WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Frank Snowden Jr., a former dean at Howard University in Washington and a pioneer researcher on blacks in the classical world, has died at 95.
Snowden suffered from congestive heart failure, the Washington Post reported. He died on Feb. 18 at an assisted living facility in Washington.
In books like "Blacks in Antiquity: Ethiopians in the Greco-Roman Experience" and "Before Color Prejudice: The Ancient View of Blacks," Snowden argued that the classical Greeks and Romans did not have the kind of color prejudice that has afflicted the modern world. He was one of the first scholars to look at the place of blacks in the ancient world.
Snowden became fascinated by classical studies as a student at Boston Latin School. He went on to Harvard, graduating in 1932, and received a doctorate in 1944. His thesis was on slavery in Pompeii.
Snowden spent most of his teaching career at Howard, where he served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts. He also lectured abroad for the U.S. State Department.
He was awarded a National Medal for the Humanities in 2003.
