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 TransportRead more »

SPOTLIGHT: Videos

Time and Timepieces at the British Museum

These videos were created during the pandemic lockdown. The first one was for Rue Pigalle. https://youtu.be/jgwSPZ9D2Is This second video was for Cancer Research.  If you enjoy it (or even if you don’t) please make a donation to Cancer Research. https://youtu.be/ULINE_RxgN8

Highlights of the British Museum

This video was created for online groups during the Pandemic. https://youtu.be/u6VIV2w8di0

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