Lionel Michael Whitby (born February 1952) is a British ancient historian of Late Antiquity. He specialises in late Roman and early Byzantine history and historiography. He is currently pro-vice-chancellor and head of the College of Arts and Law at the University of Birmingham.
Early life
Whitby was born in February 1952,[1] to Joan and Gordon Whitby, a physician and biochemist.[2] He read Literae Humaniores at Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford.[3] He then spent three years working as a civil servant in the Scottish Office. He returned to Oxford to conduct postgraduate study in Byzantine history.[4] He completed his Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree in 1981 with a doctoral thesis titled "The Historiae of Theophylact Simocatta".[5]
Academic career
Whitby held a junior research fellowship at Merton College, Oxford.[6] In 1987, he joined the Ancient History department at the University of St Andrews. He became head of department in 1993 and received a personal chair in 1995 as Professor of Ancient History.[4]
He was Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick,[7] having joined the Department of Classics and Ancient History in 1996.[8] He also served as pro-vice-chancellor 'Teaching, Learning and Quality' from 2003,[9] and then 'Academic Planning and Resources'.[3]
On 1 September 2010, he became pro-vice-chancellor and head of College of Arts and Law at the University of Birmingham.[3]
Honours
In 2007, Whitby was awarded a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) honorary degree by the University of Warwick.[10] He received one of the 2009 Distinguished Book Awards from the Society for Military History for The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare.[11]
