John Curtis
Keeper
Keeper of the Middle East
collections, with special interests in Iraq and Iran
Department: Middle East
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7323 8313
Email: jcurtis @ thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
John Curtis was appointed a Research Assistant in the Department
of Western Asiatic Antiquities (now Middle East) in 1971, becoming
Assistant Keeper in 1974 and Keeper in 1989.
He is mainly interested in the archaeology and history of Iraq
and Iran circa 1000-330 BC. Between 1983 and 1989 he directed
excavations on behalf of the British Museum at eight different
sites in Iraq, including Nimrud and Balawat.
Since becoming Keeper he has overseen the installation of six
new permanent galleries at the British Museum. He has also curated
the traveling exhibition Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria in
the British Museum that has been sent to nine venues worldwide, and
the special exhibition Forgotten Empire: the World of Ancient
Persia at the British Museum September 2005-June 2006, that
attracted 155,000 visitors.
Current British Museum projects
Previous British Museum projects
See publications
External fellowships/ honorary positions/ membership of professional bodies
Member of Governing Council of British School of Archaeology in
Iraq
Trustee of Ancient Persia Fund
Member of Editorial Board of Iranica Antiqua
Elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries 1984
Elected Fellow of the British Academy 2003
The 2005 Iran Heritage Foundation Award for outstanding
contributions to the promotion and preservation of the heritage and
culture of Iran
Awarded OBE 2006 “for services to museums”
Publications
J. Curtis, Forgotten Empire: the World of Ancient
Persia, with N. Tallis, (British Museum Press 2005)
J. Curtis, Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria in
the British Museum, with J.E. Reade, (British Museum Press
2005)
J. Curtis “The Oxus Treasure in the British Museum”, in
Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia, 10 (2004),
pp. 293- 338
J. Curtis, Ancient Caucasian and Related Material in the
British Museum, with M. Kruszynski, British Museum Occasional
Paper no.121 (British Museum 2002)
J. Curtis, Ancient Persia (British Museum Publications
2000)