Hellenic Studies
Hellenic studies (also Greek studies) is an interdisciplinary scholarly field that focuses on the language, literature, history and politics of post-classical Greece. In university, a wide range of courses expose students to viewpoints that help ...
, known as the Hellenic Society, was founded in 1879 to advance the study of
Greek language
Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...
,
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
,
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 ...
,
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
and
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 the Ancient, Byzantine and Modern periods. The first President was
J. B. Lightfoot
Joseph Barber Lightfoot (13 April 1828 – 21 December 1889), known as J. B. Lightfoot, was an England, English theology, theologian and Bishop of Durham.
Life
Lightfoot was born in Liverpool, where his father John Jackson Lightfoot was an ...
, the biblical scholar and Bishop of Durham. Ioannis Gennadius helped found it.Francis R. Walton, "Joannes Gennadius: 1844–1932", ''The Book Collector'', Autumn 1964, p. 305–326
The Society has done this ever since by various means, chief among them being the annual publication of the ''
Journal of Hellenic Studies
''The Journal of Hellenic Studies'' is an annual peer-reviewed academic journal covering research in Hellenic studies. It also publishes reviews of recent books of importance to Hellenic studies. It was established in 1880 and is published by Camb ...
'' and, since the 1950s, its supplement, Archaeological Reports, which are both supplied free of charge to members and subscribers of the Society. Occasional monographs have also appeared in the series Supplementary Papers; this series has now been replaced by the Society's Occasional Publications.
Work
The Society is based, together with the
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (The Roman Society) was founded in 1910 as the sister society to the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.
The Society is the leading organisation in the United Kingdom for those intereste ...
, in the premises of the
Institute of Classical Studies
The Institute of Classical Studies is a research institution associated with the University of London and a member of the School of Advanced Study. The institute is a national and international research institute in the languages, literature, his ...
of the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
at the
Senate House (University of London)
Senate House is the administrative centre of the University of London, situated in the heart of Bloomsbury, London, immediately to the north of the British Museum.
The Art Deco building was constructed between 1932 and 1937 as the first phase ...
.
The Society maintains the Joint Library, in conjunction with the Roman Society, which is integrated into a Combined Library with that of the Institute of Classical Studies.
The Society arranges an annual lecture series in London, conferences, receptions and other meetings, and helps to arrange other lectures all around the UK in collaboration with the local branches of the Classical Association. The Society holds a list of lecturers on topics in Hellenic Studies, which is supplied to Classical Association branches, classical teacher groups, and other organisations to help them plan their own lecture programmes.
The Society aims to help those engaged in Hellenic Studies at all levels, and to this end it makes grants of various kinds to schools, universities and other institutions, undergraduates, graduate students and young researchers.
Officers
These were the officers of the Hellenic Society in 2019-2020:
:''President'': Professor
Paul Cartledge
Paul Anthony Cartledge (born 24 March 1947)"CARTLEDGE, Prof. Paul Anthony", ''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010online edition/ref> is a British ancient historian and academic. From 2008 to 2014 he was the A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek C ...
:''Vice-Presidents'': Professor P.E. Easterling, FBA; Professor Robert Fowler, FBA; Mr Brian Gilmore; Mr. George Lemos; Dr Pantelis Michelakis; Professor R. G. Osborne, FBA; Professor C. J. Rowe; Professor K.B. Saunders, MD, DSc, FRCP; Professor
Malcolm Schofield
Malcolm Schofield, (born 19 April 1942) is a British classicist and academic, specialising in ancient philosophy. Having taught at Cornell University and the University of Oxford, he joined the University of Cambridge in 1972 as a lecturer in cla ...
, FBA; Professor B. A. Sparkes; Dr David Thomas
:''Hon. Treasurer'': Mr Peter Lennon
:''Hon. Secretary'': Dr
Margaret Mountford
Margaret Rose Mountford (''Birth name, née'' Swale, born 24 November 1951) is a Northern Irish people, Northern Irish lawyer, businesswoman and television personality best known for her role in ''The Apprentice (British TV series), The Apprenti ...
:''Executive Secretary'': Dr Fiona Haarer
:''Membership Officer'': Dr Stephen Harrison
Presidents
List of presidents since 1879:
* The Right Revd.
J. B. Lightfoot
Joseph Barber Lightfoot (13 April 1828 – 21 December 1889), known as J. B. Lightfoot, was an England, English theology, theologian and Bishop of Durham.
Life
Lightfoot was born in Liverpool, where his father John Jackson Lightfoot was an ...
1879-1890
* Professor Sir Richard Jebb 1890-1905
* Professor
Percy Gardner
Percy Gardner, (24 November 184617 July 1937) was an English classical archaeologist and numismatist. He was Disney Professor of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge from 1879 to 1887. He was Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and A ...
1905-1910
*
Sir Arthur Evans
Sir Arthur John Evans (8 July 1851 – 11 July 1941) was a British archaeologist and pioneer in the study of Aegean civilization in the Bronze Age. He is most famous for unearthing the palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete. Based on t ...
1910-1914
* Walter Leaf 1914-1919
* Sir
Frederic Kenyon
Sir Frederic George Kenyon (15 January 1863 – 23 August 1952) was a British palaeographer and biblical and classical scholar. He held a series of posts at the British Museum from 1889 to 1931. He was also the president of the British Academy fr ...
1919-1924
*
Arthur Hamilton Smith
Arthur Hamilton Smith, FBA (1860–1941) was a British museum curator and archaeologist.
His brothers were civil servant Henry Babington Smith and MP James Parker Smith. All three attended Trinity College, Cambridge and were members of the Cambr ...
1924-1929
* George Macmillan (Acting) 1928-1929
* Professor Ernest Gardner 1929-1932
* Professor R. M. Dawkins 1932-1935
* Sir John Myres 1935-1938
* Sir Richard Livingstone 1938-1941
* Sir Arthur Pickard-Cambridge 1941-1945
* Professor Gilbert Murray 1945-1948
* Professor E. R. Dodds 1948-1951
* Professor T. B. L. Webster 1951-1954
* Professor
Dorothy Tarrant
Dorothy Tarrant (1885–1973) was a British classical scholar, specialising in Plato. She was the first female Professor of Greek in the United Kingdom, teaching at Bedford College, London from 1909 to 1950. She researched the work of Plato, pione ...
1954-1956
* Professor A. W. Gomme 1956-1959
* Professor R. P. Winnington-Ingram 1959-1962
* Professor A. Andrewes 1962-1965
* Professor
N. G. L. Hammond
Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond, (15 November 1907 – 24 March 2001) was a British historian, geographer, classicist and an operative for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in occupied Greece during the Second World War.
Hamm ...
1965-1968
* Professor E. G. Turner 1968-1971
* Sir
Kenneth Dover
Sir Kenneth James Dover, (11 March 1920 – 7 March 2010) was a distinguished British classical scholar and academic. He was president of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, from 1976 to 1986. In addition, he was president of the British Academy fro ...
1971-1974
* Professor R. Browning 1974-1977
* Professor
G. S. Kirk
Geoffrey Stephen Kirk, () was a British classicist who served as the 35th Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge. He published widely on pre-Socratic philosophy and the work of the Greek poet Homer, culminating in a six-volu ...
1977-1980
* Professor P. E. Corbett 1980-1983
* Professor G. B. Kerferd 1983-1986
* Sir David Hunt 1986-1990
* Professor J. P. Barron 1990-1993
* Professor E. W. Handley 1993-1996
* Professor
P. E. Easterling
Patricia Elizabeth Easterling, FBA (née Fairfax; born 11 March 1934) is an English classical scholar, recognised as a particular expert on the work of Sophocles. She was Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge from 1994 to 2001 ...
1996-1999
* Professor C. J. Rowe 1999-2002
* Professor R. G. Osborne 2002-2006
* Professor C. B. R. Pelling 2006-2008
* Professor Malcolm Schofield 2008-2011
* Professor
Chris Carey
Chris Carey, FBA is a British classical scholar, currently Professor Emeritus of Greek at University College London (UCL). He held the Professorship of Greek at UCL, from 2003 until his retirement in 2016.Judith Mossman 2017- 2020
* Professor
Paul Cartledge
Paul Anthony Cartledge (born 24 March 1947)"CARTLEDGE, Prof. Paul Anthony", ''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010online edition/ref> is a British ancient historian and academic. From 2008 to 2014 he was the A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek C ...
2020 - current
References
*George A. Macmillan, ''An Outline of the History of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, 1879-1904'', London. Onlin here
*P. T. Stevens, ''The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, 1879-1979. A Historical Sketch'', ondon