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. Seven Wonders of the World

      When: January 15 @ 5:30 pm - January 29 @ 7:30 pm

      The Seven Wonders fascinate us, but what were they and why were they wonders? Using art, literature and archaeology we’ll explore possible answers. What is the course about? The famous seven wonders of the ancient world: the Pyramids, the Alexandrian Lighthouse, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the statue of… Read more »

    2. Shakespeare And The Classical World

      When: February 5 @ 5:30 pm - February 19 @ 7:30 pm

      A quarter of Shakespeare’s major works were based on stories from the Classical World and have influenced our view of the Classical World ever since. What is the course about? We shall examine the plays inspired by myths and history from Ancient Greece and Rome. We shall be looking at the plots of these briefly… Read more »

    3. Life and Times of King George II

      When: February 14 @ 11:00 am - February 21 @ 1:30 pm

      What is the course about?l George II is perhaps best remembered as the last British monarch to lead his troops into battle and also as the instigator of the custom of standing for the Hallelujah Chorus in Handel’s Messiah.  His reign marked the high point of Handel’s career which the King did much to promote… Read more »

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Featured articles

Baltic Cruise Lecture 5

Lectures for Baltic and St Petersburg Cruise on the Ocean Countess July 2011 ANGLO-SAXONS AND VIKINGS – THE MAKING OF ENGLAND Lecture 5 Vikings 1 England 0 Summary of Lecture 4 In the last lecture we examined how the West Saxon kings took advantage of the power vacuum left by the weak kings of Mercia… Read more »

Antonio Vivaldi

Vivaldi and Venice This study was part of a longer course studying the history and culture of Venice. I started with an outline of Vivaldi’s life and career giving musical examples of his operas, choral works and concerti. The afternoon was spent with a more detailed analysis of the Seasons and a full examination of… Read more »

The Ancient Greek World

The Greek Gallery tours start at 11:30 each day and last about 40 minutes. Normally they cover objects in galleries 13 to 23 depending on which are open. These include the Archaic period with famous objects such as the Sophilos dinos depicting the marriage of Peleus and Thetis and the iconic Exikias amphora showing Achilles… Read more »

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