Francis J. Haverfield

Who was Francis J. Haverfield?

Francis John Haverfield was a British historian and archaeologist.

Educated at the University of Oxford, he also worked under Theodor Mommsen. In 1907 he became Camden Professor of Ancient History at Oxford.

Haverfield was the first to undertake a scientific study of Roman Britain and he is considered by some to be the first theorist to tackle the issue of the Romanization of the Roman Empire. His works include The Romanization of Roman Britain, Ancient Town Planning, and The Roman Occupation of Britain, many monographs, and the authoritative chapters he contributed to the Victoria History of the Counties of England.

Among his students was the archaeologist and topographer Thomas Ashby, the first scholar and third director of the British School at Rome, the Oxford historian, archaeologist, and philosopher R. G. Collingwood as well as John Garstang, archaeologist and anthropologist.