Maurice Holleaux (15 April 1861 – 21 September 1932) was a 19th–20th-century French

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and

epigrapher Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

, a specialist of

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

Biography

Années de formation

Admitted in the

École normale supérieure École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...

in 1879, Holleaux was agrégé in history in 1881 and became a member of the

French School at Athens The French School at Athens (, EfA; ''Gallikí Scholí Athinón'') is one of the seventeen foreign archaeological institutes operating in Athens, Greece. History Founded in 1846, the EfA is the oldest foreign institute in Athens. Its early f ...

in 1882. He then conducted epigraphic explorations in

Samos Samos (, also ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...

and

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

. He devoted thereafter an important scientific activity in the latter city. In 1884 he undertook missions in Asia Minor during which he discovered with Pierre Paris the inscription of

Diogenes of Oenoanda Diogenes of Oenoanda (; ) was an Epicurean Greek from the 2nd century AD who carved a summary of the philosophy of Epicurus onto a portico wall in the ancient Greek city of Oenoanda in Lycia (modern day southwest Turkey). The surviving fragments ...

. Back in Greece, he excavated in Boeotia the Ptoion sanctuary which had been previously identified by the traveler William Leake. Between 1884 and 1891 he directed the excavation of this shrine to

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

Ptoios in

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia (; modern Greek, modern: ; ancient Greek, ancient: ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (adm ...

. In 1888 he discovered an inscription bearing the text of the speech

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

spoke in Corinth in 67 to restitute their freedom to the Greeks.

Career

He was appointed in the University of Lyon in 1888. He then became a friend of Philippe Fabia. His research abandoned the archaeological area to focus more exclusively on

epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

. Leaving Lyon after sixteen years of teaching, he directed the French School at Athens from 1904 to 1912. Succeeding Théophile Homolle, he led archaeological activities of the school and then oversaw the archaeological exploration of

Delos Delos (; ; ''Dêlos'', ''Dâlos''), is a small Greek island near Mykonos, close to the centre of the Cyclades archipelago. Though only in area, it is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. ...

. On his return to France, he was a lecturer at the Faculty of Paris. In 1918 he published a memoir which then became his complementary thesis:''Étude sur la traduction en grec du titre consulaire''. In 1923, he defended his main thesis, completed at the end of 1920
''Rome, la Grèce et les monarchies hellénistiques au IIIe s. BC, 273-205''
during a session remained memorable where he himself was critical of his own work. The work yet deeply renewed the perspective on the attitude of Rome to the Greeks. Holleaux was then appointed professor of Hellenistic antiquity to a Chair at the Sorbonne. In 1928 he became a member of the

Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres The () is a French learned society devoted to history, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the . The academy's scope was the study of ancient inscriptions (epigraphy) and historical literature (see Belles-lettres). History ...

. In 1927, he succeeded Paul Foucart to the chair of Greek

of the

College de France A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary education, tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding academic degree, degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further educatio ...

. Maurice Holleaux was the master of historian Louis Robert who gathered and published posthumously his articles. One of his sons was the magistrate and lawyer Georges Holleaux (1893-1973).Marc Ancel, « Georges Holleaux », ''Revue internationale de droit comparé'', 26-3, 1974, (p. 645–647)

References

Works

Books

* Strategos hupatos '': Étude sur la traduction en grec du titre consulaire'', Paris, 1918. * ''Rome, la Grèce et les monarchies hellénistiques au IIIe siècle avant J. C. (273-205)'', de Boccard, Paris, 1921. * ''Études d'épigraphie et d'histoire grecque'', t. I-II, textes rassemblés par Louis Robert, Paris, 1938. * ''Études d'épigraphie et d'histoire grecque'', t. III, textes rassemblés par Louis Robert, Paris, 1942. * ''Études d'épigraphie et d'histoire grecque'', t. IV, textes rassemblés par Louis Robert, Paris, 1952. * ''Études d'épigraphie et d'histoire grecque'', t. V, textes rassemblés par Louis Robert, Paris, 1957.

Articles (selection)

* « The Romans in Illyria », ''Cambridge ancient History'', VII, 1928. * « Rome and Macedon », ''Cambridge ancient History'', VIII, 1930. * « The Romans against Philip », ''Cambridge ancient History'', VIII, 1930. * « Rome and Antiochos », ''Cambridge ancient History'', VIII, 1930.

Bibliography

* Étienne Michon, "Éloge funèbre de M. Maurice Holleaux, membre de l'Académie", '' Comptes rendus de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres'', 76-3, 1932, (p. 329–33
Read online
* Mario Roques, « Notice sur la vie et les travaux de M. Maurice Holleaux », membre de l'Académie, ''CRAI'', 87-1, 1943, (p. 14–73
Read online
* Werner Hartkopf: ''Die Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR. Ein Beitrag zu ihrer Geschichte. Biografischer Index'', Akademie, Berlin 1983, (p. 200) * Christa Kirsten (Hrsg.): ''Die Altertumswissenschaften an der Berliner Akademie. Wahlvorschläge zur Aufnahme von Mitgliedern von F.A. Wolf bis zu G. Rodenwaldt.'' Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1985 (Studien zur Geschichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR, Band 5), (p. 140–141).

External links

Maurice Holleaux
on data.bnf.fr
Maurice Holleaux
o
Persée

Maurice Holleaux, ''Études d'épigraphie et d'histoire grecques. Tome IV : Rome, la Macédoine et l'Orient grec''. Première partie, 1952 (compte rendu)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holleaux, Maurice 20th-century French historians French hellenists French epigraphers 19th-century French archaeologists Classical archaeologists Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences Academic staff of the University of Lyon Academic staff of the University of Paris Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres Academic staff of the Collège de France École Normale Supérieure alumni Members of the French School at Athens 1861 births People from Château-Thierry 1932 deaths 20th-century French archaeologists