Huge obituary and picture in the Guardian today for Thomas Wiedemann, a lecturer of mine at Bristol University. He taught Ancient History from a rather traditional bent, and I’m not sure I learnt a lot from him, but he was a good and decent man who knew everything there was to know. He once said that every civilised person should have read Thucydides and Herdotus in their totality – and while I remain barbaric even approaching my 29th birthday – I am beginning to believe that he may have been correct. From the obituary: “Wiedemann spent 19 years, between 1976-95, in the department of classics at Bristol University, a lively and controversial centre, where he was instrumental in building up a strong ancient history component; in particular, a separate undergraduate degree course in ancient history first taught in the current academic year.” Those he taught will miss him.
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