Herodes Britannicus: Funding Excavations in Laconia

The BSA struggled to raise money for its work. The £500 grant from the British government in effect covered the director's stipend. Special funds were created for specific projects, notably the Laconian Exploration Fund. George Macmillan, as chairman of the Managing Committee, had made an appeal in February 1906 for a sum 'not than £700 or £800'.

At the Annual Meeting of Subscribers on October 27, 1908. Lord Cromer, the president, commented:

Lastly, let me say something of the financial outlook. You may remember that, at a period before the Government had decided to make a grant of £500, for which we are all very grateful, Lord Sherborne advised those who were interested in the Institution to fall back on the generosity of some British Herodes Atticus. Well, gentlemen, during the course of last year a most welcome Herodes Britannicus vel Americanus appeared in the person of Mr. Astor, who gave the munificent and wholly unsolicited gift of £1,000 for the Spartan excavations. (Cheers)

William Waldorf Astor (1848-1919) was owner of Hever Castle in Kent (and former owner of Clivedon House in Buckinghamshire). He had become a British subject in 1899.

Image
The Eurotas valley from Mistra. © David Gill.

BSA and Museum Catalogues

John L. Myres held to prepare a Catalogue of the Cyprus Museum (1899) that presented some of the work of the Cyprus Exploration Fund directed by Ernest Gardner. He subsequently researched the catalogue of the Cesnola Collection in New York.

As part of Bosanquet's work in Laconia, M.N. Tod and A.J.B. Wace prepared A Catalogue of the Sparta Museum (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906). This led to invitation for the BSA to be involved with the production of a catalogue for the Acropolis Museum. One of the key researchers was Guy Dickins (who was killed during the First World War): Stanley Casson had to prepare the second volume for publication in 1921. Dorothy Lamb worked on the terracottas.

References
Ohnefalsch-Richter, M. H., and J. L. Myres. 1899. A Catalogue of the Cyprus Museum: with a Chronicle of Excavations Undertaken since the British Occupation, and Introductory Notes on Cypriote Archaeology. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Tod, M. N., and A. J. B. Wace. 1906. A Catalogue of the Sparta Museum. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Myres, J. L. 1914. Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of Antiquities from Cyprus. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Dickins, G. 1912. Catalogue of the Acropolis Museum I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Casson, S. (ed.) 1921. Catalogue of the Acropolis Museum II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Publishing the results of BSA projects

Articles on BSA projects were initially published in The Journal of Hellenic Studies and then in The Annual of the British School at Athens (from vol. 1 for the session 1894/95). Reports on major projects (Megalopolis, Phylakopi and Sparta) then appeared as Supplementary Papers for the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies:

• Gardner, E. A., W. Loring, G. C. Richards, W. J. Woodhouse, and R. W. Schultz. 1892. Excavations at Megalopolis, 1890-1891. Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. Supplementary Paper, vol. 1. London: Macmillan.
• Atkinson, T. D., R. C. Bosanquet, C. C. Edgar, A. J. Evans, D. G. Hogarth, D. Mackenzie, C. Harcourt-Smith, and F. B. Welch. 1904. Excavations at Phylakopi in Melos. Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, Supplementary Paper, vol. 4. London: Macmillan.
  
• Dawkins, R. M. 1929. The sanctuary of Artemis Orthia at Sparta. Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, Supplementary Paper, vol. 5. London: Macmillan. [digital]
  

These Supplementary Papers also published the results of the Asia Minor Exploration Fund:

• Headlam, A. C. 1892. Ecclesiastical sites in Isauria (Cilicia Trachea). Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. Supplementary Paper, vol. 2. London: Macmillan.

The third Supplementary Paper was relevant to the work in Athens:

• Middleton, J. H. (ed. E.A. Gardner) 1900. Plans and drawings of Athenian buildings. Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. Supplementary Paper, vol. 3. London: Macmillan.

Results from excavations at Palaikastro were published after the First World War as a supplement to the Annual:

• Bosanquet, R. C., and R. M. Dawkins. 1923. The unpublished objects from Palaikastro excavations, 1902-1906. British School at Athens supplementary papers, vol. 1. London: British School at Athens.

Epigraphy and Cambridge students

Ernest Stewart Roberts (1847-1912) was one of the significant influences on Cambridge students for the study of epigraphy. He was college lecturer in classics at Gonville & Caius (and later Master). One of his students was Ernest Gardner (1862-1939), the first student at and second director of the BSA. They later collaborated on Roberts' two volume Introduction to Greek Epigraphy (1887-1905).

Gardner had published the Greek inscriptions from Petrie's excavations at Naukratis as well as studies of Cockerell's notes on Greek inscriptions. Henry J.W. Tillyard (1881-1968) was also a student at Caius. He was admitted to the BSA as assistant librarian (1904/05) and took part in the work in Laconia publishing the inscriptions from Geraki and Sparta (1906, 1907).

Few other Cambridge students published inscriptions. William Loring (1865-1915) published a fragment from the Edict of Diocletian from Megalopolis, and some new inscriptions from the site of ancient Tegea. Vincent Yorke (1869-1957) took part in the surveys of eastern Anatolia and published some of the finds. Caroline Amy Hutton (c. 1861-1931) published some funerary texts from Suvla Bay, and the Greek inscriptions from Petworth House.

Alan Wace (and Maurice Thompson) published a Latin inscription of the reign of Trajan that they had noted in Macedonia. However they seemed to have passed their notes on inscriptions to Oxford-trained Marcus N. Tod and Arthur M. Woodward.

Select bibliography
Gardner, E. A. 1885a. "Inscriptions copied by Cockerell in Greece, I." Journal of Hellenic Studies 6: 143-52.
—. 1885b. "Inscriptions copied by Cockerell in Greece, II." Journal of Hellenic Studies 6: 340-63.
—. 1885c. "Inscriptions from Cos, &c." Journal of Hellenic Studies 6: 248-60.
—. 1886. "An inscription from Chalcedon." Journal of Hellenic Studies 7: 154-56.
—. 1887. "An inscription from Boeae." Journal of Hellenic Studies 8: 214-15.
—. 1893. "The Archermus inscription." Classical Review 7: 140-41.
Hutton, C. A. 1914/16a. "The Greek inscriptions at Petworth House." Annual of the British School at Athens 21: 155-65.
—. 1914/16b. "Two sepulchral inscriptions from Suvla Bay." Annual of the British School at Athens 21: 166-68.
Loring, W. 1890. "A new portion of the edict of Diocletian from Megalopolis." Journal of Hellenic Studies 11: 299-342.
—. 1895. "Four fragmentary inscriptions." Journal of Hellenic Studies 15: 90-92.
Tillyard, H. J. W. 1904/05a. "Boundary and mortgage stones from Attica." Annual of the British School at Athens 11: 63-71.
—. 1904/05b. "Laconia II. Geraki. 3. Inscriptions." Annual of the British School at Athens 11: 105-12.
—. 1905/06a. "Laconia II. Excavations at Sparta, 1906. § 9. Inscriptions from the Artemisium." Annual of the British School at Athens 12: 351-93.
—. 1905/06b. "Laconia II. Excavations at Sparta, 1906. § 14. Inscriptions from the altar, the acropolis, and other sites." Annual of the British School at Athens 12: 441-79.
Tod, M. N. 1922. "Greek inscriptions from Macedonia." Journal of Hellenic Studies 42: 167-83.
Tod, M. N., H. J. W. Tillyard, and A. M. Woodward. 1906/07. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1907. § 10. The inscriptions." Annual of the British School at Athens 13: 174-218.
Wace, A. J. B., and M. S. Thompson. 1910/11. "A Latin inscription from Perrhaebia." Annual of the British School at Athens 17: 193-204.
Wace, A. J. B., and A. M. Woodward. 1911/12. "Inscriptions from Upper Macedonia." Annual of the British School at Athens 18: 166-88.
Woodward, A. M. 1913. "Inscriptions from Thessaly and Macedonia." Journal of Hellenic Studies 33: 313-46.
Yorke, V. W. 1898. "Inscriptions from eastern Asia Minor." Journal of Hellenic Studies 18: 306-27.

Sparta 1910: the excavation team

The 1910 team consisted of:

• Richard Dawkins (director)
• Wilfrid J. Farrell
• Henry A. Ormerod

Publications:
Dawkins, R. M. 1909/10a. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1910. § 1. The season's work." Annual of the British School at Athens 16: 1-3.
—. 1909/10b. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1910. § 2. The Mycenaean city near the Menelaion." Annual of the British School at Athens 16: 4-11.
—. 1909/10c. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1910. § 3. The Eleusinion at Kalyvia tes Sochás." Annual of the British School at Athens 16: 12-14.
—. 1909/10d. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1910. § 4. Artemis Orthia: the excavation of 1910." Annual of the British School at Athens 16: 15-17.
—. 1909/10e. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1910. § 5. Artemis Orthia: the history of the sanctuary." Annual of the British School at Athens 16: 18-53.
Woodward, A. M. 1909/10. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1910. § 6. The inscriptions." Annual of the British School at Athens 16: 54-61.

Sparta 1909: the excavation team

The 1909 team consisted of:

• Richard Dawkins (director)
• Alan Wace
• John P. Droop
• A.M. Woodward
• Maurice S. Thompson
• Walter George (draughtsman and surveyor)

Publications:
Dawkins, R. M. 1908/9. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1909. § 1. The season's work." Annual of the British School at Athens 15: 1-4.
—. 1908/09. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1909. § 2. The sanctuary of Artemis Orthia." Annual of the British School at Athens 15: 5-22.
Droop, J. P. 1908/09. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1909. § 3. The pottery." Annual of the British School at Athens 15: 23-39.
Giles, P. 1908/09. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1909. § 5. Lycurgus as Patronomus. A Scottish parallel." Annual of the British School at Athens 15: 107.
Wace, A. J. B., M. S. Thompson, and J. P. Droop. 1908/09. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1909. § 6. The Menelaion." Annual of the British School at Athens 15: 108-57.
Woodward, A. M. 1908/09. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1909. § 4. The inscriptions." Annual of the British School at Athens 15: 40-106.

Sparta 1908: the excavation team

The 1908 team consisted of:

• Richard Dawkins (director)
• Alan Wace
• Guy Dickins
• John P. Droop
• A.M. Woodward
• 'other students'

Publications:
Dawkins, R. M. 1907/08a. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1908. § 1. The season's work." Annual of the British School at Athens 14: 1-3.
—. 1907/08b. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1908. § 2. The sanctuary of Artemis Orthia." Annual of the British School at Athens 14: 4-29.
Dickins, G. 1907/08. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1908. § 6. The hieron of Athena Chalkioikos." Annual of the British School at Athens 14: 142-46.
Droop, J. P. 1907/08. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1908. § 3. The pottery." Annual of the British School at Athens 14: 30-47.
Farrell, J. 1907/08. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1908. § 4. The archaic terracottas from the sanctuary of Orthia." Annual of the British School at Athens 14: 48-73.
Wace, A. J. B. 1907/08a. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1908. § 7. A third-century marble head." Annual of the British School at Athens 14: 147-48.
—. 1907/08b. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1908. § 8. A hoard of Hellenistic coins." Annual of the British School at Athens 14: 149-58.
Woodward, A. M. 1907/08. "Laconia I. Excavations at Sparta, 1908. § 5. The inscriptions." Annual of the British School at Athens 14: 74-141.