The grave of Sir George Macdonald, Dean Cemetery

Sir George Macdonald (30 January 1862 – 9 August 1940) was a British

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 ...

and

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 ...

who studied the Antonine Wall.

Life

Macdonald was born in Elgin on 30 January 1862. His father, James Macdonald, was a schoolmaster at Elgin Academy and his mother was Margaret Raff. His father moved from Elgin Academy to Ayr Academy during his early youth. Macdonald was educated at

Ayr Academy Ayr Academy (Scottish Gaelic: ''Acadamaidh Inbhir Àir'') is a non-denominational secondary school situated within the Craigie Estate area at University Avenue in Ayr, South Ayrshire. It is a comprehensive school for children of ages 11–18 fro ...

where his father had become rector. He studied in Germany and France, then 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

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

, graduating

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1887. He then took up a post teaching Classics at

Kelvinside Academy Kelvinside Academy is an independent day school in Glasgow, Scotland, founded in 1878. It has a capacity of over 600 pupils and spans two years of Nursery, six years of Junior School (primary school), a transition year of Senior Preparatory, and ...

. In 1892 he began lecturing in Greek at

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 , ...

Gilbert Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray (2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957) was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece ...

's assistant. At this time he lived at 21 Lilybank Gardens in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. Macdonald was involved in archaeological excavations from 1902, when he excavated

Bar Hill Fort Bar Hill Fort was a Roman fort on the Antonine Wall in Scotland. It was built around the year 142 A.D.. Older maps and documents sometimes spell the name as Barr Hill. A computer generated fly around for the site has been produced. Lidar scans ...

with Alexander Park. One of his obituaries says "scholarship is not incompatible with administrative ability". He employed "scientific method and equipment" in his fieldwork and excavations, resulting in new discoveries in the discipline of Romano-British history. Macdonald's father had also an interest in Roman archaeology. His book ''The Roman Wall in Scotland'' (1911, revised 1934) was important in that it "drew together all known sites into one comprehensive volume". Macdonald was a significant influence on

Anne Strachan Robertson Anne Strachan Robertson FSA FSAScot FRSE FMA FRNS (3 May 1910 – 4 October 1997) was a Scottish archaeologist, numismatist and writer, who was Professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Glasgow and Keeper of the Cultural Collect ...

, one of his students; her obituary states that "Her own rich contribution owed much to the influence of Sir George Macdonald, who dominated Romano-British studies between the world wars. From him she imbibed the patience in noting details and the dispassionate weighing of evidence that Macdonald had so admired in Francis Haverfield, an earlier giant in the field". In 1904 Macdonald left academia to join the civil service as Assistant Secretary to the Scottish Education Directorates, being promoted to Secretary in 1922. He is "best remembered for establishing the Leaving Certificate Examination and for introducing the first superannuation scheme for teachers in Scotland". He retired in 1928. He married Margaret Tannahill Younger (1857-1951) in 1897. They had three children; George Henry Macdonald who died in infancy (1899-1899), Isobel Margaret Macdonald (1900-1927) and James Younger Macdonald (1902-1960). Macdonald died in

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 ...

on 9 August 1940, and is buried in the 20th-century extension to

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on ...

on Queensferry Road in western Edinburgh with his family. He bequeathed around two hundred books on classical archaeology to the library at Edinburgh University.

Awards and positions

From 1892-1904 Macdonald catalogued the collection of Greek coins in the

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology M ...

, Glasgow, and as a result was made Honorary Curator for life in 1905. This also led to him being awarded the prix Allier de Hauteroche in (1907). From 1921-26 he was president of the

Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (The Roman Society) was founded in 1910 as the sister society to the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. The Society is the leading organisation in the United Kingdom for those interest ...

, and from 1935-36 the 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 1927-30 he was appointed to the

Royal Commission on National Museums and Galleries The Royal Commission on National Museums and Galleries, which produced its final report in 1930, was a royal commission into the operation of museums and galleries in the United Kingdom. The Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries was establ ...

, and then the Standing Commission which followed it. He was chair of the

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government that was "sponsored" inanced and with oversightthrough Historic Scotland, an executive ...

from 1934 until his death. From 1933-40 he served as President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Macdonald was awarded the

medal of the Royal Numismatic Society The Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society was first awarded in 1883. It is awarded by the Royal Numismatic Society and is one of the highest markers of recognition given to numismatists. The President and Council award the Medal annually to an "in ...

in 1913. He received honorary doctorates from Oxford University, the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, the

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

and Edinburgh University. He was made a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(KCB) by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

in 1927. In 1932 a volume of the ''Journal of Roman Studies'' (22) was issued in his honour.

Portraits

Sir George Macdonald, 1862-1940. Archaeologist
by

Maurice Greiffenhagen Maurice Greiffenhagen (15 December 1862 – 26 December 1931

Sir George Macdonald, 1917
by

Walter Stoneman Walter Ernest Stoneman (6 April 1876 – 14 May 1958) was an English portrait photographer who took many photographs for the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London. Career as a photographer Stoneman was born in Plymouth, Devon, on 6 ...

References

Publications

* ''Catalogue of Greek Coins in the Hunterian Collection'', University of Glasgow, 3 vols (Glasgow, 1899-1905) * ''Coin Types: Their Origin and Development'' (the Rhind Lectures of 1904) (Glasgow, 1905). * ''The Roman Forts on the Bar Hill'', Dumbartonshire (Glasgow, 1906), with Alexander Park. * ''The Roman Wall in Scotland'' (the Dalrymple Lectures of 1910) (1911), revised and republished in 1934 * "The building of the Antonine Wall: a fresh study of the inscriptions". ''Journal of Roman Studies'' (1921) 11:1–24. * "Ancient Persian Coins in India", "Ancient Greek Coins in India" and "The Hellenic Kingdoms of Syria, Bactria and Parthia", in ''The Cambridge Ancient History of India'', vol. 1 (1922), pp. 342–4, 386-90, 427-66. * ''The Roman Occupation of Britain'' (the

Ford Lectures The Ford Lectures, technically the James Ford Lectures in British History, are an annual series of public lectures held at the University of Oxford on the subject of English or British history. They are usually devoted to a particular historical ...

delivered by

Francis Haverfield Francis John Haverfield, (8 November 1860 at Shipston-on-Stour – 1 October 1919) was an English ancient historian, archaeologist, and academic. From 1907 to 1919 he held the Camden Professorship of Ancient History at the University of Oxford ...

and revised by Macdonald) (Oxford 1924).

Life

Awards and positions

Portraits

References

Publications

Further reading