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. 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 »

    3. England’s Earliest Kings: 2 Offa and the Mercian Supremacy

      When: November 20 @ 11:00 am - November 27 @ 1:30 pm

      In the mid-C7th Mercia rose to challenge Northumbria for supremacy but after a brief set back became the dominant kingdom in England for about a century from the early C8th to the early C9th under three remarkable kings, Ethelbald, Offa and Coenwulf.  Offa is still well known today and nearly succeeded in making England a… Read more »

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Featured articles

Robert Schumann

Schumann and Schumann This course examined the music and careers of Robert and Clara Schumann, how they were entwined and the influence on each other.  The course was run thematically with the first week being an overall chronology and then each week concentrating on one type of music such as Piano Muisc, Songs, Choral, Orchestral… Read more »

William and Mary

I first ran this course at Crayford Manor in January 2003 but the latest manifestation was on Saturday 14th March 2020 at the City Lit just before the great lockdown. Following the attempt by James II to re-establish Catholicism in Britain his daughter and son-in-law were invited to oust him to protect the Protestant church.… Read more »

The Enlightenment and the British Museum

This one day course was be run by the City Lit on Saturday 17th Novemebr 2012.  Both a product and promoter of the Enlightenment, founded in 1753 the British Museum is the oldest museum of its kind in the World. The course included a visit to the British Museum. Using images from the British Museum including… Read more »

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