TARN, William Woodthorpe. London 26.2.1869 — Muirtown near Inverness 7.11.1957. Sir (1952). British (Scottish) Lawyer and Classical Historian. Son of William Tarn, a silk merchant, and Frances Arthy. After Eton College studies at Trinity College, Cambridge. After Inner Temple worked as lawyer in London in 1894-1905, but was more interested in history. Then lived many years as private scholar in Inverness, Scotland. In WW I worked as intelligence officer. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Hon. LL.D. 1933 Edinburgh. Married 1896 Flora Macdonald (d. 1937), one daughter.
Tarn was the famous specialist of Alexander and Hellenistic history, in Indology he is best remembered because of his pioneering study of Bactria and the Indo-Greeks. Later on, he has been severely criticized for idealizing Alexander and Greek culture.
Publications: “Notes on Hellenism in Bactria and India”, JHS 22, 1902, 268-293; “The Massacre of the Branchidai”, ClR 36, 1922, 63-66; “Alexander and the Ganges”, JHS 43, 1923, 93-101; “Polybius and a literary commonplace”, CQ 20, 1926, 98-100; “Alexander: the Conquest of the Far East”, The Cambridge Ancient History. Vol. 6. Macedon 401–301 B.C. Chapter 13. Cambridge 1927, 387-437; “Two notes on Seleucid history 1. Seleucus’ 500 Elephants; 2. Tarmita”, JHS 60, 1940, 84-94; “Demetrias in Sind”, JRAS 1940, 179-193.
– Antigonos Gonatas. 501 p. Oxford 1913 and other works wholly unrelated with India.
– Hellenistic Civilisation. L. 1927, 2nd ed. 1930, 3rd with G. T. Griffith. 11+372 p. L. 1952.
– Hellenistic Military and Naval Developments. 7+170 p. Cambridge 1930.
– The Greeks in Bactria and India. Cambridge 1938, 2nd ed. 23+561 p. Cambr. 1951.
– Alexander the Great. 1. Narrative. 10+160 p. 2. Sources and Studies. 13+476 p. Cambridge 1948-50.
Sources: *F.E. Adcock, Sir W.W.T., 1869–1957. L. 1959, *Gnomon 30, 1958, 317-319 and *Oxford D.N.B.; Wikipedia.
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