John Edward Atkinson (20 October 1938 – 11 April 2022) was a British and South African classicist. He was Emeritus Professor of Classics, as well as a former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

Early life

Atkinson studied at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

. He took a BA (Hons) in Classical and General Literature in 1961, where he was classmates with R. M. Errington.

Academic career

Following his undergraduate studies he joined the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (now

University of Zimbabwe The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the Univers ...

) as Assistant Lecturer. He moved to the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...

a year later to take up a Lectureship in Ancient History. In 1965 he joined the

as Lecturer, completing a PhD at this institution in 1971. His first book, ''A commentary on Q. Curtius Rufus' Historiae Alexandri Magni Books 3 and 4'', was published in 1980. Atkinson's academic interests lay in the field of Ancient History, but he can, in the British tradition, be considered first and foremost as a Classicist. His particular area of specialization was the Latin historian, Q.

Curtius Rufus Curtius Rufus () was a Roman professional magistrate of senatorial rank mentioned by Tacitus and Pliny the Younger for life events occurring during the reigns of the emperors Tiberius and Claudius. In all probability, he is to be equated wi ...

. Joseph Roisman, in the Oxford Bibliographies entry on

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

, has labelled Atkinson as the 'leading commentator on Curtius'. Jacek Rzepka, in a ''

Bryn Mawr Classical Review ''Bryn Mawr Classical Review'' (''BMCR''), founded in 1990, is an open access journal that as of 2008 published reviews of scholarly work in the field of classical studies including classical archaeology. The journal describes itself as the sec ...

'' article on Atkinson's work, described him as 'a scholar who has almost monopolized studies in Curtius Rufus for two decades'. Rzepka, Jacek
"J. E. Atkinson, J. C. Yardley, Curtius Rufus. Histories of Alexander the Great, Book 10. Clarendon Ancient History Series. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Pp. xiv, 274."
''

'' 2010.02.58. Retrieved on 28 September 2018. Atkinson was an active member of the Classical Association of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1961–63), as well as Assistant Editor of the ''Proceedings of the African Classical Association'' (PACA), and the Classical Association of South Africa (CASA), where he was elected onto the Executive Committee as Treasurer (1981–83), Vice-Chairperson (1999–2001) and as Chairperson (2001–03). He was an Honorary President of the Association. He has served as a member of the editorial boards of both ''

Acta Classica ''Acta Classica: Proceedings of the Classical Association of South Africa'' is an annual academic journal that covers all aspects of classical studies, including studies in ancient literature and history, as well as Patristic and Byzantine themes. ...

'' (1985–2003) and of ''Akroterion'' (1985–2022).

Death

Atkinson died after a short illness in Cape Town, on 11 April 2022, at the age of 83.

References

1938 births 2022 deaths Academic staff of the University of Cape Town Alumni of Hatfield College, Durham University of Cape Town alumni Academic staff of the University of Zimbabwe Academic staff of the University of South Africa South African classical scholars {{SouthAfrica-academic-bio-stub

Early life

Academic career

Death

Further reading

References