Martin John Millett, (born 30 September 1955) is a British archaeologist and academic. From 2001 to 2022, he was the

Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology The Laurence Professorship of Classical Archaeology at the University of Cambridge was established in 1930 as one of the offices endowed by the bequest of Sir Perceval Maitland Laurence.University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and a professorial fellow of

Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Fitzwilliam College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer academically excellent students of all ...

. Since 2021, he has been president of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

Early life

Millett was born on 30 September 1955. He was educated at Weydon County Secondary School, a state school in

Wrecclesham Wrecclesham is a village on the southern outskirts of the large town of Farnham in Surrey, England. Its local government district is the Borough of Waverley. History It was once in the estate of Henry of Westminster and Blois the powerful 13th ...

, Farnham, and

Farnham College Farnham College is a coeducational sixth form college in Farnham in the English county of Surrey. It has a single campus in a residential area just to the north of Farnham town centre, and is now a foundation college. The majority of its land ...

, a

sixth form college A sixth form college is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A Levels, Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) and the International Baccalaureate Di ...

in Farnham, Surrey. He went on to study at the Institute of Archaeology,

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, graduating

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(BA). He then undertook

postgraduate studies Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

, completing his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(DPhil) degree in 1980. His

doctoral thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

was titled ''A comparative study of some contemporaneous pottery assemblages from Roman Britain''.

Academic career

Millett was assistant

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of archaeology at the Hampshire County Museums from 1980 to 1981. He then began his academic career, and joined

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

in 1981. He was a

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 ...

from 1981 to 1991, and

senior lecturer Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, and Israel senior lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. The position is tenured (in systems with this concep ...

from 1991 to 1995. He was

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

of Archaeology between 1995 and 1998. Millett then moved to the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

where he was Professor of Archaeology from 1999 to 2001. In 2001, he joined the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

as the

Fellowship 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 2012, he was appointed head of the School of Arts and Humanities at Cambridge. Millett is an archaeologist who excavates a Roman-period site in Yorkshire (with Peter Halkon), directs the Roman Towns Project (with Simon Keay and the

British School at Rome The British School at Rome (BSR) is an interdisciplinary research centre supporting the arts, humanities and architecture. History The British School at Rome (BSR) was established in 1901 and granted a UK Royal Charter in 1912. Its mission is " ...

), and directs the Greek Colonization and Archaeology of European Development project. Millett has profoundly changed Romano-British archaeology by implementing and calling for new approaches to the excavated materials. Outside his university work Millett holds a number of appointments. He is a vice-president of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...

with responsibility for the British Academy Sponsored Institutes and Societies. He has held three senior positions at the

: he was director from 2001 to 2007, treasurer from 2007 to 2011, and its president since 2021.

Honours

On 3 May 1984, Millett was elected

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London 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 ...

(FSA). In 2006, he was elected

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

(FBA).

Select bibliography

*1990 The Romanization of Britain: an essay in archaeological interpretation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) (Paperback edition issued 1992) *1995 Roman Britain (UK; English Heritage/Batsford) (Second edition 2005) *1995 (with J. M. Carreté and S. J. Keay) A Roman Provincial Capital and its Hinterland: the survey of the territory of Tarragona, 1985-1990 (Ann Arbor, Michigan: Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series no. 15) *1995 (edited with J. Metzler, N. Roymans and J. Slofstra) Integration in the Early Roman West: the role of culture and ideology (Dossiers d'Archéologie du Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art IV, Luxembourg) *1999 (with P. Halkon) Rural Settlement and Industry: studies in the Iron Age and Roman archaeology of lowland East Yorkshire (Yorkshire Archaeological Society Roman Antiquities Section monograph no. 4) *2001 (edited with J. Pearce and M. Struck) Burial Practice in the Roman World: contextual studies (Oxford: Oxbow Books) *2001 (edited with S. T. James) Britons and Romans: advancing an archaeological agenda (York: Council for British Archaeology Research Report 125) *In press Shiptonthorpe, East Yorkshire: archaeological studies of a Romano-British roadside settlement (Yorkshire Archaeological Society Roman Antiquities Section monograph) *2005 (with S. Keay, L. Paroli, and K. Strutt) Portus: An Archaeological Survey of the Port of Imperial Rome (British School at Rome Monograph)Right.

References

External links

Museum of Classical Archaeology biography

British Academy biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Millett, Martin Living people 1955 births Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Fellows of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Academics of Durham University British archaeologists Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Laurence Professors of Classical Archaeology Alumni of University College London Academics of the University of Southampton