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Peter Astbury Brunt FBA (23 June 19175 November 2005) was a British academic and ancient historian. He was Camden Professor of Ancient History at the University of Oxford from 1970 to 1982. During his career, he lectured at the University of St Andrews, Oriel College, Oxford, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and Brasenose College, Oxford.
Having graduated with a double first, he was awarded the Craven Fellowship in 1939. However, with the outbreak of World War II, his academic career went on hold. He volunteered but flat feet prevented him from serving in the military. Instead, he joined the Ministry of Shipping, later the Ministry of War Transport, as a civil servant. He served as Temporary Assistant Principal, and later Temporary Principal. His main duties involved the relinquishing of French ships, and dealing with the legal and diplomatic fallout from this. He additionally spent his nights on fire fighting duty with the Air Raid Precautions. His work as a civil servant allowed him to develop some skill as an administrator and afforded him experiences that he might not have had as a student. Notably, during air-raid duties he made the acquaintance of his fellow worker Violet Bonham Carter, and in the Ministry of Shipping he started a long friendship with the numismatist Derek Allen.
He returned to the University of Oxford in 1951 and joined Oriel College as fellow and tutor in ancient history. One focus of interest during this period was that of ancient slavery. He also lectured on Thucydides in the first few years, and he wrote a revised edition of Benjamin Jowett translation of History of the Peloponnesian War with a new introduction in 1963. He served as Dean of Oriel College from 1959 to 1964. From 1968 to 1970, he left Oxford University to serve as Bursar of Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge. During this time he completed two books., one of which—Italian Manpower, 225 BC-AD 14 (Oxford University Press, 1971)—was arguably the most innovative book about Roman history written in English since the Second World War. In 1970, he was elected Camden Professor of Ancient History and joined Brasenose College, University of Oxford, as a professorial fellow.
Outside of university, he held a number of positions. He was editor of The Oxford Magazine for two years from 1963 to 1964. He was a delegate of the Oxford University Press from 1971 to 1979. He served as a member of the council of the British School at Rome from 1972 to 1987. He was President of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies from 1980 to 1983.
He retired early in 1982 because of ill-health.
In autumn 2005, a cancerous tumour was discovered in his oesophagus but he refused treatment. He died on 5 November 2005 after spending time in the Sobell House Hospice, Oxford.
He had become an atheist by the time he had started university.
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