Concordia

Concordia Winter 2021

Aksum, Ethiopia. Conducting the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on His Holiness’ tour of the excavations in 1995.

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later, I eventually reached a compromise, directing excavations at Aksum in Ethiopia, to investigate an African civilisation that had developed close contacts with the classical eastern Mediterranean world during the early centuries AD. NOTES *Indicates a former staff-member of the British Museum +Attended MTS at Charterhouse Square. OMTs not so identified went to Sandy Lodge.

and archaeological studies. At school, I had specialised in Classics, but found the study of ancient history, civilisation and material culture far more interesting than the literary matters that formed the major part of the curriculum. Hugh Elder was Head Master throughout my time at Merchant Taylors’. I found him approachable and understanding, but have been disappointed to see that some recent comments on his tenure have been rather negative and unsympathetic to his achievements. Following wise advice from my Form Master in the Classical Sixth that I seek to take Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge, I submitted applications to several colleges, indicating an ambition to read those subjects for part 1 of the trios, but Classical Archaeology for part 2. The university regulations clearly stated that such a combination was permissible, but I soon discovered that no-one had ever actually done it; part 2 Classical Archaeology having been taken exclusively by undergraduates who had studied Latin and Greek for part 1. This was a fate that I was anxious to escape. The hand of tradition was so strong that most of the colleges which I approached refused to consider my application, but eventually Gonville & Caius relented and placed my name on their waiting list, offering me a place for October 1961. Such is the way of undergraduates that, no sooner had I embarked on Archaeology & Anthropology part 1, I decided that I wanted to remain in that Faculty and specialise in Palaeolithic Archaeology for part 2. This would give greater emphasis to practical fieldwork and to archaeological methodology without linguistic and literary distractions. Thirty years

The same tomb on conclusion of the excavation.