Edith Mary Wightman FSA (1 January 1938 – 17 December 1983) was a British

ancient historian Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...

and

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 ...

. She was Assistant-Professor and then Professor at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

(1969–1983). Wightman was best known for her studies ''Roman Trier'' and ''Gallia Belgica''.

Biography

Edith Mary Wightman was born on 1 January 1938 in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, the daughter of R. J. and Edith W. Wightman. She undertook undergraduate studies at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, receiving her MA in 1960. Next, she studied in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

with

Ian Richmond Sir Ian Archibald Richmond, (10 May 1902 – 5 October 1965) was a British archaeologist and academic. He was Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire at the University of Oxford. In addition, he was Director of the British School at Rom ...

and C.E. Stevens, receiving a diploma in Classical Archaeology in 1962, and a DPhil in 1968. Her dissertation on Roman

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

and the

Treveri The Trēverī (Gaulish: *''Trēueroi'') were a Celtic tribe of the Belgae group who inhabited the lower valley of the Moselle from around 150 BCE, if not earlier, until their displacement by the Franks. Their domain lay within the southern fringe ...

was published as a monograph in 1970. Wightman lectured at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

from 1965 to 1969, before joining the Department of History at

in 1969, replacing her predecessor

Edward Togo Salmon Edward Togo Salmon (May 29, 1905, in London, England – 1988) was an ancient historian best known for his work on the Samnites and the Romanization of Italy. Life Salmon was born in London, England, and was given his middle name after Admi ...

as Professor of Ancient History. Wightman undertook archaeological fieldwork in the Mediterranean as part of three projects; at Monte Irsi under the direction of Alaster Small, as co-director of the Second Canadian Team excavations at

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

alongside

Colin Wells Colin Wells may refer to: *Colin Wells (actor) (born 1963), English actor in ''Titus'' *Colin Wells (cricketer) (born 1960), English cricketer *Colin Wells (historian) (1933–2010), English classicist *Colin Wells (Spooks) Colin Wells may refer to ...

, and as the director of the multidisciplinary field survey project in the

Liri Valley {{refimprove, date=December 2020 The Valle del Liri (''Liri valley'') is a valley and a geographical region of southern Lazio and part of the larger Latin Valley, located in the province of Frosinone, crossed by the Liri river (as well as the Val ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Wightman's work has been described as a "model of how to combine literary, epigraphic, and archaeological data with caution and imagination Research for ''Gallia Belgica'' involved annual research visits to archaeological institutes in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Her posthumously published survey of

Gallia Belgica Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and Germany. In 50 BC, af ...

has been described as "magisterial", and John Percival stated that "it is hard to think of a better study of an individual Roman province in terms of comprehensiveness and reliability". Underlying her work was a "concern for the Roman countryside and its population". She was noted for her skill as a researcher and as a teacher, and as "a much loved and respected scholar".

Death

Wightman was murdered on 17 December 1983 in her office at

. She was found lying on the floor with her eyes and mouth bound with surgical tape and her hands handcuffed behind her back. According to the police, credit cards were missing and robbery was probably the motive for the killing.

Honours

Wightman was elected as a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

in 1973, a foreign associate member of the

Société des Antiquaires de France The Société des Antiquaires de France (Society of Antiquaries of France) is a Parisian historical and archaeological society, founded in 1804 under the name of the Académie celtique (Celtic Academy). It is now based at the Louvre, in the pavil ...

in 1976, and a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...

in 1982.

Works

* Wightman, E. 1970. ''Roman Trier and the Treveri''. Oxford * Wightman, E.M. 1974. La Gaule chevelue entre César et Auguste. In ''Actes du IXeme Congres International d'études sur les Frontières Romaines, Mamaïa, 6-13 septembre 1972.'' * Wightman, E.M. 1975. The pattern of rural settlement in Roman Gaul. ''ANRW'' 2.4: 584-657 * Wightman, E.M. 1977. Military arrangements, native settlements and related developments in early Roman Gaul. ''Helinium'' 17, 105-126. * Wightman, E. 1978. Peasants and potentates: an investigation of social structure and land tenure in Roman Gaul. ''American Journal of Ancient History'' 3. * Wightman, E. 1980. The plan of Roman Carthage, in ''New Light on Ancient Carthage'' (Ann Arbor, 1980), 29-46 * Wightman, E. 1981. The lower Liri valley: problems, trends and peculiaritiies. In G. Barker and R. Hodges (eds.) ''Archaeology and Italian Society. Prehistoric, Roman and Medieval Studies''. Oxford: BAR International Series 102. * Wightman, E. 1985. ''Gallia Belgica''. London: B. T. Batsford * Wightman, E.M. 1994a The Iron Age. In J.W. Hayes and I.P. Martini (eds.) ''Archaeological survey in the Lower Liri Valley, Central Italy'' (BAR International Series 595). Oxford, Tempus Reparatum. 13-17. * Wightman, E.M. 1994b Communications. In J.W. Hayes and I.P. Martini (eds.) ''Archaeological survey in the Lower Liri Valley, Central Italy'' (BAR International Series 595). Oxford, Tempus Reparatum. 30-33. * Hayes, J.W. and Wightman, E.M. (1984) Interamna Lirenas: risultati di ricerche in superficie 1979-1981. In S. QuiliciGigli (ed.) ''Archeologia Laziale VI'' (Quaderni del Centro di Studio per l'Archeologia Etrusco-Italica 8). Roma, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. 137-148.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wightman, Edith 1938 births 1983 deaths Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Oxford Classical archaeologists British archaeologists McMaster University faculty British women archaeologists Scottish expatriates in Canada British women historians 20th-century archaeologists People murdered in Ontario 1983 murders in Canada 1983 in Ontario