Mr Peter A. Thompson

thompson peter
College Lecturer in Classical Archaeology (St John’s College) and Assistant Curator of Classical Archaeology (Ashmolean Museum)
peter.thompson@ashmus.ox.ac.uk

Qualifications: MPhil Classical Archaeology (Lincoln College, Oxford, 2019), BA Classical Archaeology and Ancient History (Somerville College, Oxford, 2017).

ORCID: 0000-0002-6515-9712 

Link to college page: Peter A Thompson

 

Academic Background

After completing my BA and MPhil degrees in Classical Archaeology at Oxford, I moved to New York to pursue my PhD at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts in 2019 (degree expected summer 2025). From 2021–2023 I was a Regular Member and a Kress predoctoral fellow at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, and in 2025 I returned to Oxford to take up a joint teaching and curatorial position at St John’s College and the Ashmolean Museum.

Research Interests

My research gravitates around the use of objects and images to construct and understand ideas of the past, in both ancient and modern contexts. Within archaeology, my primary focus is on Archaic and Classical Greek sculpture, pottery, and architecture, and my doctoral dissertation investigates the phenomenon of artistic archaism in Greek art and architecture during the period c. 700-480 BC. Alongside this work, I study the representation of the ancient world in modern academic and public spheres, particularly through the quintessential modern media of photography and cinema. I am also an active field archaeologist, having previously worked at sites in Greece and Turkey, and since 2019 I have been a member of the NYU–UniMi excavations at Selinunte, Sicily.

Research Keywords

Greek art; archaism and temporality; Greek sculpture; Greek pottery; Greek architecture; history of archaeology; history of museums; curation and exhibition of ancient art; archaeology on screen

Teaching

I teach most Classical Archaeology undergraduate papers, including Greek Art and Archaeology c. 500–300 BC, Art Under the Roman Empire, AD 14–337, Greek Sculpture 600–300 BC, Greek Vases, Hellenistic Art and Archaeology 330–30 BC, and Texts and Contexts. Through my joint appointment at the Ashmolean Museum, I frequently incorporate gallery visits and handling sessions into my college teaching.

Publications

Full Publications:

Selected Publications:

In preparation Thompson, P. A. and C. Marconi. “Taking solace in slaughter: Emotions and the ‘Polyxena’ Sarcophagus.” In Ancient Emotions and Funerary Iconography in the Graeco-Roman Mediterranean, edited by B. Annan and L. de Jong. Turnhout: Brepols.

In press Thompson, P. A. “Projecting Roman Britain: Cinema newsreels and national ancestry.” In Métamorphoses et usages d'un même passé: partages, concurrences ou conflits des mémoires, edited by C. Gaullier-Bougassas. Rennes: Presses universitaires de Rennes.

Thompson, P. A. 2024. “Photocorinthia: The contingency of archaeological photography in the Corinth excavation archives.” In Trends in Archive Archaeology: Current Research on Fieldwork Archival Material and its Implications for the Practice of Archaeology, edited by J. M. Frey and R. Raja, 53–89. Archive Archaeology 5. Turnhout: Brepols.

Thompson, P. A. and W. Austin. 2022. “The meaning and function of the horse-head amphora” = “Ποια ήταν η σημασία των αμφορέων προτομής αλόγου;” In Hippos: The Horse in Ancient Athens = Ίππος: Το άλογο στην αρχαία Αθήνα, edited J. Neils and S. M. Dunn, 69–79. Athens: ASCSA.

Thompson, P. A. and W. Austin. 2022. “Athenian archers on horseback” = “Τι γνωρίζουμε για τους Αθηναίους έφιππους τοξότες;” In Hippos: The Horse in Ancient Athens = Ίππος: Το άλογο στην αρχαία Αθήνα, edited J. Neils and S. M. Dunn, 185–92. Athens: ASCSA.