Background
George Hill was born in Berhampur, India. His grandfather, Micaiah Hill, founded the London Missionary Society"s outpost there and his father, Samuel John Hill, was stationed and where he was born.
Librarian numismatist university professor
George Hill was born in Berhampur, India. His grandfather, Micaiah Hill, founded the London Missionary Society"s outpost there and his father, Samuel John Hill, was stationed and where he was born.
He attended Blackheath College (later known as Eltham College) followed by University College, London, and finally Merton College, Oxford. He studied under Percy Gardner at Merton, taking a first class degree in classics.
He was a specialist in Renaissance medals. There he also gained an interest in numismatics. At that time, the Department was the center of study of Greek coins.
Hill continued the work of Barclay Head and Reginald Poole.
In 1897 published the first volume of a catalogue of Greek coins. Hill subsequently produced catalogs on many of the British Museum"s collections in his area.
In 1912, he became Keeper of the Department. In 1931, he was appointed Director and Principal Librarian of the British Museum.
Whilst director, he purchase the Codex Sinaiticus from the Soviet Union and, with the Victoria and Albert Museum, the George Eumorfopoulus oriental antiquities collection.
Hill was editor of the Journal of Hellenic Studies from 1898 to 1912. He was knighted in 1933.
Austrian Academy of Sciences. German Archaeological Institute.