic Studies'' is an annual peer-reviewed academic journal covering research in Hellenic studies. It also publishes reviews of recent books of importance to Hellenic studies. It was established in 1880 and is published by Camb ...
'' and ''Archaeological Reports'', a position he held until 1971. For five years (2000–05) he was chairman of the managing Committee of the Primary Latin Project.
Over the years he held the Geddes-Harrower Visiting Professorship in Aberdeen, the First Leventis Visiting Professorship at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, and was the president of the
Joint Association of Classical Teachers
The Joint Association of Classical Teachers (JACT) was a UK organisation for the encouragement of the teaching of Classics in schools and universities. It was merged into the Classical Association with effect from 2 January 2015. The JACT Summer ...
and the president of the
Classical Association
The Classical Association is a British learned society in the field of classics, aimed at developing classical study and promoting its importance in education.
Constitution
The association was founded on 19 December 1903, and its objects are def ...
.
During his 40 years of teaching and research, he gave lectures at many universities and schools in Britain and abroad: New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Christchurch, Cincinnati, Tampa, North Carolina (
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
), the
Getty in Los Angeles, St Petersburg.
In 2004 he was honoured with a Festschrift entitled ‘Greek Art in View’, edited by Simon Keay and
Stephanie Moser
Stephanie Moser is an archaeology professor and head of the department at the University of Southampton, England. Her work explores the exhibition and reception of the human past. Moser's research examines visual images from antiquity through the ...
. (Oxbow Books).
Field of studies
The major thrust of his research has centred on Attic pottery, both plain, black-figure and red-figure. This has involved studying the production, shapes and distribution and the varied scenes that decorate the vases.
Personal life
Brian has been married to Diana (née Foss) since 1959. They have two children, Philip and Catherine, and three grandsons, Wilkie, Matthew, and Oliver.
Selected book publications
* (with Lucy Talcott) Pots and Pans of Classical Athens,
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
, 1959
* (with Lucy Talcott) Black and Plain Pottery, The Athenian Agora vol. 12, 2 vols,
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
, 1970
* (edited with Donna C. Kurtz) The Eye of Greece: Studies in the Art of Athens,
CUP
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...
, 1982
* So Few People Look Like Themselves,
Southampton University
, mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour
, type = Public research university
, established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...
, 1988
* Greek Art, (New Surveys in the Classics no. 22),
OUP
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1991
* Greek Pottery: An Introduction,
Manchester University Press
Manchester University Press is the university press of the University of Manchester, England and a publisher of academic books and journals. Manchester University Press has developed into an international publisher. It maintains its links with th ...
, 1991
* The Red and the Black: Studies in Greek Pottery,
Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...
, 1996
* (editor) Greek Civilization: an Introduction,
Blackwell Blackwell may refer to:
Places
;Canada
* Blackwell, Ontario
;United Kingdom
* Blackwell, County Durham, England
* Blackwell, Carlisle, Cumbria, England
* Blackwell (historic house), South Lakeland, Cumbria, England
* Blackwell, Bolsover, Alfre ...
, 2000
* (with Keith Rutter) Word and Image in Ancient Greece,
Edinburgh University Press
Edinburgh University Press is a scholarly publisher of academic books and journals, based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
History
Edinburgh University Press was founded in the 1940s and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Edinburgh ...
, 2000
* (with Edward Bispham and Tom Harrison) Edinburgh Companion to Ancient Greece and Rome,
Edinburgh University Press
Edinburgh University Press is a scholarly publisher of academic books and journals, based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
History
Edinburgh University Press was founded in the 1940s and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Edinburgh ...
, 2006
* Greek Art, (New Surveys in the Classics no. 40),
CUP
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...
, 2011
Selected journal articles
* ‘The Greek Kitchen’ i
The Journal of Hellenic Studies82 1962), pp. 121–137
* ‘The Taste of a Boeotian Pig’ in ''
The Journal of Hellenic Studies
''The Journal of Hellenic Studies'' is an annual peer-reviewed academic journal covering research in Hellenic studies. It also publishes reviews of recent books of importance to Hellenic studies. It was established in 1880 and is published by Camb ...
'' 87 (1967), pp. 116–130
* ‘Black Perseus’ i
Antike Kunst11 (1968), pp. 3–16
* ‘Illustrating Aristophanes’ i
The Journal of Hellenic Studies95 (1975), pp. 122–135
* ‘Treading the Grapes’ in Bulletin Antieke Beschaving 51 (1977), pp. 47–84
* ‘Quintain and the Talcott Class’ i
Antike Kunst20 (1977), pp. 8–25
* ‘Greek Bronzes’, in Greece and Rome 34 (1987), pp. 152–168
* ‘Classical Associations and Societies in the United Kingdom’ in Hyperboreus, 19 (2013), pp. 205–213
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparkes, Brian A.
Living people
Academics of the University of Southampton
Alumni of King's College London
Scholars of ancient Greek pottery
1933 births
People educated at King Edward VII School, Sheffield