Sir George Francis Hill,KCB,FBA (22 December 1867 – 18 October 1948) was thedirector and principal librarian of theBritish Museum (1931–1936).^[1] He was a specialist inRenaissance medals.

George Hill was born inBerhampur,India. His grandfather, Micaiah Hill, founded theLondon Missionary Society's outpost there and his father, Samuel John Hill, was stationed where George was born. He attendedBlackheath College (later known asEltham College) followed byUniversity College, London, and finallyMerton College, Oxford.^[2] He studied underPercy Gardner at Merton, taking afirst class degree in classics.^[2] There he also gained an interest innumismatics. He was awarded themedal of the Royal Numismatic Society in 1915.^[3]

In 1893, Hill joined the British Museum in the Coins and Medals Department. At that time, the department was the centre of study of Greek coins. Hill continued the work of Barclay Head andReginald Poole; in 1897 was published the first volume of a catalogue ofGreek coins. Hill subsequently produced catalogues of many of the British Museum's collections in his area. In 1912, he became keeper of the department.^[2] In 1931, he was appointed Director and Principal Librarian of the British Museum.^[2] Whilst director, he purchased theCodex Sinaiticus from theSoviet Union and, with theVictoria and Albert Museum, theGeorge Eumorfopoulos oriental antiquities collection.

Hill was editor of theJournal of Hellenic Studies from 1898 to 1912. He was knighted in 1933.^[2]

In 1897, he married Mary Paul, whose parents lived inRome, Italy.He retired in 1936 and died inLondon in 1948.^[4][5]

• Hill, George Francis,Historical Greek Coins, London : Archibald Constable and Co., 1906.
• Ward, John,Greek Coins and their Parent Cities, London : John Murray, 1902. (accompanied by a catalogue of the author's collection by Sir George Francis Hill)
• Hill, G. F. (1912).Portrait Medals of Italian Artists of the Renaissance. Medici Society.ISBN 9785876331984.^[6]
• Hill, George Francis,The Development of Arabic Numerals in Europe, Oxford, 1915.^[7][8]
• Hill, Francis,A History of Cyprus in 4 volumes, Cambridge, 1940–1952.
  • Vol. 1,To the Conquest by Richard Lion Heart, 1940.2010 pbk reprintISBN 978-1-108-02062-6
  • Vol. 2,The Frankish Period, 1192–1432, 1940.2010 pbk reprintISBN 978-1-108-02063-3
  • Vol. 3,The Frankish Period, 1432–1571, 1948.2010 pbk reprintISBN 978-1-108-02064-0
  • Vol. 4, (edited by Harry Luke)The Ottoman Province, the British Colony, 1571–1948, 1952; 2010 pbk reprintISBN 978-1-108-02065-7^[9]

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