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. Women in Ancient Rome

      When: October 8 @ 5:30 pm - October 29 @ 7:30 pm

      Women’s position in the Ancient Roman world was important as they played important roles in the home, in business, in religion and even in politics. The Lives and Importance of women in Republican and Imperial Ancient Rome and Roman Britain including the importance of the worship of goddesses. The contrasting roles of women in different… Read more »

    2. England’s Earliest Kings: 1 The Sutton Hoo King and the Bretwaldas

      When: October 9 @ 11:00 am - October 16 @ 1:30 pm

      After the Romans left in the C5th AD Britain was slowly conquered by Germanic tribes dividing the country up into about a dozen small kingdoms.  The strongest king was known as the Bretwalda or Britain Ruler.  Was the man buried at Sutton Hoo one of them? We will examine what happened after the Romans left… Read more »

    3. The Trojan War

      When: November 6 @ 11:00 am - November 13 @ 1:30 pm

      The myths surrounding the war between the Greeks and Trojans in c. 1200 BC. Or is it true? The myths surrounding the 10 year war between the Greek City States and Troy in c. 1200 BC including the events leading up to the war, some of the conflicts of the war and some of the… Read more »

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Featured articles

British Museum Highlights

This new 90 minute tour of the Museum costs £12 per head and can be booked in advance via the Museum’s website.  Originally we started in Room 2 with an introduction to the museum’s founder, Sir Hans Sloane and then one of the oldest objects in the museum, a hand axe from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania… Read more »

George Frederic Handel

Handel and Royalty An examination of how closely his music and career was bound up with the British royal family from Queen Anne to George II (course originally run at Crayford Manor to coincide with a workshop on George II). George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) was one of the first composers to make a successful career independent… Read more »

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart’s Finale This was a detailed examination of Mozart’s last 12 months in which he wrote some of his greatest works (including the Clarinet Concerto, the Magic Flute, La Clemenza di Tito, Ave Verum Corpus, the Requiem, the last Piano Concerto and the last two String Quintets) but struggled financially and professionally. I ran this… Read more »

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