The world of classical archaeology has lost one of its most distinguished and meticulous scholars with the passing of Dr Penelope Mountjoy, at the age of 85. Her groundbreaking work fundamentally reshaped our understanding of Mycenaean pottery and, by extension, the complex chronology of the Late Bronze Age Aegean.
Born in Epsom, Surrey, Mountjoy's path to archaeology was unconventional. After working as a computer programmer, a chance encounter with a photo of Linear B tablets in a newspaper ignited a passion that would define her life. She pursued this new calling with relentless determination, earning her degree and later a PhD from the University of London.
A Life Defined by Scrupulous Scholarship
Mountjoy’s career was characterised by an almost unparalleled attention to detail. She is universally acclaimed for creating the definitive classification system for Mycenaean pottery, the corpus that remains the essential reference for archaeologists today. Her multi-volume work, Mycenaean Pottery: An Introduction, is considered the bible in the field.
Her expertise was not confined to library shelves. Dr Mountjoy was a formidable presence on dig sites across the Mediterranean. She lent her sharp eye to major excavations at renowned locations including Knossos on Crete, Tiryns in Greece, and Miletus in Turkey, often being called upon to resolve complex chronological puzzles that baffled others.
Decoding the Past, One Sherd at a Time
Perhaps her most significant contribution was solving the long-standing riddle of the Late Helladic IIIB and IIIC phases in central Greece. Through painstaking analysis, she demonstrated that the pottery style thought to belong to a later period (IIIC) was actually contemporary with an earlier style (IIIB), a finding that forced a major recalibration of the timeline for the collapse of the Mycenaean palatial system.
Beyond her written work, she was a generous mentor and a respected, if fiercely principled, colleague. Former students and peers remember her willingness to share knowledge, often spending hours poring over pottery sherds with them, patiently teaching them to see the subtle distinctions she mastered.
Dr Penelope Mountjoy’s legacy is etched not in stone, but in clay. Her meticulous research provided the essential framework for dating one of the most pivotal eras in human history. She ensured that the humble pottery sherd could tell a grand story, leaving a permanent imprint on our understanding of the ancient world.
