Dr Nigel Spivey

Nigel is an Official Fellow, one of our Tutors and College Lecturer in Classics. He is Senior Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at the University's Faculty of Classics.

Biography

Nigel came to Emmanuel as an undergraduate in 1977, and after graduating he worked a year with Vietnamese refugees before taking up a Major State Postgraduate Studentship. His PhD on Etruscan archaeology involved study at the British School at Rome and the University of Pisa. He was a Research Fellow at Emmanuel 1986-89 and Lecturer in Classics at the University of Wales 1989-91. Since returning to Emmanuel he has held visiting positions at the Getty Institute and the ANU at Canberra. During his student days he represented the University in athletics and held the hammer-throwing record for two decades. His time outside college is now mostly taken up with painting.

Teaching

His current lecture courses include 'Constructs of Classical Art' for students studying Classics in first and second year, and the 'Visual Narratives' paper for third years.

Research

Nigel's current research activity is a monograph on the representation of Sappho, and a study of storytelling on Trajan's Column. Among his many publications across his academic career are: 'Etruscan Art' (1997), 'Enduring Creation' (2001), 'Greek Sculpture' (2013), and 'The Sarpedon Krater: Life and Afterlife of a Greek Vase' (2018). He has also presented several television documentaries, including the major BBC/PBS series, 'How Art Made the World' (2004).