John M. Riddle Microfilm and Papers 300s BCE-1500s CE, 1950s-1980s

John Marion Riddle was born August 19, 1937, in Lancaster, South Carolina. He attended Lenoir Rhyne College on a full scholarship and graduated with honors in 1959. Receiving a scholarship from the School of Medicine, he earned an M.A. in 1961 from University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and completed his thesis, The Political History of the Nabataeans from Roman Intervention until Loss of Independence in 106 A.D., under the direction of Wallace E. Caldwell. He earned his Ph.D. in 1963 also from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and completed his doctoral thesis, Amber and Amergergris in materia medica during Antiquity and the Middle Ages, under the direction of Loren C. MacKinney.

Immediately following, Riddle won Professional Development Awards from Wisconsin State University at Eau Claire in 1964 and North Carolina State University in 1965 and 1966. He received an International Travel Grant in 1967 from the Hebrew Union University in Jerusalem. However, the grant was terminated because of the military conflicts in Vietnam. His early professional experiences include Teaching Assistantships at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and at Wisconsin State University in 1962-1963. He earned a Research Assistantship from the Medizinhistorisches Institut der Universität in Bonn, Germany.

John Riddle was an assistant professor of history at North Carolina State University in 1965-1969; an associate professor in 1969-1976; a professor in 1976; Head of the Division of University Studies, 1982-1988; Alumni Distinguished Professor (for teaching), 1994; Head of Department of History, 1995-1998; Alumni Distinguished Professor (for research), 1999; and is presently a professor emeritus. John M. Riddle has published upwards of sixty articles in scholarly books and journals, given approximately sixty paper readings at universities and scholarly conventions, published five books, held offices and memberships in learned societies, earned numerous scholarships and endowments, and even won the prestigious Urdang International Medal in 1987. Professor Riddle has also featured stories in the New York Times, Washington Post, Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, Manchester Guardian, and Time Magazine. He has contributed to documentaries on Discovery Channel (January 2000) and BBC (June 2000), and has been interviewed for broadcasts on CBS, PBS, CBC, Bavarian television, and CNN.

The collection documents Professor Riddle's accomplishments as both a professor and scholar. It contains microfilms of ancient texts, correspondence letters between Professor Riddle and university libraries or museums, receipts of microfilm and text purchases, news releases, magazine clippings, organizational notes, and lapidary notes or citations on 3 x 5 cards.

The microfilm boxes have the name of the countries from which the microfilms were sent and the microfilms are alphabetized. The notecard boxes remain in the same order Professor Riddle had them, which is under headings of location or text authors.

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The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.

Some microfilm in this collection may be in poor condition and may require reformatting.

[Identification of item], John M. Riddle Microfilm and Papers, MC 00368, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Gift of John M. Riddle, 2005 and 2008 (Accession nos. 2005-0007, 2008-0075)

Original accession processed by Nathan H. Smith, 2006.

Finding aid updated by Todd Kosmerick, 2008 April; updated by Jennifer Baker 12 December, 2013; updated by Gwynn Thayer September 2016; additions processed by Peter Raia, March 2017; finding aid updated by Jennifer Baker, March 2017.