Nicholas Purcell FBA is a British classicist and academic. He was

Camden Professor of Ancient History The Camden Professorship of Ancient History at the University of Oxford was established in 1622 by English antiquary and historian William Camden, Clarenceux King of Arms, and endowed with the income of the manor of Bexley, becoming the first and ...

and a fellow of

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...

from 2011 to 2023. Before holding this post he was University Lecturer in Ancient History at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and a Tutorial Fellow at

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

Early life and education

From 1974 to 1977, Purcell was an undergraduate at

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree. During his time at Worcester College he was a student of

Peter Brunt Peter Astbury Brunt FBA (23 June 19175 November 2005) was a British academic and ancient historian. He was Camden Professor of Ancient History at the University of Oxford from 1970 to 1982. During his career, he lectured at the University of S ...

. He was subsequently a prize-fellow at

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full me ...

, until 1979. He does not have a doctorate.

Academic career

From 1979 until October 2011, he was a

tutorial In education, a tutorial is a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture, a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete ...

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

, succeeding Nicholas Sherwin-White. He was elected as a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (post-nominal letters 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 t ...

(FBA) in 2007. Upon becoming

in October 2011, he was elected a fellow of

Visiting appointments and lectures

In 1998 Purcell gave the Jerome lectures at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and in 2008 the Rostovtzeff lectures at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. In 2010 he gave the Gray Lectures at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. In 2012 Purcell became the 98th

Sather Professor of Classical Literature The Jane K. Sather Professorship of Classical Literature is an endowed chair for the study of classics at the University of California, Berkeley. Established in 1914 after a donation by Jane K. Sather, widow of the Norwegian-American banker Ped ...

at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

lecturing on 'Venal Histories: The Character, Limits, and Historical Importance of Buying and Selling in the Ancient World'. In 2012 he also gave the Charles Alexander Robinson, Jr. Memorial Lecture at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

entitled 'Roman Diasporas & Texture of Empire.' Purcell has also held the Chaire d'excellence Pierre de Fermat at the

University of Toulouse II - Le Mirail A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

Research

Purcell has research interests in the social, economic and cultural history of Rome and the City of Rome as well as the Mediterranean Sea and its history. Purcell is known especially for his 'ecological view' of ancient history as well as his expertise in ancient Mediterranean history. The publication of his book ''The Corrupting Sea: A Study of Mediterranean History'' (co-written with

Peregrine Horden John Nicholas Peregrine Horden (born 1955) is professor in medieval history at Royal Holloway, University of London. Horden's research is in the area of Mediterranean cities and medicine in the Middle Ages. He is a Fellow of All Souls College, Ox ...

) was hailed as a 'notable intellectual event'.The English Historical Review Vol. 116, No. 468 (Sep. 2001), p. 900 The book's main thesis is that the Mediterranean is a region made up of micro-regions. The book argues that the Mediterranean ought to be seen in terms of the ecological lines of force linking countless small regions and micro-economies together rather than in terms of a few famous metropoleis. Purcell stresses the longue durée and insists that the different themes of history, i.e. politics, culture, economy, ideas and institutions must be studied in close association. Purcell is currently concerned with expanding this work and with situating the Mediterranean in even larger contexts so as to show how ancient history can be used to answer global historical questions.

Selected bibliography

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References

External links

Mr Nicholas Purcell MA FBA
Faculty homepage
Professor Nicholas Purcell
College homepage
Nicholas Purcell – Quondam Fellow – All Souls College
{{DEFAULTSORT:Purcell, Nicholas Living people British classical scholars Historians of ancient Rome Fellows of St John's College, Oxford Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Fellows of the British Academy Camden Professors of Ancient History Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford Year of birth missing (living people)