Martin Millett


Martin John Millett, is a British archaeologist and academic. He is the Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and a professorial fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.

Early life

Millett was born on 30 September 1955. He was educated at Weydon County Secondary School, a state school in Wrecclesham, Farnham, and Farnham College, a sixth form college in Farnham, Surrey. He went on to study at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, graduating Bachelor of Arts. He then undertook postgraduate studies at Merton College, Oxford, completing his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1980. His doctoral thesis was titled A comparative study of some contemporaneous pottery assemblages from Roman Britain.

Academic career

Millett was assistant curator of archaeology at the Hampshire County Museums from 1980 to 1981. He then began his academic career, and joined Durham University in 1981. He was a lecturer from 1981 to 1991, and senior lecturer from 1991 to 1995. He was Professor of Archaeology between 1995 and 1998.
Millett then moved to the University of Southampton where he was Professor of Archaeology from 1999 to 2001. In 2001, he joined the University of Cambridge as the Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology. The appointment is accompanied by a Fellowship of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. In 2012, he was appointed head of the School of Arts and Humanities at Cambridge.
Millett is an archaeologist who excavates a Roman-period site in Yorkshire, directs the Roman Towns Project, and directs the Greek Colonization and Archaeology of European Development project. Millett has profoundly changed Romano-British archaeology by implementing and calling for new approaches to the excavated materials.
Outside his university work Millett holds a number of appointments. He is a vice-president of the British Academy with responsibility for the British Academy Sponsored Institutes and Societies. He has held two senior positions at the Society of Antiquaries of London; he was director from 2001 to 2007 and treasurer from 2007 to 2011.

Honours

On 3 May 1984, Millett was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. In 2006, he was elected Fellow of the British Academy.

Select bibliography