St John Simpson
Assistant Keeper, Iran & Arabia
Ancient Iran and Arabia
Department: Middle East
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7323 8942
Email: ssimpson @ thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
Dr Simpson is the curator responsible for the pre-Islamic
collections from Iran and Arabia in the British Museum. Star items
in these collections include the Oxus Treasure, the Cyrus cylinder,
Sasanian silver dishes, and antiquities from ancient South
Arabia.
He has a D. Phil. on the archaeology of the Sasanian period in
Mesopotamia and his main research field is Sasanian material
culture. He has excavated extensively in the Middle East and
Central Asia, including sites of all periods from prehistoric to
recent times.
Current British Museum projects
Previous British Museum projects
New gallery displays for ancient Iran and South Arabia
Exhibition: Queen of Sheba: Treasures from ancient Yemen (BM,
2002)
External fellowships/ honorary positions/ membership of professional bodies
Joint Editor in Chief: Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian
Studies
Vice-chair and Joint Editor of Monograph Series, The Society for
Arabian Studies
Hon. Sec., Ancient Persia Fund
Chair, Bead Study Trust
Committee, Association for the History of Glass
Publications
Most recent publications
St J. Simpson, New Studies in Sasanian Archaeology: Economy,
Industry and Material Culture (London: British Museum Press,
forthcoming)
St J. Simpson, Late Sasanian Remains at Erk-Kala. Louvain:
Peeters (Acta Iranica, Textes et Mémoires = Merv Excavation Reports
I
St J. Simpson and C.S. Phillips (eds) Softstone in the Near
East: Proceedings of a seminar held at the British Museum, July
2004 (Oxford: Archaeopress; Society for Arabian Studies Monograph
Series, forthcoming)
St J. Simpson, Turkish Delight: Studies in Late Ottoman and
Related Clay Pipe Traditions from the Near East and Mediterranean
(Oxford: Archaeopress, forthcoming)
St J. Simpson, Excavations at Tell Abu Dhahir (Oxford:
Archaeopress on behalf of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq
& Department of Antiquities, Baghdad, forthcoming)