Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

WILLIAM MARTIN LEAKE (1777-186o)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V16, Page 329 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

WILLIAM See also:MARTIN See also:LEAKE (1777-186o)  , See also:British antiquarian and topographer, was See also:born in See also:London on the 14th of See also:January 1777 . After completing his See also:education at the Royal Military See also:Academy, See also:Woolwich, and spending four years in the See also:West Indies as See also:lieutenant of marine See also:artillery, he was sent by the See also:government to See also:Constantinople to instruct the See also:Turks in this See also:branch of the service . A See also:journey through See also:Asia See also:Minor in 1800 to join the British See also:fleet at See also:Cyprus inspired him with an See also:interest in antiquarian See also:topography . In 18oi, after travelling across the See also:desert with the See also:Turkish See also:army to See also:Egypt, he was, on the See also:expulsion of the See also:French, employed in See also:surveying the valley of the See also:Nile as far as the cataracts; but having sailed with the See also:ship engaged to convey the See also:Elgin See also:marbles from See also:Athens to See also:England, he lost all his maps and observations when the See also:vessel foundered off Cerigo . Shortly after his arrival in England he was sent out to survey the See also:coast of See also:Albania and the MVlorea, with the view of assisting the Turks against attacks of the French from See also:Italy, and of this he took See also:advantage to See also:form a valuable collection of coins and See also:inscriptions and to explore See also:ancient sites . In 1807, See also:war having broken out between See also:Turkey and England, he was made prisoner at See also:Salonica; but, obtaining his See also:release the same See also:year, he was sent on a See also:diplomatic See also:mission to See also:Ali See also:Pasha of See also:Iannina, whose confidence he completely won, and with whom he remained for more than a year as British representative . In 1810 he was granted a yearly sum of 600 for his services in Turkey . In 1815 he retired from the army, in which he held the See also:rank of See also:colonel, devoting the See also:remainder of his See also:life to topographical and antiquarian studies, the results of which were given to the See also:world in the following volumes: Topography of Athens (1821); See also:Journal of a Tour in Asia Minor (1824); Travels in the Morea (183o), and a supplement, Peloponnesiaca (x846); Travels in See also:Northern See also:Greece (1835); and Numismata Hellenica (1854), followed by a supplement in 1859 . A characteristic of the researches of See also:Leake was their comprehensive minuteness, which was greatly aided by his mastery of technical details . His Topography of Athens, the first See also:attempt at a scientific treatment of the subject, is still authoritative in regard to many important points (see ATHENS) . He died at See also:Brighton on the 6th of January 186o . The marbles collected by him in Greece were presented to the British Museum; his bronzes, vases, gems and coins were See also:purchased by the university of See also:Cambridge after his See also:death, and are now in the See also:Fitzwilliam Museum .

He was elected F.R.S. and F.R.G.S., received the honorary D.C.L. at See also:

Oxford (1816), and was a member of the See also:Berlin Academy of Sciences and correspondent of the See also:Institute of See also:France . See Memoir by J . H . See also:Marsden (1864) ; the Architect for the 7th of See also:October 1876; E . See also:Curtius in the Preussische Jahrbdcher (See also:Sept., 1876); J . E . See also:Sandys, Hist. of Classical Scholarship, iii . (1908), p . 442 .

End of Article: WILLIAM MARTIN LEAKE (1777-186o)
[back]
LEAGUE
[next]
LEAMINGTON

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.