Simon Keay

Simon James Keay, FBA (21 May 1954 – 7 April 2021) was a British archaeologist and academic. Keay specialized in the archaeology of the Roman Empire, particularly Roman Mediterranean ports, commerce and cultural change in Italy and Iberia.

Background Simon Keay was born in St Mary's Hospital, London, on 21 May 1954. His father, Anthony Keay, was British, and his mother, Lorelei (née Shiel) Keay, was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia. He attended Downside School in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Somerset. His thesis, Late Roman Amphorae in the Western Mediterranean: A Typology and Economic Study: The Catalan Evidence, was published in 1984.

Personal life and death In 1986, Keay married Nina Inzani, whom he had first met during an excavation in Spain.

Honours In 1986, he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries

Necrology Martin Millett "Simon Keay obituary: Archaeologist who specialised in the Roman empire, focusing on ports and commerce in Italy and Spain" The Guardian 9 May 2021