Mary Hamilton Swindler

Mary Hamilton Swindler was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana, the second daughter of Harrison T. Swindler, baker and restaurant proprietor, and his wife Ida M. Hamilton. In 1905 she received a B.A. degree in Greek from Indiana University, followed by an M.A. from Bryn Mawr College in 1906. She studied abroad in Berlin in 1909-1910, and returned to Bryn Mawr College in 1911 to pursue her Ph.D. In 1917 she became a professor of Latin and Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College, where she stayed for 37 years.

In 1929 she published her first book, Ancient Painting. In the 1930s she became Editor of the American Journal of Archaeology, and she continued as its editor for 14 years. She was appointed Norton Lecturer for the Archaeological Institute of America 1944-1945. She continued to lecture and teach at various schools until her death in 1967.