Eva Matthews Sanford (6 July 1894 – 26 March 1954) was a scholar of Classical and Medieval history and Assistant Professor of History at Sweet Briar College. Sanford is known for her work on the Medieval sources for Classical texts, particularly works of
Juvenal
Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the ''Satires''. The details of Juvenal's life ...
and
Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...
.
Family
Sanford's father was Edgar L. Sanford, a canon of the Episcopal Church in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Vera Sanford was a professor of mathematics and author of textbooks at State Teachers College at
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta ( ) is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, United States. It is one of the northernmost cities of the Appalachian Region. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Oneonta had a population of 13,079. Its nickname is "City of the Hil ...
.
Career
Sanford gained her AB from
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...
in 1916. Following some years at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
(1917-1919), Sanford obtained her MA and PhD from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 1922 and 1923 with the thesis "Quibus rationibus auctorum Latinorum opera in libris manuscriptis collecta sint". She was then a Whitney Travelling Fellow at the
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome.
The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.
History
In 1893, a group of American architects, ...
in 1923–4. Sanford was a member of the faculty of Mather College and of the graduate school of
Western Reserve University
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
until 1937 when she was appointed Assistant Professor of History at Sweet Briar College. Shortly afterwards Sanford published her textbook ''The Mediterranean World in Ancient Times'' (New York 1938) which became a standard reference for students and a revised edition was published in 1951.
Sanford's work focused on the translation, understanding, and transmission of the medieval sources for classical literature. She was the section editor for commentaries of Latin authors 1300–1600 in the ''Bibliographical Guide to Medieval and Renaissance Commentaries and Translations of Classical Authors'' and also consulting editor for the ''Corpus of Roman Law''. As a
Fulbright Scholar
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...
in 1950 Sanford travelled to Italy and France in search of Medieval commentaries on
Juvenal
Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the ''Satires''. The details of Juvenal's life ...
.
Sanford was also engaged in early work on finger signs in calculations in antiquity and published a text on the subject in 1928.
Before she died Sanford was in the process of translating the ''
De Civitate Dei
''On the City of God Against the Pagans'' ( la, De civitate Dei contra paganos), often called ''The City of God'', is a book of Christian philosophy written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th century AD. The book was in response ...
'' of
Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...
for the
Loeb Classical Library
The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb; , ) is a series of books originally published by Heinemann in London, but is currently published by Harvard University Press. The library contains important works of ancient Greek and L ...
. Her work on books XVI-XVIII was subsequently completed by William M. Green and published as LCL 415 in 1965.
An obituary for Sanford was published in the ''
American Historical Review
''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal and the official publication of the American Historical Association. It targets readers interested in all periods and facets of history and has often been described as the ...
'' in July 1954.
Select publications
*'Honorius, Presbyter and Scholasticus' ''Speculum'' 23 (3): pp. 397–425 (1948)
*''The Mediterranean World in Ancient Times'' (New York 1938)
*''Salvian: On the Government of God'' (1930)