Thomas Ashby (1874-1931), the first fellow and the third director of the British School
at Rome, made a profound contribution to the development of archaeological and historical
studies in the first quarter
of
the 20th century. His research focussed principally on the art
history and culture
of
modern Rome and on the historical topography
of
ancient Rome and
its countryside (including an important chapter on aqueducts).
At the same time he studied
the prehistory
of
the Mediterranean islands, as well as Italian ethnography and popular
culture. Although he inherited a prestigious antiquarian tradition, Ashby was a truly modern
scholar who was innovative in his use of both the technical and the methodological side
of
research.
