Mary Beard (classicist)

Not to be confused with Mary Ritter Beard.

Professor Dame
Mary Beard
DBE FSA FBA FRSL
Beard in 2017
Born
Winifred Mary Beard

(1955-01-01) 1 January 1955 (age 69)
Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England
Spouse
​
(m. 1985)​
Children2, including Raphael
Awards
Academic background
EducationNewnham College, Cambridge (MA, PhD)
ThesisThe state religion in the late Roman Republic: a study based on the works of Cicero (1982)
Doctoral advisorJohn Crook
Academic work
DisciplineClassics
Sub-discipline
Institutions
Notable worksThe Roman Triumph
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

Dame Winifred Mary Beard (born 1 January 1955)[1] is an English classicist specialising in Ancient Rome. She is a trustee of the British Museum and formerly held a personal professorship of classics at the University of Cambridge.[2] She is a fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge, and Royal Academy of Arts Professor of Ancient Literature.

Beard is the classics editor of The Times Literary Supplement, for which she also writes a regular blog, "A Don's Life".[3][4] Her frequent media appearances and sometimes controversial public statements have led to her being described as "Britain's best-known classicist".[5] In 2014, The New Yorker characterised her as "learned but accessible".[6]

  1. ^ "Prof. Mary Beard profile". Debrett's People of Today. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference CURep was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "A Don's Life". The Times Literary Supplement. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  4. ^ "Mary Beard: A Don's Life Archives – TheTLS". TheTLS. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  5. ^ Laity, Paul (10 November 2007). "The dangerous don". The Guardian. London, UK. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
  6. ^ Mead, Rebecca (25 August 2014). "The Troll Slayer". The New Yorker. Retrieved 3 December 2017.