Humfry Payne

Humfry Gilbert Garth Payne (19 February 1902 – 9 May 1936) was an English archaeologist, director of the British School of Archaeology in Athens from 1929 to his death. Born at Wendover, Buckinghamshire Payne was the only son of the historian Edward J Payne, fellow of University College Oxford, and Emma L H Pertz. He attended Westminster School and afterwards Christ Church, Oxford where he was awarded first class honours in classical Mods (1922) ... more

Humfry Gilbert Garth Payne (19 February 1902 – 9 May 1936) was an English archaeologist, director of the British School of Archaeology in Athens from 1929 to his death. Born at Wendover, Buckinghamshire Payne was the only son of the historian Edward J Payne, fellow of University College Oxford, and Emma L H Pertz. He attended Westminster School and afterwards Christ Church, Oxford where he was awarded first class honours in classical Mods (1922) and Greats (1924). In 1926 married the journalist Dilys Powell. A research studentship at Christ Church (1926 to 1931) and assistantship in the department of antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum (1926 to 1928) followed during which he researched in Mediterranean archaeology. Payne received the Conington Prize for classical learning in 1927 for work on painted Greek pottery. He supervised partially John Beazley and Alan Blakeway and they published joint papers on black-figured Attic pottery excavated at Naucratis. There were large collections of... less