F. W. Walbank
{{Short description|English classical scholar and historian (1909–2008)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox academic
| image = Frank Walbank.jpg
| name = F. W. Walbank
| birth_name = Frank William Walbank
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1909|12|10}}
| birth_place = Bingley, Bradford, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2008|10|23|1909|12|10}}
| death_place = Cambridge, England
| nationality = British
| alma_mater = Peterhouse, Cambridge
| discipline = Ancient History
| workplaces = University of Liverpool
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE|FBA}}
}}
Frank William Walbank, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|sep=,|size=100%|CBE|FBA}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|ɔː|l|ˌ|b|æ|ŋ|k}}; 10 December 1909 – 23 October 2008) was a scholar of ancient history, particularly the history of Polybius. He was born in Bingley, Yorkshire, and died in Cambridge.
Early life and education
Born at Bingley, Yorkshire, son of schoolmaster Albert Joseph David Walbank (1879–1967) and Clarice (1880–1965), née Fletcher, Walbank attended Bradford Grammar SchoolHis Own Executioner, Derek Collett and went on to study Classics at Peterhouse, Cambridge. His father was the son of a cobbler, but had left the family business on winning a scholarship and became a teacher.{{cite ODNB | url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-100873 | doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/100873 | title=The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography | year=2004 | isbn=978-0-19-861411-1 }}
Career
From 1951 to 1977, Walbank was Rathbone Professor of Ancient History and Classical Archaeology at the University of Liverpool. After retirement he was a professor emeritus at Liverpool and an Honorary Fellow of Peterhouse.
Walbank held visiting positions at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
Walbank's published works include Aratos of Sicyon (1933), Philip V of Macedon (1940), The Awful Revolution (1946; 1969), Polybius (1972; 1990), A Historical Commentary on Polybius, 3 vols. (1957, 1967, 1979), The Hellenistic World (1981) and, with N.G.L. Hammond, A History of Macedonia, Vol. III: 336–167 BC. He also served as the joint editor of volumes 7 and 8 of the Cambridge Ancient History.
In 1933, Walbank's essay "Aratos of Sicyon" won the Cambridge University Thirlwall Prize. He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1981.{{cite web|url=https://www.dwc.knaw.nl/biografie/pmknaw/?pagetype=authorDetail&aId=PE00009279 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608192752/https://www.dwc.knaw.nl/biografie/pmknaw/?pagetype=authorDetail&aId=PE00009279 |title=Frank W. Walbank (1909 - 2008) |publisher=Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences |archive-date=8 June 2020}}
References
{{reflist}}
Additional sources
- Momigliano, Arnaldo. "F.W. Walbank", The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 74. (1984).
External links
- [http://www.atrium-media.com/rogueclassicism/Posts/00008753.html Obituary] by Peter Garnsey at the independent.co.uk (23 October 2008).
- [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/nov/19/history-education-frank-walbank-obituary Obituary] by Robin Seager at the guardian.co.uk (19 November 2008).
- [https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/polybius-man/ Polybius Man] by Mary Beard at The Times Literary Supplement (29 May 2013).
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walbank, F.W.}}
Category:English classical scholars
Category:Historians of antiquity
Category:Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Category:Fellows of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Category:Academics of the University of Liverpool
Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Scholars of ancient Greek history
Category:20th-century English historians
Category:21st-century English historians
Category:Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Category:Presidents of The Roman Society
Category:Presidents of the Classical Association