Dr. STEVE KERSHAW: LECTURER 

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Steve Kershaw (B.A. (Hons.); Ph.D.) has had a special interest in the world of the Ancient Greeks and Romans ever since being introduced to Homer’s Iliad by an inspirational teacher at his primary school. He developed his interests in the Classics at Heath Grammar School in Halifax, before studying at Bristol University. Having achieved a degree in Classics, Steve stayed on to write his Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Richard Buxton, arguably the leading scholar on Greek myth in the world.

Since graduation Steve has taught Classics in a number of establishments, and now operates principally for Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. He authored and teaches Oxford’s on-line Greek Mythology, The Fall of Rome, and Minoans and Mycenaeans courses, but he has also spent a great deal of time in the world of Classical Civilisation, both intellectually and physically: as a guest speaker for Swan Hellenic Cruises, Royal Hebridean Cruises, Voyages to Antiquity, Cox & Kings, and Noble Caledonia, he has travelled extensively throughout the Mediterranean, and, as Professor of History of Art, he ran the European Studies Classical Tour for Rhodes College and the University of the South for over a decade. Steve also lectures regularly at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Former students include the Princess of Jordan, and he translated Matthew Pinsent’s 4th Olympic Gold Medal for him after his victory in Athens.

In 1990 he edited Pierre Grimal’s Concise Dictionary of Classical Mythology, later converted to The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology, and in 2007, partly as a result of a course on Greek Mythology that he taught at Oxford University, he published A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths (Constable & Robinson), described by Paul Cartledge the Professor of Ancient History at Cambridge University as ‘eminently sane, highly informative, and reasonably priced’. His Brief Guide to Classical Civilization was published in 2010, followed by his A Brief History of the Roman Empire in 2013, and A Brief History of Atlantis: Plato's Ideal State in 2017.2019 saw the publication of two new books: Barbarians: Rebellion and Resistance to the Roman Empire, and the highly acclaimed Mythologica, a children's book on Greek mythology. Steve’s most recent publication, Three Epic Battles that Saved Democracy: Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis (2022), has also garnered many plaudits in the national press.

Steve lives in the Oxfordshire village of Deddington with his artist wife Lal Jones, and his English Springer Spaniel called Hero.

Contact details

3 New Street
DEDDINGTON
Oxon
OX15 0ST

Tel: 01869 338123
Mob: 07500 051606

E-mail: DrSPKershaw@msn.com

Arts Society Programme Secretaries can access further information via the Arts Society website: https://theartssociety.org/