Lilian Hamilton Jeffery facts for kids

Lilian Hamilton Jeffery (born January 5, 1915 – died September 29, 1986) was a smart British expert. She was an archaeologist, which means she studied old human history by digging up sites. She was also a classical philologist, someone who studies ancient languages and texts, and an epigraphist, who studies ancient writings carved into stone or other materials.

People remember her most for her important book from 1961. It was called The Local Scripts of Archaic Greece. In this book, she looked at how the Greek alphabet developed. She studied it from when it first appeared until about 400 BC. Her work helped experts figure out the timeline of many ancient Greek writings.

Early Life and Education

Lilian Jeffery, who was also known as Anne, was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, England. Her father, Thomas Theophilus Jeffery, was a school teacher. He also taught about ancient Greek and Roman times.

Lilian went to Cheltenham Ladies' College for her schooling. In 1933, she won a special scholarship. This allowed her to study ancient history and languages at Newnham College, Cambridge. There, she learned from a famous teacher named Jocelyn Toynbee.

Her Career and Discoveries

In 1937, Lilian won another scholarship. This one took her to the British School at Athens in Greece. She worked with Antony E. Raubitschek there. They studied pieces of old sculptures from the Acropolis in Athens. Together, they wrote a book in 1949 about these ancient carvings.

During World War II, Lilian helped her country. She served in the WAAF. Her job included looking at photos taken from airplanes. She used these photos to understand what was happening on the ground.

After the war, in 1946, she started working at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She stayed there for the rest of her career. For a short time, from 1951 to 1952, she did research in Princeton, USA.

Lilian also took part in archaeological digs. In 1949, she worked at an ancient site called Old Smyrna. She also helped study old grave markers from Athens. She made big contributions to a project that collected and published ancient Greek writings.

From 1955 to 1961, she was an editor for a journal. This journal was called the Annual of the British School at Athens. In 1965, she became a Fellow of the British Academy. This is a high honor for experts in her field.

Lilian Jeffery's notes and papers are kept safe. They are at the Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents in Oxford. Many of her works have been put online for others to study.