Robert Schilling (17 April 1913 – 30 October 2004) was a 20th-century French historian and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

ist, a specialist in the history of

religion in ancient Rome Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule. The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, ...

Biography

A former student of the

École Normale Supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

where he was admitted in 1935, received at the agrégation de lettres in 1938, Robert Schilling was appointed a member of the

École française de Rome The École française de Rome (EFR) is a French research institute for history, archaeology, and the social sciences; overseen by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, and a division of the Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et d ...

in 1939. Mobilized until 1941, however, he was unable to make the intended stay. Official representative of the National Museums in 1941, appointed professor in the high school of Moulins (

Allier Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named afte ...

) in 1942, he soon after became assistant and lecturer of Latin at the Sorbonne where he was elected maître de conférence in 1945, and some time later professor of Latin language and civilization at the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ea ...

. He held this position until 1982, the year of his retirement. Since 1957, he also was director of studies at the

École pratique des hautes études The École pratique des hautes études (), abbreviated EPHE, is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is highly selective, and counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions. It is a constituent college o ...

, Vth section, for a teaching about religions of Rome. In the last part of his life, he held the title of ''

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

'' professor of the university of Strasbourg. In 1988, he was elected a corresponding member of the

Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres () is a French learned society devoted to history, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France. The academy's scope was the study of ancient inscriptions ( epig ...

. He was also a correspondent of the Pontifical Academy of Archaeology. He was doctor ''honoris causa'' of the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisg ...

, chevalier of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, officier of the

Ordre des Palmes académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

, holder of the

croix de guerre 1939-1945 Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...

, commandeur of the and in 1982, one of the laureates of the

Prix Broquette-Gonin The prix Broquette-Gonin was a former prize awarded by the Académie française. It rewarded four disciplines: history, literature, philosophy and poetry. A separate prize was awarded by subject. Prix Broquette-Gonin (history) The prix Broque ...

awarded by the Académie française for his work ''La Religion romaine de Vénus''.

Principal publications

*1948: ''L'Alsace'', Éditions Fernand Nathan *1954
''La religion romaine de Vénus depuis les origines jusqu'au temps d'Auguste (Review)''
De Boccard, rep. 2003 (thesis). *1979
''Rites, cultes, dieux de Rome (Review)''
Paris, Éditions , 450 pages. *1988: ''Dans le sillage de Rome : Religion, poésie, humanisme'', Klincksieck

Translations

*1944: ''La veillée de Vénus Pervigilium Veneris'',

Les Belles Lettres Les Belles Lettres is a French publisher specialising in the publication of ancient texts such as the ''Collection Budé''. The publishing house, originally named ''Société Les Belles Lettres pour le développement de la culture classique'', w ...

, reprint 2003, 80 pages *1992:

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

, ''Les Fastes'', Tome I, livres I à III; Paris, Les Belles Lettres

Bibliography

* Gustave Hentz, "Jean Léon Robert Schilling", in ', vol. 47, p. 4920 * H. Zehnacker, G. Hentz (éd.), ''Hommages à Robert Schilling'', Paris, 1983. * H. Zehnacker, ''In memoriam'' Robert Schilling (1913–2004), in ''Revue des Études Latines'', tome 82, 2004 (2005), (pp. 15–16). * J.-J. Maffre, Nécrologie dans ''Bulletin de la Société Nationale des Antiquaires de France'', 2004-2005, (pp. 239–240).

External links

Conférence de M. Robert Schilling
on Persée
Allocution à la mémoire de M. Robert Schilling, correspondant de l'Académie
on Persée
Robert Schilling
on the site of the Académie française {{DEFAULTSORT:Schilling, Robert Winners of the Prix Broquette-Gonin (literature) French scholars of Roman history 20th-century French historians Latin–French translators French Latinists École Normale Supérieure alumni University of Strasbourg faculty École pratique des hautes études faculty Corresponding members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Officiers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) People from Alsace-Lorraine 1913 births People from Guebwiller 2004 deaths 20th-century translators