JOHN GILBERT THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST WAS FASCINATED WITH ATHENS

 John Wesley Gilbert was a famous figure in the fields of Classics and Archaeology.  Born a slave he became a renowned scholar and the first black person to receive an advanced degree from Brown's university.

The scholar who was an accomplished linguist, classicist and archaeologist broke many barriers in his life, making history and leaving behind a complicated and impressive legacy for the future generation.

Gilbert was born in Georgia, in 1863 and he was named after the founder of Methodism, John Wesley.

After completing his primary and secondary education, Gilbert was able to attend college, an opportunity very rarely offered to black people in the USA at the time.

Gilbert enrolled first at the Augusta Institute a precursor to the esteemed Morehouse College, a historical black men's college in Atlanta, Georgia. 

A lifetime Methodist Gilbert later attended the Paine Institute, now Paine College, which was jointly founded by black and white Southern Methodists. During that time only black students attended Paine.

After great success at both educational institutions, Gilbert was offered financial assistance to attend Brown's University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Upon enrolling at the prestigious university, Gilbert became one of the first ten black men to attend the school and he was the third African-American to receive a bachelor's degree in 1888.

The young scholar was one of the first African-Americans to graduate from Brown's University in 1889.

Shortly after receiving his degree, Gilbert married Osceola Plesant who had also attended Browns.  He was hired to teach at the Paine Institution before his trip to Greece.

An impressive student of archaeology, ancient languages and Greek culture, Gilbert was offered a scholarship to study and conduct excavations by the American School of Classical Studies (ASCS) in Athens. 

When he arrived in Athens, Gilbert accomplished another historical first he became the first African-American scholar to attend ASCS .

While there, he amazed his professors and fellow students with his proficiency and excellence.