Jacqueline Worms de Romilly (; née David;

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: Ζακλίν ντε Ρομιγύ; 26 March 1913 – 18 December 2010) was a French

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

classical scholar Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

and fiction writer. She was the first woman nominated to the

Collège de France The (), formerly known as the or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment () in France. It is located in Paris near La Sorbonne. The has been considered to be France's most ...

, and in 1988, the second woman to enter the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. She is primarily known for her work on the culture and language 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 ...

, and in particular on

Thucydides Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...

Biography

Born in

Chartres Chartres () is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 1 ...

Eure-et-Loir Eure-et-Loir (, locally: ) is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers. It is located in the region of Centre-Val de Loire. In 2019, Eure-et-Loir had a population of 431,575.Concours général In France, the Concours Général (), created in 1747, is the most prestigious academic competition held every year between students of ''Première'' (11th grade) and ''Terminale'' (12th and final grade) in almost all subjects taught in both genera ...

, taking the first prize in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

to French translation and second prize in

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

in 1930. She then prepared for 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 ...

at the

Lycée Louis-le-Grand The Lycée Louis-le-Grand (), also referred to simply as Louis-le-Grand or by its acronym LLG, is a public Lycée (French secondary school, also known as sixth form college) located on Rue Saint-Jacques (Paris), rue Saint-Jacques in central Par ...

. She entered the class of 1933 of the ENS Ulm. She passed the ''

agrégation In France, the () is the most competitive and prestigious examination for civil service in the French public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all stu ...

'' in

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

in 1936; however, because she was of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

ancestry, the

Vichy government Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

suspended her from her teaching duties during the

Occupation of France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an Military Administration (Nazi Germany), interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western French Third ...

. She became a

doctor of letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

in 1947. Her doctoral thesis, a "masterful" treatment of Athenian imperialism in Thucydides, was published as ''Thucydide et l'impérialisme athénien'', and subsequently translated into English as ''Thucydides and Athenian Imperialism''. After being a schoolteacher, she became a professor at Lille University and subsequently at the Sorbonne, between 1957 and 1973. She later was promoted to the chair of

and the development of moral and political thought at the

— the first woman nominated to this prestigious institution. In 1988, she was the second woman (after

Marguerite Yourcenar Marguerite Yourcenar (, ; ; born Marguerite Antoinette Jeanne Marie Ghislaine Cleenewerck de Crayencour; 8 June 190317 December 1987) was a Belgian-born French novelist and essayist who became a US citizen in 1947. Winner of the Prix Femina and ...

) to enter the

, being elected to Chair #7, which was previously occupied by André Roussin. She published dozens of works on Greek philosophy, language and literature but her lifelong passion was

, the historian of the Peloponnesian War. Outside academia she was best known to the French public for touring French schools and giving talks about the culture of ancient Greeks. She was a staunch defender of teaching of humanities in French schools, believing that an understanding of the classics was essential to understanding democracy, the liberty of the individual and the virtue of tolerance. In 1984 she published L’Enseignement en détresse, a book about declining standards in French schools. Her position in the

enabled her to mount a defence of classical languages and literary culture, which she stated “may well be as endangered as the fauna of the oceans or the water of our rivers”. She was horrified by the 1988 vote to simplify aspects of the French language in primary schools and in 1992 she founded an Association for the Defence of Literary Studies. In 1995, she obtained Greek nationality and in 2000 was named as an Ambassador of Hellenism by the

Greek government The Government of Greece (Greek language, Greek: Κυβέρνηση της Ελλάδας), officially the Government of the Hellenic Republic (Κυβέρνηση της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας) is the collective body of the Gre ...

. A one-time president of the Association Guillaume Budé, she remained an honorary president until her death at a hospital in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris ...

at the age of 97. After having only received baptism in 1940, she fully converted to

Maronite Catholicism The Maronite Church (; ) is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The head of the Maronite ...

in 2008, aged 95.

Influence

De Romilly's two monographs on the ancient Greek historian

have been credited with "alter ngthe landscape of Thucydidean scholarship" and "the beginning of a new era". In 2002, Danish classical scholar Anders Holm Rasmussen described her views on Thucydides' ideology of empire as still "one of the most important viewpoints" with which modern scholars can engage. Published first in 1956, her work ''Histoire et raison chez Thucydide'' is still in print in the original French today, and was translated into English as ''The Mind of Thucydides'' after her death. De Romilly believed that Thucydides's intelligent, reflective approach held lessons relevant to the Europe of today. De Romilly also published outside the field of

Greek historiography Hellenic historiography (or Greek historiography) involves efforts made by Greeks to track and record historical events. By the 5th century BC, it became an integral part of ancient Greek literature and held a prestigious place in later Roman h ...

. In recent years, the value of her work ''Time in Greek Tragedy'' has been recognized by scholars working not only on

Greek drama A theatrical culture flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. At its centre was the city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, and the theatre was institutionalised there as par ...

but also on

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...

of time. In 2016, Rosie Wyles and

Edith Hall Edith Hall, (born 4 March 1959) is a British scholar of classics, specialising in ancient Greek literature and cultural history, and professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at Durham University. She is a Fellow of the Bri ...

edited a volume called ''Women Classical Scholars: Unsealing the Fountain from the Renaissance to Jacqueline de Romilly'', a history of pioneering women born between the Renaissance and 1913 who played significant roles in the history of classical scholarship.

Honours and awards

* Ambatielos Prize of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (1948) * Croiset Prize of the

Institut de France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately ...

(1969) * Langlois Prize of the Académie française (1974) * First woman 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 ...

(1975) * Elected member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

(1978) *

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Austria, Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science a ...

(1981) * Grand Prize of the Académie française (1984) * President of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres (1987) * Elected to the

(24 November 24, 1988) * Elected member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

(1988) * Foreign Honorary Member of the

(1988) * Onassis Prize (Athens, 1995) - prize for her struggle to preserve teaching of ancient Greek and Latin. * Appointed by Greece as Ambassador of Hellenism (2000) (she had received citizenship in 1995) * Daudet Prize for defence of the French language (2000) * Grand Cross of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(2007) * Prize of the

Greek Parliament The Parliament of the Hellenes (), commonly known as the Hellenic Parliament (), is the unicameral legislature of Greece, located in the Old Royal Palace, overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens. The parliament is the supreme democratic instit ...

(2008) * Grand Cross of the

Ordre national du Mérite The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ...

* Commander of the

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music, 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 so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...

* Commander of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

* Commander of the

Order of the Phoenix (Greece) The Order of the Phoenix () is an Order (decoration), order of Greece, established on 13 May 1926, by the republicanism, republican government of the Second Hellenic Republic to replace the defunct Order of George I, Royal Order of George I. T ...

* Commander of the

Order of Honour (Greece) The Order of Honour () is an order of Greece. It comes second in rank to the Order of the Redeemer and was established in 1975, replacing the abolished Royal Order of George I. It is conferred by the Greek government upon "Greek citizens who ar ...

* First woman professor at the

(Chair: Greece and the formation of the moral and political thought) * Corresponding member of foreign academies: Denmark, Great Britain, Vienna, Athens, Bavaria, the Netherlands, Naples, Turin, Genoa and the United States. *

Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

s from the universities of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

Personal life

De Romilly's father, a philosophy professor, was killed in action in the First World War when De Romilly was only one year old. Her mother was a novelist who published under the name Jeanne Maxime-David. In 1940 she married Michel de Romilly, a marriage that ended in divorce in the 1970s.

Works published in English translation

De Romilly's work was largely published in French, but some of her works were written in or translated into English:Compiled from ''

L'Année Philologique ''L'Année philologique'' (''The Philological Year'') is an index to scholarly work in fields related to the language, literature, history and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome. It is the standard bibliographical tool for research in classical st ...

'' Books * ''Thucydides and Athenian Imperialism'', translated by P. Thody. Oxford, 1963. * ''Time in Greek Tragedy'' ( Messenger Lectures). Cornell, 1968. * ''Magic and Rhetoric in Ancient Greece'' ( Carl Newell Jackson Lectures). Cambridge, MA, 1975. * ''The Rise and Fall of States According to Greek Authors'' ( Thomas Spencer Jerome Lectures). Ann Arbor, 1977. * ''A Short History of Greek Literature'', translated by L. Doherty. Chicago, 1985. * ''The Great Sophists in Periclean Athens'', translated by J. Lloyd. Oxford, 1991. * ''The Mind of Thucydides'', translated by E. T. Rawlings. Cornell, 2012. * ''The Life of Alcibiades: Dangerous Ambition and the Betrayal of Athens'', translated by Elizabeth Trapnell Rawlings. Cornell, 2019. Articles * "Thucydides and the Cities of the Athenian Empire", in '' BICS'' 13 (1966) 1–12. * "''Phoenician Women'' of Euripides: Topicality in Greek Tragedy", translated by D. H. Orrok, in '' Bucknell Review'' 15 (1967) 108–132. * "Fairness and Kindness in Thucydides", in '' Phoenix'' 28 (1974) 95–100. * "Plato and Conjuring", in K. V. Erickson (ed.), ''Plato: True and Sophistic Rhetoric''. Amsterdam, 1979. * "Agamemnon in Doubt and Hesitation", in P. Pucci (ed.), ''Language and the Tragic Hero: Essays on Greek Tragedy in Honor of Gordon M. Kirkwood'', 25–37. Atlanta, 1988. * "Isocrates and Europe", in ''Greece & Rome'' 39 (1992) 2–13.

References

External links

L'Académie française
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romilly, Jacqueline de 1913 births 2010 deaths Writers from Chartres 20th-century French Jews 21st-century Eastern Catholics French Maronites Academic staff of the Collège de France Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni École Normale Supérieure alumni Academic staff of the École Normale Supérieure Members of the Académie Française Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Commanders of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Historians of antiquity Jewish women writers Jewish French writers French classical scholars French women classical scholars Corresponding fellows of the British Academy Members of the American Philosophical Society