Mortimer Wheeler

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Lore & Background

Mortimer Wheeler was born in Glasgow on 10 September 1890, the first child of journalist Robert Mortimer Wheeler and his second wife Emily. Raised largely in Yorkshire after the family moved to Saltaire when he was four, he was inspired by the moors and fascinated by local archaeology—he later wrote about discovering a cup-marked stone, searching for lithics on Ilkley Moor, and digging into a barrow on Baildon Moor. In 1905 the family relocated to London, and at 15 Wheeler was instructed to educate himself by spending time at the National Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum. After passing the entrance exam on his second attempt, he won a scholarship to read classical studies at University College London (UCL) in 1907. He briefly switched to the Slade School of Fine Art but returned to classics, receiving a second class BA. He earned an MA in 1912 and worked as personal secretary to UCL Provost Gregory Foster. During his studies he joined an excavation of Viroconium Cornoviorum at Wroxeter in 1913, and won a studentship from the University of London and Society of Antiquaries, with Sir Arthur Evans doubling the grant, to study Romano-Rhenish pottery in Germany. In 1913 he became a junior investigator for the English Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, assessing structures pre-dating 1714. In summer 1914 he married Tessa Verney, a UCL history student, and they moved into his parental home in Herne Hill.

Reader's Guide

During World War I, Wheeler volunteered for the armed forces and on 9 November 1914 was commissioned a temporary second lieutenant in the University of London Officer Training Corps. He transferred to the 1st Lowland Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery in May 1915, rose to major, served on the Western Front, and was awarded the Military Cross. After the war he obtained his doctorate from UCL and became Keeper of Archaeology and later Director of the National Museum of Wales, excavating Roman forts at Segontium, Y Gaer, and Isca Augusta with his first wife Tessa. Influenced by Augustus Pitt Rivers, he developed the 'Wheeler method' for scientific excavation and stratigraphic recording. In 1926 he was appointed Keeper of the London Museum, reorganizing the collection and lobbying for increased funding. In 1934 he established the Institute of Archaeology as part of the federal University of London, serving as Honorary Director, and oversaw excavations at Lydney Park, Verulamium, and Maiden Castle. During World War II he rejoined the armed forces, rose to brigadier, and served in the North African Campaign and the Allied invasion of Italy. In 1944 he became Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, overseeing excavations at Harappa, Arikamedu, and Brahmagiri, and implementing reforms. Returning to Britain in 1948, he divided his time between lecturing at the Institute of Archaeology and acting as archaeological adviser to Pakistan's government. His later popular books, cruise ship lectures, and BBC series Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? brought archaeology to a mass audience. He served as Honorary Secretary of the British Academy and British representative for several UNESCO projects.

Did You Know?

• Wheeler's father was a staunch freethinker who had considered becoming a Baptist minister before studying at the University of Edinburgh.
• At age 15, Wheeler was told to educate himself by spending time at the National Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum rather than attending conventional school.
• He was taught by the prominent classicist A. E. Housman at University College London.
• Wheeler's son Michael, born in January 1915, was their only child—a social anomaly at the time.
• He wrote twenty-four books on archaeological subjects over his career.