Peter Astbury Brunt
FBA (23 June 19175 November 2005) was a British academic and
ancient historian. He was
Camden Professor of Ancient History at the
University of Oxford from 1970 to 1982. During his career, he lectured at the
University of St Andrews,
Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...
,
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...
.
Early life
Brunt was born on 23 June 1917 in
Coulsdon, Surrey, to the Rev Samuel Brunt, a
Methodist minister, and Gladys Eileen Brunt (née Blewett).
He was educated at
Ipswich School, a
public school
Public school may refer to:
* State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government
* Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
in
Ipswich, Suffolk.
In 1935,
he won a scholarship to study history at
Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...
.
The decision to study modern history was based on his belief that his
Ancient Greek, specifically his composition, was not good enough to win a scholarship to read
classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
.
However, he did change to
classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
and took a
First in
Mods in 1937 and a First in
Greats in 1939.
Having graduated with a
double first, he was awarded the Craven Fellowship in 1939.
However, with the outbreak of
World War II, his academic career went on hold. He volunteered but
flat feet prevented him from serving in the military.
Instead, he joined the
Ministry of Shipping, later the
Ministry of War Transport, as a civil servant.
He served as Temporary Assistant Principal, and later Temporary Principal.
His main duties involved the relinquishing of French ships, and dealing with the legal and diplomatic fallout from this.
He additionally spent his nights on fire fighting duty with the
Air Raid Precautions
Air Raid Precautions (ARP) refers to a number of organisations and guidelines in the United Kingdom dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air raids. Government consideration for air raid precautions increased in the 1920s an ...
.
His work as a civil servant allowed him to develop some skill as an administrator and afforded him experiences that he might not have had as a student. Notably, during air-raid duties he made the acquaintance of his fellow worker
Violet Bonham Carter, and in the Ministry of Shipping he started a long friendship with
Derek Allen
Derek Fortrose Allen (29 May 1910 – 13 June 1975) was Secretary of the British Academy from 1969 to 1973 and Treasurer of that organisation from 1973 until his death.
Born in Epsom, Surrey, Allen joined the British Museum staff in 1935 as ...
.
Academic career
In 1946, having been released from war-service, he returned to the
University of Oxford. He became a Senior Demy (graduate scholar) of
Magdalen College,
and took up the Craven Fellowship he had been awarded before the war in 1939.
There, he undertook research on the influence of
Stoicism
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century Common Era, BCE. It is a philosophy of personal virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asser ...
at Rome under the direction of Professor
Hugh Last,
and on the relations between governed and governors in the Roman Empire.
While studying at the
British School at Rome
The British School at Rome (BSR) is an interdisciplinary research centre supporting the arts, humanities and architecture.
History
The British School at Rome (BSR) was established in 1901 and granted a UK Royal Charter in 1912. Its mission is " ...
, he came to the belief that archaeological evidence could only be used to confirm something one already knew.
In 1947, he was offered a lecturing position. He stopped his
doctoral
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
research and took up the appointment of lecturer in Ancient History at the
University of St Andrews.
He found living in St Andrews difficult as he had to vacate his rooms during the summer months and this disrupted his research.
He returned to the University of Oxford in 1951 and joined
Oriel College as
fellow and tutor in ancient history.
One focus of interest during this period was that of
ancient slavery.
He also lectured on
Thucydides in the first few years, and he wrote a revised edition of
Jowett's translation of ''
History of the Peloponnesian War'' with a new introduction in 1963.
He served as
Dean of Oriel College from 1959 to 1964.
From 1968 to 1970, he left Oxford University to serve as
Bursar of
Gonville and Caius College,
University of Cambridge.
During this time he completed two books.,
one of which—Italian Manpower, 225 BC-AD 14 (Oxford University Press, 1971—was arguably the most innovative book about Roman history written in English since the Second World War. In 1970, he was elected
Camden Professor of Ancient History and joined
Brasenose College, University of Oxford, as a professorial fellow.
Outside of university, he held a number of positions. He was editor of ''
The Oxford Magazine'' for two years from 1963 to 1964.
He was a delegate of the
Oxford University Press from 1971 to 1979.
He served as a member of the council of the
British School at Rome
The British School at Rome (BSR) is an interdisciplinary research centre supporting the arts, humanities and architecture.
History
The British School at Rome (BSR) was established in 1901 and granted a UK Royal Charter in 1912. Its mission is " ...
from 1972 to 1987.
He was President of the
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies from 1980 to 1983.
He retired early in 1982 because of ill-health.
Later life
After retirement, Brunt stayed in Oxford and continued his academic research.
He revised a number of past papers and wrote new chapters to produce and publish three new books;
on the Roman republic in 1988, the Roman Empire in 1990, and on Ancient Greece in 1992.
He lived with his mother until her death.
In autumn 2005, a cancerous tumour was discovered in his oesophagus but he refused treatment.
He died on 5 November 2005 after spending time in the
Sobell House Hospice, Oxford.
Personal life
Brunt developed a close relationship with one of his students at the University of St Andrews.
However, she rejected his marriage proposal.
She moved to America and married someone there. He never contemplated marriage after that, remaining a lifelong
bachelor, and her photograph remained on his bookcase until his death.
He had become an
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
by the time he had started university.
Honours
Brunt was elected
Fellow of the British Academy
Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are:
# Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom
# C ...
(FBA) in 1969.
In 1973, he was awarded an
honorary fellowship at his alma mater
Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...
.
Selected works
*
*''Social conflicts in the Roman republic''. Chatto & Windus, London 1971.
*''The fall of the Roman Republic and related essays''. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1988.
*''Roman imperial themes''. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1990.
*''Studies in Greek history and thought''. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1993.
References
External links
Obituary – The Daily Telegraph''*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunt, Peter
1917 births
2005 deaths
People educated at Ipswich School
Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford
Scholars of Roman history
English classical scholars
Fellows of Oriel College, Oxford
Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford
Fellows of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Fellows of the British Academy
People from Coulsdon
Camden Professors of Ancient History
Classical scholars of the University of St Andrews
20th-century English male writers