Anthony Richard Birley FSA | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 October 1937 Chesterholm, Northumberland, England |
| Died | 19 December 2020 (aged 83) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Archaeology and classics |
| Sub-discipline | Roman archaeology |
| Institutions |
|
Anthony Richard Birley FSA (8 October 1937 – 19 December 2020)[1] was a British ancient historian, archaeologist and academic. He was the son of Margaret Isabel (Goodlet) and historian and archaeologist Eric Birley.
Biography
Early life and education
He was the son of the archaeologist Eric Birley, who bought the house next to Vindolanda where Anthony and his brother Robin began to excavate the site. They both took part in many of the excavations there. He was educated at Clifton College, 1950–1955, and at Magdalen College, Oxford, 1956–1963, where he gained a first-class degree in Classics in 1960.[1]
Career
Birley remained at the University of Oxford with a Craven Fellowship from 1960 to 1962, and was then a research fellow at the University of Birmingham.[1] He moved to the University of Leeds as a lecturer, and was later promoted to Reader.[2] He was the Professor of Ancient History at the Victoria University of Manchester (1974–1990) and additionally at University of Düsseldorf (1990–2002).[3] He was an Honorary Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Durham.[2]
He was elected as Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA) in 1969,[4] and was a corresponding Member of the German Archaeological Institute (1981) and a member of Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften from 1994 to 2002.[2]
Birley was a founder Trustee of the Vindolanda Trust since 1970 and remained in this role until 2016, having also served as the Chair of Trustees from 1996 to 2016.[1]
Selected publications
- Hadrian's Wall an illustrated guide. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) (1963).
- Imperial Rome with drawings by the artist. Alan Sorrell London: Lutterworth Press (1970)
- Life in Roman Britain (1972)
- Lives of the Later Caesars (1976)
- The Fasti of Roman Britain, Clarendon Press (1981)
- The African Emperors: Septimius Severus (1988)
- Roman Papers, vol. 6, by Ronald Syme, edited by A. R. Birley (Clarendon Press 1991)
- The People of Roman Britain (1992)
- Marcus Aurelius: a Biography, London: Routledge, (1993)
- Anatolica - Studies in Strabo, by Ronald Syme, edited by A. R. Birley (Oxford: OUP 1995)
- Vindolanda Research Reports (new series) 6 vols. (1996)
- Hadrian: the Restless Emperor, London: Routledge, (1997)*Eques Romanus - Reiter und Ritter (in German) by Michel Stemmler, edited by A. R. Birley (Peter Lang GmbH, 1997)
- Onomasticon to the Younger Pliny, Clarendon Press (2000)
- Garrison Life at Vindolanda: a Band of Brothers, Stroud: Tempus, (2002)
- Septimius Severus: the African Emperor, London: Routledge, (2004)
- The Roman Government of Britain (2005)
- Agricola and Germany (2009)
References
- ^ a b c d "Anthony Birley 1937-2020". Vindolanda Trust. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ a b c "Prof. Anthony R. Birley FSA". University of Durham. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Anthony R. Birley". Institue of Advanced Studies. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Prof Anthony Birley". Society of Antiquaries of London. Retrieved 21 January 2021.