Grga Novak (2April 18887September 1978) was a distinguished Croatian historian, archaeologist and geographer, and President of the

Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Croatica, hr, Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, abbrev. HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under patronage of the Croatian bishop Jo ...

from 1958 to 1978. Born on the island of

Hvar Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For'', el, Φάρος, Pharos, la, Pharia, it, Lesina) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis and Korčula. Approximately long, wi ...

, he was Professor of Ancient History in the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

, where he was also Rector between 1946 and 1947. He is best known for pioneering

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

in Croatia, and his publications on the history of

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

, Hvar and the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

Islands.

Biography

Grga Novak studied

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, and

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

in Zagreb, Prague and Vienna, receiving his doctorate in 1913. From 1920, he taught in the Philosophy Faculty in Skoplje (then part of the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-b ...

), then moved to the

, where he taught ancient history from 1924 to 1959. Dr Novak was a fellow of the

in Zagreb from 1939, serving as its President from 1958 to 1978.

Research and publications

Grga Novak was the most important Croatian scholar of his generation in the field of history and archaeology. His area of expertise covered the Ancient World (

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

), in addition to having a deep knowledge of the history of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, especially

and the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

and its islands. He wrote extensively, lectured and travelled. The most important publications of this distinguished Croatian historian were his History of Split (in three volumes), histories of Hvar, Vis, and Dubrovnik, as well as a comprehensive history of Dalmatia in the ancient world. Dr Novak also published five volumes of Governors' reports about Dalmatia, based on material from Venetian archives. His book on the prehistoric sites of Hvar, with the results of his archaeological research form the basis for the further excavation and research of the Adriatic Islands Project. The Mediterranean Institute Grga Novak on Hvar was established in 1998 by a group of writers and scholars to promote scholarship, art and public activity in Dalmatia. One of the founding members is

Slobodan Prosperov Novak Slobodan Prosperov Novak (born 11 April 1951), is a Croatian literature historian, comparativist and theatrologist. Biography Prosperov Novak was born in Belgrade, but spent his childhood in Dubrovnik. He graduated comparative literature in 1973 at ...

, the nephew of Grga Novak. The Archaeological Collection and Lapidarium of Dr. Grga Novak is displayed in the former Dominican Saint Mark's church in Hvar, as part of the Hvar Heritage Museum. It is the most comprehensive private Neolithic collection of artifacts in the Mediterranean region.

Works

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Notes

References

External links

Archaeological Collection and Lapidarium of Dr. Grga Novak, Hvar Heritage Museum

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Novak, Grga 1888 births 1978 deaths 20th-century Croatian historians People from Hvar (city) People from the Kingdom of Dalmatia Academic staff of the University of Zagreb Rectors of the University of Zagreb Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Academic staff of the University of Belgrade