Richard Goodchild Papers on Apollonia and Cyrene

Correspondence, field notes, articles, reports, plans and drawings of Richard Goodchild. The material primarily concerns his work in Cyrenaica, primarily Apollonia and Cyrene.

"Richard George Goodchild was born in Exeter on 18 July 1918. As a schoolboy he already took an active part in archaeology, an interest fostered at Cranleigh School where he was a pupil. In 1936 he came up to Oxford to read history at Oriel College.

The University Archaeological Society was enjoying one of its most flourishing periods and he became a keen member.... He has just graduated when World War II broke out and he relinquished a post-graduate scholarship to join the Royal Artillery, in which he rose to the rank of Captain and saw service in the Near East and Italy. He made full use of every opportunity that came his way to see the classical sites of the countries where he served and he delighted in the sunlight of the Mediterranean.

From 1948 to 1953 he was Librarian at the British School at Rome. While at the British School he continued his explorations during vacations, extending his work into Syrtica and Cyrenaica to prepare the "Map of Roman Libya" which was afterwards published by the Society of Antiquaries of London. He has been elected a Fellow of the Society in 1947.

In 1953 he was invited to return to Libya as Controller of Antiquities in the Province of Cyrenaica. By now Libya has become an independent kingdom and Richard made the building up of a good department his prime objective, with the necessary training of young Libyans. The present able and enthusiastic Director of Antiquities in Cyrenaica, Mr Awad Sadawiya, studied at the University of Liverpool and took his degree in Archaeology through Richard's encouragement... In 1960 he left Libya to go to Dar es Salaam as the Director of the new British Institute in East Africa.

On him fell the work of establishing the Institute on its first home in Dar es Salaam, which he carried out with tact, humour and efficiency. But he thirsted for the fountains of Rome, and after a year, his task achieved, he returned to the Mediterranean where he had left his heart. He remained in Cyrenaica for five more years, until 1966, when he went for a year to the University of Michigan. In 1967 he became Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Provinces at the Institute of Archaeology, University of London. The appointment was a well deserved recognition of his work and he was full of plans for the future. He intended to return with his students to carry on excavation in Libya, but his sudden death in February 1968 defeated his hopes."

Olwen Brogan, "Obituary: Richard Goodchild."

Available for general access

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Goodchild Cyrenaican Photographs (D1/10/3/1 - D1/10/3/6)