053 Phelps (John) 1873-1955Papers 1936-1954MS 53 Special CollectionsThe Milton S. Eisenhower LibraryThe Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles StreetBaltimore, MD21218USAPhone: (410) 516-8323
September 12, 2007 Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Margaret Burri Finding aid written in English Phelps (John) 1873-1955Papers 1936-1954MS 53 Special CollectionsThe Milton S. Eisenhower LibraryThe Johns Hopkins University Contact Information Special Collections The Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University 3400 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 (410) 516-8323 Margaret Burri

©2007 The Johns Hopkins University

 Descriptive Summary 053 Phelps (John) 1873-1955 Papers 1936-1954 Phelps, John, 1873-1955 Johns Hopkins University. Special Collections. 4.6 linear feet English. Collection consists largely of manuscript notes compiled by Phelps during his life-long interest in classical studies. The collection does not reflect his legal career or personal life. The notes include Phelps's research on the prehistoric solar calendar, his linguistic studies on the origins of plant names, personal names, and the names of the Mediterranean islands. Extensive notes from Phelps's study of the solstice in Latin mythology are the final items in the collection. Administrative Information Provenance

The papers were donated to the library by Mrs. John Phelps in 1965.

 Use Restrictions

Access to the collection is unrestricted.

 Preferred Citation

John Phelps Papers, MS 53

Special Collections,

Milton S. Eisenhower Library,

The Johns Hopkins University

Biographical Note

John Phelps was a Baltimore lawyer and classics scholar. He was born in Baltimore in 1873 and received his B.A. from Hopkins in 1894. He served as assistant State's attorney in 1896 and was professor law at the University of Maryland.

While in France in 1897, Phelps discovered a few fragments of the Coligny calendar which dated from ancient Gaul (70-80 A.D.). While studying this calendar, Phelps familiarized himself with the comples of Europe's ancient and modern languages and mathematics. In 1955, Phelps published "The Prehistoric Solar Calendar."