Jacqueline De Romilly

Jacqueline de Romilly (1913 - 2010) was a distinguished Hellenist of our time with international recognition. She devoted her life to the study of ancient Greek literature. This dedication resulted in more than twenty books on major classical texts, ancient theater and tragedians, Homer and the sophists, the issues of Greek democracy, humanism in Greek thought, and the evolution of law in classical texts. However, her main focus was on Thucydides, to whom she dedicated many studies, in addition to translating his work, which elevated her to an international level. Her life was an unending series of writing and teaching. She was an emeritus professor at the University of Sorbonne and, for many years, was the first woman to teach at the Collège de France. She became a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. The pinnacle of her achievements was her election to the French Academy in 1989. Her continuous contribution to Greek letters was recognized with her election to the Academy of Athens. She was honored with the Onassis Prize in 1995 and, in a special ceremony, was named an honorary citizen of Athens. In early September 1995, by presidential decree, Jacqueline de Romilly was granted Greek citizenship. She passed away on December 19, 2010, at the age of 97. Hélène Carrère d'Encausse, the perpetual secretary of the French Academy, stated upon her death: "It is a great loss for our country. She was a woman who dedicated her entire life to the Greek language and culture because she believed it was an education in understanding individual freedom and commitment to democracy." Additionally, Prime Minister George Papandreou made the following statement: "Jacqueline de Romilly loved Greece. Her contribution to Hellenism and global intellectualism was significant. Through her study, tireless research, writing, and teaching of the history of our classical culture, and particularly the Greek language, she honored Greek thought. [...] Her loss is significant for our country as well as for France, where she was also an academic."