Harold Mattingly (24 December 1884 – 26 January 1964) was a British classical scholar, specialising in art history and numismatics. His interests included the history of Ancient Rome, Etruscan and Roman currency, and the Roman historian Tacitus.

Early life and education

Harold Mattingly was born in Sudbury, Suffolk on 24 December 1884.[1] From 1896 to 1903, he was educated at The Leys School, an independent school in Cambridge.[2] He then studied classics at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he achieved a double first and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1907.[2]

Career

In 1910 he joined the Department of Printed Books of the British Museum.

In 1909 and 1914, showing his interest in Roman history, he published two books on the subject.

During the First World War, worked for the Postal Censorship Bureau. At the close of hostilities he returned to his work at the British Museum and his attention carried him towards the study of antique coins.

From 1912, Harold Mattingly was a member of the Royal Numismatic Society.[3]

He completely revised of the chronology used for the study of Roman coins. He was awarded the medal of the Royal Numismatic Society in 1941.[4]

He also translated Tacitus' works "Agricola" and "The Germania". These two translations were published together in 1948 by Penguin Books under the title "Tacitus on Britain and Germany".[5] 27,000 copies of this book were sold in that year.[6] It was reprinted in 1951, 1954,[7] 1960, 1962, 1964 and 1965.[8] The second edition, revised by S A Handford, was published in 1970 under the title "The Agricola and the Germania". The book was revised again in 2009 by J B Rives.[9] Mattingly's translation is considered one of the best and is still used (albeit in edited format) today.

Personal life

His son, Harold B. Mattingly (1923-2015) was also a celebrated numismatist, and President of the Royal Numismatic Society 1999-2004.[10]

Mattingly died on 26 January 1964 at the age of 79 in Chesham, Buckinghamshire.

Publications

• Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, 6 tomes, British Museum, London, 1923.
• (with Edward Allen Sydenham), The Roman Imperial Coinage, 10 v., Spink, London, 1923-1994.
• Roman Coins from the Earliest to the Fall of the Western Empire, Methuen & Co., London, 1928.
• The Date of the Roman Denarius and Other Landmarks in Early Roman Coinage. H. Milford, London, 1933
• Some New Studies of the Roman Republican Coinage. Proceedings of the British Academy : pp. 239–285, 1953.

Notes and references

• "Dr Harold Mattingly, Distinguished Numismatist", The Times, 1 February 1964, p 10
• R A G Carson, "Harold Mattingly 1884-1964" (1965) Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society, 7th Series, vol 5, p 239

This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2012)

External links

• Works by Harold Mattingly at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Harold Mattingly at Internet Archive
• Harold Mattingly, Dictionary of Art Historians
• Roman Imperial Coinage illustrated
• Roman Imperial Coinage (Fr)

На других языках

[ru] Мэттингли, Гарольд