Dorothy Burr Thompson
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Burr Thompson was a classical archaeologist and art historian at Bryn Mawr College
and a leading authority on Hellenistic terracotta figurines.
at age 9 and ancient Greek
at 12. At age 13, she took a Grand Tour of Europe, visiting museums and monuments of Europe. In 1919 she began her studies at Bryn Mawr College
where she took courses with Rhys Carpenter
and Mary H. Swindler. She graduated summa cum laude in 1923, the first graduate with a major in Greek and archaeology, and was awarded the college's European Fellowship. She used the fellowship to study at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens
, works on excavations with Carl Blegen
at Phlius
and Hetty Goldman at Eutresis.
In 1925 Thompson discovered a tholos
tomb that proved to be the burial place of the king and queen of Midea
. She completed her Ph. D. at Bryn Mawr College
in 1931; it entailed a study of the 117 Hellenistic terracotta figures from Myrina
in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
. The following year she was appointed the first female Fellow of the Athenian Agora excavations. The dig's assistant director of field work was the Canadian archaeologist Homer Thompson
; the two married in 1934. Homer Thompson
accepted positions as curator of the classical
collection at the Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology and assistant professor in fine arts at the University of Toronto
. In 1936, Burr Thompson discovered the garden of the Temple of Hephaistos in the agora
at Athens
. In 1946 her husband accepted a chair at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton, New Jersey
, and Burr Thompson served as acting director of the Royal Ontario Museum
until she moved to Princeton, New Jersey
the following year. At Princeton she continued to publish and carry out her research. In 1987 she was awarded the Gold Medal
for distinguished achievement by the Archaeological Institute of America
. She died in Hightstown, New Jersey
.
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
and a leading authority on Hellenistic terracotta figurines.
Biography
Thompson came from a prominent Philadelphia family; her father was the attorney Charles Henry Burr, Jr.. Early in life Thompson studied the Classics, attending Miss Hill's School in Center City, Pa., and The Latin School in Philadelphia. She began her study of LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
at age 9 and ancient Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
at 12. At age 13, she took a Grand Tour of Europe, visiting museums and monuments of Europe. In 1919 she began her studies at Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
where she took courses with Rhys Carpenter
Rhys Carpenter
Rhys Carpenter was a classical art historian and professor at Bryn Mawr College.Carpenter was born in Cotuit, Massachusetts. He took his B.A. in Classics at Columbia University in 1909. Carpenter won a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford, studying at Balliol College. There he published his own poetry...
and Mary H. Swindler. She graduated summa cum laude in 1923, the first graduate with a major in Greek and archaeology, and was awarded the college's European Fellowship. She used the fellowship to study at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens
American School of Classical Studies at Athens
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens is one of 17 foreign archaeological institutes in Athens, Greece.-General information:...
, works on excavations with Carl Blegen
Carl Blegen
Carl William Blegen was an American archaeologist famous for his work on the site of Pylos in modern day Greece and Troy in modern day Turkey...
at Phlius
Phlius
Phlius was a Greek city in the northwestern Argolid, in the Peloponnese, said to be named after the Greek hero, Phlias. Although geographically close to Argos, the city became a Spartan ally and a member of the Peloponnesian League....
and Hetty Goldman at Eutresis.
In 1925 Thompson discovered a tholos
Tholos
Τholos is the name given to several Ancient Greek structures and buildings:**The Tholos at Athens was the building which housed the Prytaneion, or seat of government, in ancient Athens...
tomb that proved to be the burial place of the king and queen of Midea
Midea
Midea Founded in 1968, Midea is renowned as a sizeable conglomerate that specializes in the manufacturing of household appliances and sets foot in relevant fields of real estates and logistics...
. She completed her Ph. D. at Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
in 1931; it entailed a study of the 117 Hellenistic terracotta figures from Myrina
Myrina (Mysia)
Myrina , was one of the Aeolian cities on the western coast of Mysia, about 40 stadia to the southwest of Gryneion. Its site is believed to be occupied by the modern Sandarlik at the mouth of the Koca Çay....
in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
. The following year she was appointed the first female Fellow of the Athenian Agora excavations. The dig's assistant director of field work was the Canadian archaeologist Homer Thompson
Homer Thompson
Homer Armstrong Thompson was a leading classical archaeologist of the twentieth century, specializing in ancient Greece....
; the two married in 1934. Homer Thompson
Homer Thompson
Homer Armstrong Thompson was a leading classical archaeologist of the twentieth century, specializing in ancient Greece....
accepted positions as curator of the classical
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
collection at the Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology and assistant professor in fine arts at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. In 1936, Burr Thompson discovered the garden of the Temple of Hephaistos in the agora
Agora
The Agora was an open "place of assembly" in ancient Greek city-states. Early in Greek history , free-born male land-owners who were citizens would gather in the Agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later, the Agora also served as a marketplace where...
at Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. In 1946 her husband accepted a chair at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, and Burr Thompson served as acting director of the Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...
until she moved to Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
the following year. At Princeton she continued to publish and carry out her research. In 1987 she was awarded the Gold Medal
Gold Medal of the Archaeological Institute of America
The Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement is awarded by the Archaeological Institute of America in "recognition of a scholar who has made distinguished contributions to archaeology through his or her fieldwork, publications, and/or teaching."It is the Institute's highest award...
for distinguished achievement by the Archaeological Institute of America
Archaeological Institute of America
The Archaeological Institute of America is a North American nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of public interest in archaeology, and the preservation of archaeological sites. It has offices on the campus of Boston University and in New York City.The institute was founded in 1879,...
. She died in Hightstown, New Jersey
Hightstown, New Jersey
Hightstown is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,494.Hightstown was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 5, 1853, within portions of East Windsor Township. The borough became...
.
Publications
- Dissertation: Terra-cottas from Myrina in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Bryn Mawr College, 1931; [issued as book of same title] Vienna: A. Holzhausens Nachfolger, 1934.
- and Davidson, Gladys R., and Talcott, Lucy. Small Objects from the Pnyx. 2 vols. Baltimore: American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 1943-56.
- An Ancient Shopping Center: the Athenian Agora. Princeton, NJ: American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 1971.
- and Frantz, Allison. Miniature Sculpture from the Athenian Agora. Princeton, NJ: American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 1959.
- Ptolemaic Oinochoai and Portraits in Faience: Aspects of the Ruler-Cult. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1973.
- and Homer ThompsonHomer ThompsonHomer Armstrong Thompson was a leading classical archaeologist of the twentieth century, specializing in ancient Greece....
and Susan Rotroff. Hellenistic Pottery and Terracottas. Princeton, NJ: American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 1987. - "Three Centuries of Hellenistic Terracottas." Hesperia 31 (1962): 244-262.
- Troy: the Terra-Cotta Figurines of the Hellenistic Period (1963).
Further reading
- Havelock, Christine Mitchell. "Dorothy Burr Thompson (b. 1900): Classical Archaeologist." in Women as Interpreters of the Visual Arts, 1820-1979. Claire R. Sherman, ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1981, pp. 357-375.
- "Keen Eye: Archaeologist Dorothy Burr Thompson." Bryn Mawr Alumni Bulletin Online. (Winter 2001) http://www.brynmawr.edu/Alumnae/bulletin/wi01new3.htm.