Introduction
John Penrose Barron (27 April 1934 - 16 August 2008) was a British classical scholar. He was Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London from 1984 to 1991 and Master of St Peter's College, Oxford from 1991 to 2003.
Early life and education
Barron was born on 27 April 1934 in Morley, Yorkshire, England. He was educated at Clifton College, then an all-boys independent school in Bristol. He matriculated into Balliol College, Oxford in 1953; he had originally intended to study law but was convinced by a college tutor to switch to Lit. Hum. (Classics). He graduated from the University of Oxford with a first class Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1957. He remained at Oxford to study for a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree. His doctoral thesis was on the early history of Samos, and he completed his DPhil in 1961.