Professor Robert William (Bob) Sharples (28 May 1949 – 11 August 2010) was a British educator and authority on

ancient Greek philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC, marking the end of the Greek Dark Ages. Greek philosophy continued throughout the Hellenistic period and the period in which Greece and most Greek-inhabited lands were part of the Roman Empire ...

. He was a member of the department of Greek and Latin at University College London for over 30 years, and won international distinction for his work in ancient philosophy, especially physics (or "natural philosophy") and in the Peripatetic tradition after Aristotle. His pioneering interest in previously under-studied figures such as Alexander of Aphrodisias led the way in the field.

Life and work

Sharples was educated at Dulwich College and Trinity College, Cambridge, from which he gained a first-class degree in 1970. He became a research fellow at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge in 1972, and from 1973 until his retirement he was at University College London. Awarded the Ph.D. degree in 1978 ("Studies in the ''De Fato'' of Alexander of Aphrodisias"), he was

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

, then Reader (1990) and shortly after Professor of

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 ...

(1994). He was also a part-time tutor for the Open University for many years. Sharples regularly collaborated with the Philosophy department in running the Keeling Lectures and colloquia, and in publishing their papers. He was a member of Project Theophrastus, directed by Bill Fortenbaugh, of Rutgers University, with special responsibility for material in physics and biology. Other collaborations included his analysis of Aristotle, ''Metaphysics Lambda'', for the Archelogos project, and the decipherment of the commentary on Aristotle's '' Categories'', fragments of which are preserved in the

Archimedes palimpsest The Archimedes Palimpsest is a parchment codex palimpsest, originally a Byzantine Greek copy of a compilation of Archimedes and other authors. It contains two works of Archimedes that were thought to have been lost (the ''Ostomachion'' and the ' ...

. Throughout his career, he was a prolific author, writing many books and editing collections, and publishing over 100 articles.The Dulwich College Yearbook & Alleyn Club Newsletter 2012. Following a period of declining health, he died one year after retirement and his funeral took place at Holy Trinity, Northwood, where he had been an active member of the church. The Department of Greek and Latin at UCL created a postgraduate studentship fund to honour his memory.

References

This article uses material from University College London's website
Bob Sharples Postgraduate Studentship Fund
with permission. See also the memoirs by David Sedley and Richard Sorabji at ''Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies'' 55:1 (2012), a memorial issue in his honour. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharples, Robert 1949 births 2010 deaths Academics of University College London People educated at Dulwich College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge English classical scholars British scholars of ancient Greek philosophy 20th-century English philosophers