Robert Everett Allen Palmer II (August 15, 1982 – March 11, 2006) was an historian and a leading figure in the study of archaic

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. At the time of his death was

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

classical studies 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 ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. Palmer earned both his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(1953) and his

Ph.D. 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 a ...

(1956) from the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

. Palmer started his teaching career at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

. He began his Penn career in 1961 as an assistant professor of classical studies and was promoted to associate professor in 1966, and professor in 1970. Palmer was an historian of ancient Rome, with particular interests in Roman religion and epigraphy. He was the author of numerous articles and several books. His most important research was a project on the neighborhoods (''vici'') of ancient Rome. Palmer died at his home in

Haverford, Pennsylvania Haverford is an unincorporated community located in both Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, and Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, approximately west of Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) open ...

at the age of 73.

Bibliography

* ''The king and the comitium: a study of Rome's oldest public document'' (1969). * ''Roman Religion and Roman Empire'' (1974). * ''The Archaic Community of the Romans'' (1970). * ''Rome and Carthage at Peace'' (1997).

References

* University of Pennsylvania Almanac v. 52, no. 27 (28 March 200

* Obituary in ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Robert E.A. 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers American classical scholars 1933 births 2006 deaths Classical scholars of the University of Pennsylvania Scholars of Roman history Johns Hopkins University alumni American male non-fiction writers