William Sterling

Introducing

Achilles killing Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons by Exekias of Athens c. 560 BC. This type of pot is called Black Figure ware as the figures were filled in using the liquid or slip clay which miraculously turned black during the firing process. One of the incidents during the Trojan War not recorded by Homer was the fight between Achilles, hero of the Greeks, and Penthesilea, queen of the tribe of warrior women called the Amazons. Achilles won but at the moment he drove his spear into her neck their eyes met for the first time and they fell in love with each other. Exekias shows this ultimate Greek Tragedy by suggesting Achilles is trying to pull the spear out rather than thrust it home but all too late. Image © Trustees of the British Museum
My name is Dr William Sterling ~ welcome to my website. I have degrees in History and Geography with additional qualifications in Music and Education. I taught full-time at an Independent School in Kent for four years before joining the Civil Service. I worked for 16 years in the Department of Transport… Read more »

Look out for…

  • Upcoming Events

    1. British Museum Highlights

      When: June 25 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

      These tours of the British Museum last 90 minutes and take in up to 15 highlights from the museum’s vast collection.  The tours cover both main floors of the museum plus some of the side rooms and examine objects from Africa, Europe, Asia, America and the Pacific from many different eras.

    2. British Museum Ancient Greek Tour

      When: July 30 @ 11:30 am - 12:10 pm

      This British Museum tour of the Greek Galleries take place every fourth Sunday.

    3. British Museum Mediaeval Tour

      When: July 30 @ 2:45 pm - 3:25 pm

      This tour of the Mediaeval Galleries at the British Museum take place every fourth Sunday.

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Featured articles

Baltic Cruise Lecture 2

Lectures for Baltic and St Petersburg Cruise on the Ocean Countess July 2011 ANGLO-SAXONS AND VIKINGS – THE MAKING OF ENGLAND Lecture 2 The Coming of Christianity Summary of Lecture 1 In the first lecture we looked at what Britain was like before the Anglo-Saxon invasions, why Celtic Britain was attractive to the Romans but… Read more »

Music and Art Inspired by Shakespeare 3

MUSIC AND ART INSPIRED BY SHAKESPEARE No. 3: Midsummer Dreams Some of Shakespeare’s fantasies especially Midsummer Night’s Dream but other supernatural phenomena such as ghosts as well. Music – Wedding March from Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Incidental Music. That music is so familiar that we often forget why it was written. Mendelssohn composed an Overture… Read more »

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Vaughan Williams and Holst Two great friends who pioneered a new English style with varying success. Not just the composers of Greensleeves and the Planets, Vaughan Williams and Holst followed Elgar’s lead as two of the standard bearers of the English Musical Renaissance. Both were from Gloucestershire but they met as students at the Royal… Read more »

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