Arthur Bernard Cook (22 October 1868 in Hampstead – 26 April 1952 in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

) was a British

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes ...

and

classical scholar 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 ...

, best known for his three-part work, ''Zeus: A Study in Ancient Religion''.

Early life and education

Arthur Bernard Cook was born in

Hampstead, London Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough of ...

on 22 October 1868. He was the son of William Henry Cook MD (1825-1882) and Harriet Bickersteth (1830-1918) His mother's family were leading ecclesiastical scholars of the time, including Edward Bickersteth (Dean of Lichfield) (1814-1892), Edward Bickersteth (bishop of Exeter) (1825-1906) and Edward Bickersteth (bishop of South Tokyo). (1850-1897) Cook was educated at St. Paul's School, where he won several academic prizes. He received an MA from the

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

. The Chancellor's Gold Medal is a distinguished annual award at Cambridge University for poetry, paralleling Oxford University's Newdigate prize. Cook's poem ''Windsor Castle'' won the

Chancellor's Gold Medal The Chancellor's Gold Medal is a prestigious annual award at Cambridge University for poetry, paralleling Oxford University's Newdigate Prize. It was first presented by Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh during his time as ...

for poetry at Cambridge in 1889. In 1893, he was awarded a prestigious fellowship at Trinity College.

Career

From 1892-1907, Cook was professor of Greek at

Bedford College, London Bedford College was in York Place after 1874 Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a lead ...

. In 1900, he became Fellow of

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, c ...

. From 1907 to 1931 he was Reader of

Classical Archaeology Classical archaeology is the archaeological investigation of the Mediterranean civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Nineteenth-century archaeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann were drawn to study the societies they had read about ...

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 ...

. He became Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology at Cambridge in 1931, where he had held the position as Reader, until 1934. From 1935 to 1952, Cook was Vice-President of Queens' College. Cook was elected as a fellow of the British Academy for the humanities and social sciences in 1941. Professor Cook died in Cambridge on 26 April 1952.

Legacy

Cook is often considered one of the Cambridge Ritualists, and although he did not produce theoretical works, he has been called "perhaps the most typical disciple" of J. G. Frazer.Lowell Edmonds, ''Approaches to Greek Myth'' (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990), p. 72.

Works

*The Metaphysical Basis of Plato's Ethics (1895) *Zeus. A Study In Ancient Religion. (1914-1925) ** Volume 1: Zeus, God of the Bright Sky, Biblo-Moser, June 1, 1964, (reprint) ** Volume 2: Zeus, God of the Dark Sky (Thunder and Lightning), Biblo-Moser, June 1, 1964, ** Volume 3: Zeus, God of the Dark Sky (earthquakes, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorites)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Arthur Bernard British classical scholars 1868 births 1952 deaths Laurence Professors of Classical Archaeology British archaeologists Academics of Bedford College, London Classical scholars of the University of London Fellows of Queens' College, Cambridge