Sylvia Benton
FSA,
FSA Scot (18 August 1887 – 12 September 1985) was a British
classical archaeologist
Classical archaeology is the archaeological investigation of the Mediterranean civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Nineteenth-century archaeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann were drawn to study the societies they had read about i ...
, best known for her work on
ancient Greece
Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...
and the
Sculptor's Cave
The Sculptor's Cave is a sandstone cave on the south shore of the Moray Firth in Scotland, near the small settlement of Covesea, between Burghead and Lossiemouth in Moray. It is named after the Pictish carvings incised on the walls of the cave n ...
in
Moray
Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.
Between 1975 ...
, Scotland. Benton was elected a
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1928 and a
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
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 ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1937.
Early life and education
Sylvia Benton was born 18 August 1887 in India at
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
. At the time, her father, Alexander Hay Benton, was a judge of the
Chief Court of India. Her mother was Rose Sheriffston from
Moray
Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.
Between 1975 ...
,
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 ...
. She attended
St Margaret's Primary School in
Polmont, Scotland and Wimbledon High School in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
From 1907 to 1910, Benton attended
Girton College, Cambridge, studying the
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 ...
. After Cambridge, she taught high school in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
and returned to Cambridge to gain a Teachers Training Certificate. Thereafter, she held teaching posts in schools at
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...
,
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and
Clapham for fifteen years. During this time she developed an interest in
classical archeology
Classical archaeology is the archaeological investigation of the Mediterranean civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Nineteenth-century archaeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann were drawn to study the societies they had read about i ...
and the study of
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
.
Benton traveled throughout
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
in 1926. In 1927 to 1928 she was a student at the
British School at Athens
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, caption = The library of the BSA
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, motto=
, founder = The Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, called the foundation meeti ...
and assisted archeologist and school instructor, W.A. Heurtley, with excavations in
Chalkidiki in Northern Greece. Benton was turned down for the 1928-1929 term at the school, because she had disobeyed an order from the school's Director not to climb the
Taygetus mountains alone. She continued to assist Heurtley in his excavations in 1929. Benton was accepted at the School of Athens for the 1929-1930 school term. She participated in excavations with Heurtley in Macedonia and Servia in 1930, and Armenochori in 1931.
She continued to travel throughout Greece, often accompanying archaeologists, including
Ralegh Radford
Courtenay Arthur Ralegh Radford (7 November 1900 – 27 December 1998) was an English archaeologist and historian who pioneered the exploration of the Dark Ages of Britain and popularised his findings in many official guides and surveys for the O ...
and
John Pendlebury. She returned to
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 ...
to study for the Diploma in Classical Archaeology, which she obtained in 1932. Later, in 1934, she went on to acquire a B. Litt. with the dissertation, ''the Barony of Odysseus''.
Career
From 1928 to 1930, Benton was in Scotland, excavating the
Sculptor's Cave
The Sculptor's Cave is a sandstone cave on the south shore of the Moray Firth in Scotland, near the small settlement of Covesea, between Burghead and Lossiemouth in Moray. It is named after the Pictish carvings incised on the walls of the cave n ...
at Covesea on the south shore of
Moray Firth
The Moray Firth (; Scottish Gaelic: ''An Cuan Moireach'', ''Linne Mhoireibh'' or ''Caolas Mhoireibh'') is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotl ...
. She discovered evidence of human occupation dating to the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
, the
late Roman
Late may refer to:
* LATE, an acronym which could stand for:
** Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a proposed form of dementia
** Local-authority trading enterprise, a New Zealand business law
** Local average treatment effect, ...
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
, and the
medieval period
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
. Uncovering layers of sand on the floor of the cave, Benton found human remains, burnt deposits in the soil and evidence of ancient stone hearths. A large quantity of artefacts were uncovered that provided evidence of the dates of human occupation of the cave from the Late
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
to the medieval period. She later determined that Bronze Age artefacts found in the cave were similar to objects found in
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
during the same time period. In a report to the
Scottish Society of Antiquaries
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland.
The usua ...
in 1931, she proposed that the human occupants at the site had immigrated from Central Europe, which was contrary to the views of the Scottish Antiquarian community. Thirty years later, her views were widely accepted and the 'Covesea phase' was recognized as a significant time period of the Late Bronze Age in Scotland. Benton was elected as a
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1928.
Benton returned to Greece in 1930 and assisted in excavations under the direction of Huertley at
Ithaca
Ithaca most commonly refers to:
*Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey''
*Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca
*Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College
Ithaca, Ithaka ...
from 1930 to 1932 and in 1934. She also participated in the excavation of a cave at
Astakos
Astakos ( el, Αστακός, meaning "lobster") is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Xiromero, of which it is a municipal unit. in 1932 and
Zakynthos with
Hilda Lorimer
Elizabeth Hilda Lockhart Lorimer (30 May 1873 – 1 March 1954) was a British classical scholar who spent her career at Oxford University. Her best known work was in the field of Homeric archaeology and ancient Greece, but she also visited and ...
in 1934. . After Heurtley's retirement from the school in 1937, Benton began excavating on her own in North Ithaca, at Tris Langades, from 1937 to 1938. She returned to excavate at Aeots in 1938, where she uncovered important finds of
Geometric and Archaic periods of Ancient Greece. She continued to analyze those finds at the Vathy museum in Ithaca for several years and published several articles on her work.
Sylvia moved back to England late in August 1939 at the beginning of the
second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and found war work in London, initially for Naval Hydrography. Later she worked with London's fire-fighting brigade at night. Benton was badly injured in the bombing of London in 1945. By the spring of 1947. with the
war over, she was able to return to Greece and work at the Vathy museum in Ithaca. The
1953 Ionian earthquake
The 1953 Ionian earthquake (also known as the Great Kefalonia earthquake) struck the southern Ionian Islands in Greece on August 12. In mid-August, there were over 113 recorded earthquakes in the region between Kefalonia and Zakynthos, and the m ...
devastated the islands, killed several hundred people and destroyed many buildings. After the earthquake, Benton participated in the restoration of the museums at Vathy and Stavros. During this time period, she divided her time between Ithaca and her home 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 ...
, England.
In the 1950s, Sylvia focused her research on the themes of monsters, winds, birds in Greek art and literature. She authored several publications on the topics, but her work of twelve years on birds was not accepted for publication.
When Benton had completed her work at the Sculptor's Cave in 1930, she left behind a number of undisturbed deposits and artefacts on the floor of the cave for future archaeologists. Fifty years later in 1979, Benton returned to the cave during its excavation by archaeologists Ian and Alexandra Shepherd, to retrieve the remaining artefacts. Benton, at the age of 92, climbed down a high scaffolding on the cliff face above the cave to view the progress of the excavation by the archeological team.
Benton moved to
Lossiemouth,
Moray
Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.
Between 1975 ...
in 1970 when she retired, and later to
Kincraig in 1984, where her family was located. After a fall, she died in an
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
hospital on 12 September 1985, at the age of 98.
Selected publications
* 1928 "Antiquities from Thiaki", BSA 29, 113–116.
* 1931 "The Ionian Islands", BSA 32, 213–246. "The Excavation of the Sculptor’s Cave, Covesea, Morayshire", Proc. Soc. Ant. Soc. 65, 177–216. "An unlucky sword from Mycenae", Geographical Journal.
* 1935 "Excavations at Ithaca III, The Cave of at Polis, 1" BSA 35, 45–73.
* 1937 "Herakles and Eurystheus at Knossos", JHS 57, 38–43.
* 1939 "Excavations at Ithaca III; The cave at Polis, 2" BSA 39, 1–51.
* 1949 "Second thoughts on "Mycenaean" pottery in Ithaca", BSA 44, 307–312.
* 1950 "The dating of Horses on Stands and Spectacle fibulae in Greece", JHS 70, 16–22.
* 1953 "Further Excavations at Aetos", BSA 48, 255–358.
* 1959 "The Cup of Arkesilas", Archaeology 12, 3, 178–82.
* 1961 "Cattle egrets and bustards in Greek art", JHS 81, 42–55.
* 1970 "Nereids and two Attic pyxides", JHS 90, 193–194.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benton, Sylvia
1887 births
1985 deaths
People educated at Wimbledon High School
Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge
British archaeologists
British women archaeologists
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
British women historians
20th-century archaeologists
British people in colonial India