After teaching at the University of California, Riverside, and Hunter College, Frost was called to the growing History Department of the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1965 where he joined C. Warren Hollister in building its European history program. Frost's first book was an English edition, with additional commentary and supplementary material, of Adolf Bauer's German-language Themistokles: Studien und Beiträge zur griechischen Historiographie und Quellenkunde published as Themistokles: literary, epigraphical and archaeological testimonia. He edited Democracy and the Athenians: Aspects of Ancient Politics, which provides a mix of excerpts from primary and secondary sources. He published his revised doctoral dissertation as Plutarch's Themistocles: A Historical Commentary. His textbook Greek Society was widely used and went through five editions. He published a collection of his essays in Politics and the Athenians: Essays on Athenian History and Historiography. Frost also is an active archaeologist with special interest in underwater archaeology. He mapped submerged remains of the ancient city of Halieis, near the modern community of Porto Cheli in 1965. He also did survey work at Phourkari. He excavated in Greece in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Combining his interest in archaeology with the history of sea-faring, he also published on early sea-faring off the coast of California. Later, he co-directed the Greek-American excavations at Phalasarna with Dr. Elpida Hadjidaki of the Greek Archaeological Service. In 2000, two of his former students co-edited The Dance of Hippocleides: A Festschrift for Frank J. Frost in his honor.
Political career and other activities
Frost is also active in politics. He was elected County Supervisor of Santa Barbara County in 1972 on a no-growth platform. He was the democratic nominee for Congress for the 19thcongressional district in 1982, losing to Republican Robert J. Lagomarsino. Since his retirement from teaching in 1990, Frost has also been an active writer of fiction. These works include collections of short stories such as Subversives and Gershwin's Last Waltz and Other Stories as well as novels such as Dead Philadelphians, which received excellent reviews, and Bay to Breakers. Frost has also played jazz piano professionally for decades.
Selected publications
Frank J. Frost, ed. and tr., Themistokles: Literary, Epigraphical and Archaeological Testimonia
Frank J. Frost, Democracy and the Athenians: Aspects of Ancient Politics
Frank J. Frost, Greek Society, 1st edition. This book would go on through 5 editions
Frank J. Frost, Plutarch's Themistocles: A Historical Commentary
Frank J. Frost, et al., The Archaeology of Athens and Attica under the Democracy
Frank J. Frost, Politics and the Athenians: Essays on Athenian History and Historiography.
