Ramsay MacMullen (March 3, 1928 – November 28, 2022) was an American historian who was Emeritus Professor of History at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

, where he taught from 1967 to his retirement in 1993 as Dunham Professor of History and Classics. His scholarly interests were in the social history of Rome and the replacement of paganism by Christianity. MacMullen was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on March 3, 1928. He graduated from

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

and summa cum laude from Harvard College. When MacMullen was honored for a lifetime of scholarly achievement at the 2001 annual meeting of the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...

with the Award for Scholarly Distinction, the award citation called him "the greatest historian of the Roman Empire alive today." With important new books published in 2006 and 2009 and 2011 and 2014 at the ages of 78 and 81 and 86, he was a powerful voice for scholarly accuracy and lucidity among students of the Roman world. MacMullen died on November 28, 2022, at the age of 94.

Major works

*''Roman Social Relations, 50 B.C. to A.D. 284'' (1974) *''Paganism in the Roman Empire'' (1984) *''Christianizing the Roman Empire: AD 100-400'' (1984) *''Soldier and Civilian in the Later Roman Empire'' (1963) Non-military life of the legions. *''Enemies of the Roman Order: Treason, Unrest and Alienation in the Empire'' (1966) *''Corruption and the Decline of Rome''. (1988) *''Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries'' (1997) *''Romanization in the Time of Augustus'' (2000) *''Voting About God in Early Church Councils '' (2006) Analyzing ecumenical councils from 325 to 553. . *''The Second Church: Popular Christianity A.D. 200-400'' (2009) *''Constantine'' (1970) *''Feelings in History, Ancient and Modern'' (2003) *''Ancient History: Recent Work and New Directions'' with Kurt A. Raaflaub, Allen M. Ward, Stanley Mayer Burstein, Carol G. Thomas *''Changes in the Roman Empire: Essays in the Ordinary'' (1990) *''Roman Government's Response to Crisis, A.D. 235-337'' (1976) *''The Earliest Romans: A Character Sketch'' (2011) *''Why Do We Do What We Do? : Motivation in History and the Social Sciences'' (2014)

Notes

External links

Yale history faculty: Ramsay MacMullen

Ramsay MacMullen Papers (MS 2011).
Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Macmullen, Ramsay 1928 births 2022 deaths Educators from New York City 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Yale University faculty Brandeis University faculty Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Harvard University alumni Historians from New York (state) Historians of ancient Rome American male non-fiction writers