Georgina Herrmann, (born 20 October 1937) is a British retired
archaeologist and academic, specialising in
Near Eastern archaeology
Near Eastern archaeology is a regional branch of the wider, global discipline of archaeology. It refers generally to the excavation and study of artifacts and material culture of the Near East from antiquity to the recent past.
Definition
The ...
. Having worked as a
civil servant, she later studied archaeology and spent the rest of her career as an active field archaeologist and
lecturer. She was
Reader
A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to:
Computing and technology
* Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader
* Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application
* A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...
in the Archaeology of Western Asia 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 = ...
from 1994 to 2002.
Early life and education
Herrmann was born on 20 October 1937 to John and Gladys Thompson. He first career was as a secretary in the
Foreign Office from 1956 to 1961. She then returned to education, and studied for a
postgraduate diploma
A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PG, PDE) is a postgraduate qualification awarded after a university degree, which supplements the original degree and awards them with a graduate diploma. Countries that award pos ...
at the
Institute of Archaeology, University of London, which she completed in 1963. She then undertook research at
St Hugh's College, Oxford, graduating 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 ...
(DPhil) degree in 1966.
Her
doctoral thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
was titled "The source, distribution, history and use of
Lapis Lazuli in western Asia from the earliest times to the end of the
Seleucid
The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...
era": this was the first extensive study of the Lapis Lazuli trade originating in Afghanistan. Her
doctoral supervisor
A doctoral advisor (also dissertation director, dissertation advisor; or doctoral supervisor) is a member of a university faculty whose role is to guide graduate students who are candidates for a doctorate, helping them select coursework, as well ...
was
Max Mallowan
Sir Max Edgar Lucien Mallowan (6 May 1904 – 19 August 1978) was a prominent British archaeologist, specialising in ancient Middle Eastern history. He was the second husband of Dame Agatha Christie.
Life and work
Born Edgar Mallowan in Wands ...
.
Academic career
Herrmann began her academic career as J. R. MacIver
Junior Research Fellow at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
from 1966 to 1968. She was Calouste Gulbenkian Fellow at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
from 1974 to 1976. She was Regents’ Professor at
University of California at Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...
in 1986.
From 1985 to 1991, she held a
Leverhulme Research Fellowship and was a part-time
lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology, University of London.
With the Institute merging into
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
(UCL) in 1986, she was a lecturer in
Mesopotamian archaeology at UCL from 1991 to 1993 and
Reader
A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to:
Computing and technology
* Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader
* Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application
* A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...
in the Archaeology of
Western Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
from 1993 until she retired in 2002.
Herrmann's early research interests included
Sasanian
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
rock reliefs in Iran, the
third millennium BCE
The 3rd millennium BC spanned the years 3000 through 2001 BC. This period of time corresponds to the Early to Middle Bronze Age, characterized by the early empires in the Ancient Near East. In Ancient Egypt, the Early Dynastic Period is followe ...
lapis lazuli trade from Afghanistan, and the
Nimrud ivories
The Nimrud ivories are a large group of small carved ivory plaques and figures dating from the 9th to the 7th centuries BC that were excavated from the Assyrian city of Nimrud (in modern Ninawa in Iraq) during the 19th and 20th centuries. The iv ...
.
In 1992, she became director of the excavations at
Merv
Merv ( tk, Merw, ', مرو; fa, مرو, ''Marv''), also known as the Merve Oasis, formerly known as Alexandria ( grc-gre, Ἀλεξάνδρεια), Antiochia in Margiana ( grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐν τῇ Μαργιανῇ) and ...
, a
Silk Road oasis site in
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
.
She played a key role in the successful application for Merv to become the first
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in Central Asia, which was granted in 1999.
In retirement, she was a visiting honorary research professor between 2002 and 2020, and she has been
emeritus reader since 2020.
She was a member of council of the
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...
between 2012 and 2015.
Personal life
In 1965, Georgina Thompson married
Luke John Herrmann,
a German-born British art historian. Together they had two sons. Her husband predeceased her, dying in 2016.
Honours
On 4 January 1968, Herrmann 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 1996, she was awarded the
Rolex Award for Enterprise in Cultural Heritage for her work leading the excavation at
Merv
Merv ( tk, Merw, ', مرو; fa, مرو, ''Marv''), also known as the Merve Oasis, formerly known as Alexandria ( grc-gre, Ἀλεξάνδρεια), Antiochia in Margiana ( grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐν τῇ Μαργιανῇ) and ...
.
In 1997, she was elected an honorary foreign member of the
American Institute of Archaeology.
In 1999, she 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 2001, she was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Selected works
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herrmann, Georgina
1937 births
Living people
British archaeologists
British women archaeologists
20th-century archaeologists
21st-century archaeologists
Archaeologists of the Near East
Fellows of the British Academy
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Academics of University College London
20th-century British civil servants
21st-century British women writers
20th-century British women writers
British women historians
Alumni of the UCL Institute of Archaeology
Alumni of St Hugh's College, Oxford
Academics of the University of Oxford
Academics of the University of Cambridge
Academics of the UCL Institute of Archaeology