Louis Robert (15 February 1904 in Laurière – 31 May 1985 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was a French

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of Greek history and

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 ...

at 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 author of many volumes and articles on

Greek epigraphy The Epigraphy#Greek inscriptions, Greek-language inscriptions and epigraphy are a major source for understanding of the society, language and history of ancient Greece and other Greek-speaking or Greek-controlled areas. Greek inscriptions may occur ...

(from the archaic period to

Late Antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early Middle Ages. Late antiquity as a period was popularized by Peter Brown (historian), Peter Brown in 1971, and this periodiza ...

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

, and historical geography. He was an international authority on the history, geography,

toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper na ...

and archaeology of ancient Asia Minor.

Life

Education and formative years

Robert was the son of a

tax collector A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations on behalf of a government. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns or work for a revenue agency. Tax collec ...

and the grandson of a country doctor from the region of

Limousin Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. Named after the old province of Limousin, the administrative region was founded in 1960. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. On 1 Jan ...

in historical

Occitania Occitania is the historical region in Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasses much of the southern third of France (except ...

. His father died prematurely in 1905 and his mother took her two sons first to

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

, where Robert attended the Lycée Gay-Lussac ( fr) and then to Paris, where he completed his pre-university education 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 ...

. Robert studied at 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 ...

from 1924 to 1927, and joined the

École française d'Athènes 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 ...

after his

graduation A graduation is the awarding of a diploma by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it, which can also be called Commencement speech, commencement, Congregation (university), congregation, Convocat ...

. His research in

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 ...

was cut short by

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, which forced him to spend two years in a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

Leysin Leysin is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in the Aigle (district), Aigle district of Switzerland. It is first mentioned around 1231–32 as ''Leissins'', in 1352 as ''Leisins''. Located ...

. He used this time to study the early modern

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

travel accounts of the Aegean and the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

, which proved influential for his own work – he would later be called “the last of the great Anatolian travelers”. On his recovery in 1932 he accepted the offer to join the American Society for Archaeological Research in Asia Minor for a mission of exploration in Turkey, at which point his interests shifted permanently from Greece to Asia Minor.

Academic career and recognition

In 1932, Robert received a teaching position in Historical Geography of the Hellenic World at the

École pratique des hautes études The (), abbreviated EPHE, is a French postgraduate top level educational institution, a . EPHE is a constituent college of the Université PSL (together with ENS Ulm, Paris Dauphine or Ecole des Mines). The college is closely linked to É ...

(IVth section) in Paris. He taught there until his retirement in 1974. In 1939, he was also made full professor at the

, where he took up the chair in Greek Antiquity and Epigraphy vacated at the death of his mentor Maurice Holleaux in 1932. He was elected 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 1948 at the recommendation of the hellenist Paul Mazon ( fr). He served as its president twice. He was also a corresponding fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

(1946), a member of the

German Academy of Sciences at Berlin The German Academy of Sciences at Berlin, , in 1972 renamed the Academy of Sciences of the GDR (''Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR (AdW)''), was the most eminent Research institute, research institution of East Germany (German Democratic Repub ...

(corresponding member 1950, foreign member 1969), an associate member of the Royal Academy of Belgium (1955), a foreign member of the

Accademia dei Lincei The (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed"), anglicised as the Lincean Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy. Founded in ...

(1959), an international honorary 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 ...

(1961), a foreign member of the Academy of Athens (1966), and a member of the Austrian and Polish Academies of Sciences. He received a honorary doctorate from the University of Louvain and the National Order of the Legion of Honour.

Work and legacy

Robert conducted excavations in Turkey at Amyzon in

Caria Caria (; from Greek language, Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; ) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Carians were described by Herodotus as being Anatolian main ...

(1949–50) and at Claros in

Ionia Ionia ( ) was an ancient region encompassing the central part of the western coast of Anatolia. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionians who ...

(1950–61). He was the director of the Institut français d'études anatoliennes ( fr) in 1956–64 and assisted as an epigrapher with the Archaeological Exploration of

Sardis Sardis ( ) or Sardes ( ; Lydian language, Lydian: , romanized: ; ; ) was an ancient city best known as the capital of the Lydian Empire. After the fall of the Lydian Empire, it became the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, Persian Lydia (satrapy) ...

launched in 1958. The hallmark of Robert's approach is the combination of philology with geography in an effort to produce a vivid account of historical environment. While his work emphasised regional divergences and local human agency, it also tended – due to Robert's romanticised approach to geographical exploration – to underestimate the historical mutability of landscape. Robert's key interests included the ancient economy and religion,

Hellenisation Hellenization or Hellenification is the adoption of Greek culture, religion, language, and identity by non-Greeks. In the ancient period, colonisation often led to the Hellenisation of indigenous people in the Hellenistic period, many of the te ...

and

Romanisation In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

, and the transformations of Late Antiquity, but his impact within the discipline of

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 ...

has been limited by his excessive focus on detail and has endured most visibly in the fields of epigraphy and historical geography. Notably, his treatment of Anatolian history and material culture extended beyond classical antiquity to the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

and Ottoman periods. The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres preserves his archive of notes, photographs, correspondence, estampages, and numismatic material as ''Fonds Louis Robert''.

Personal life

Robert married Jeanne Vanseveren in 1938. Fluent in Greek and Turkish, she was his research and travel companion and the co-author of many of his publications until his death in 1985.

Selected bibliography

* ''Villes d'Asie Mineure. Études de géographie ancienne'', 1935 (2nd edition, with an ample postface, 1962) * ''Collection Froehner, Inscriptions grecques'', 1936. * ''Études anatoliennes. Recherches sur les inscriptions grecques de l'Asie Mineure'', 1937. * ''Études épigraphiques et philologiques'', 1938. * ''Les gladiateurs dans l'Orient grec'', 1940. * ''Hellenica, Recueil d'épigraphie de numismatique et d'antiquités grecques'' (13 volumes), 1940–1965. * ''Le sanctuaire du dieu Sinuri près de

Mylasa Milas is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,067 km2, and its population is 147,416 (2022). The city commands a region with an active economy and is very rich in history and ancient rema ...

'', 1945. * ''Études de numismatique grecque'', 1951. * ''La Carie: histoire et géographie historique avec le recueil des inscriptions antiques. Le plateau de Tabai et ses environs'' (with Jeanne Robert), 1954 (vol. 2 of a projected 4-volume publication that never saw publication) * ''Lettres d'un évêque de Synnada'', 1962. * ''Noms indigènes dans l'Asie Mineure gréco-romaine'', 1963. * ''La déesse de Hiérapolis Castabala'', 1964. * ''Stèles funéraires de Byzance gréco-romaine'', 1964. * ''Nouvelles inscriptions de Sardes'', 1964. * ''Documents de l'Asie Mineure méridionale'', 1966. * ''Monnaies antiques en

Troad The Troad ( or ; , ''Troáda'') or Troas (; , ''Trōiás'' or , ''Trōïás'') is a historical region in northwestern Anatolia. It corresponds with the Biga Peninsula ( Turkish: ''Biga Yarımadası'') in the Çanakkale Province of modern Tur ...

e'', 1966 * ''Monnaies grecques'', 1967. * ''Épigrammes satiriques de

Lucillius Lucillius (; fl. 60s CE) was the author of one hundred twenty three epigrams in Ancient Greek, Greek preserved in the ''Greek Anthology.'' He lived under the emperor Nero. Many of his poems describe stereotyped people, such as doctors or thin people ...

'', 1967. * ''Inscriptions de Laodicée du Lycos'', 1969. * ''Opera minora selecta'' (7 vols.), 1969–1990 (reprinted articles). * ''À travers l'Asie Mineure, Poètes et prosateurs, monnaies grecques, voyageurs et géographie'', 1980. * ''Fouilles d'Amyzon en Carie. Exploration, histoire, monnaies et inscriptions'' (with Jeanne Robert), 1983. * ''Documents d'Asie Mineure'', 1987. * ''Claros I. Décrets hellénistiques'' (with Jeanne Robert), 1989. * ''Le martyre de Pionios, prêtre de Smyrne'' (edition, completed by Glen Bowersock and Christopher P. Jones), 1994. * ''Choix d’écrits'', 2007 (contains the complete bibliography of Robert at pp. 22–61).

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * *

External links

Professeurs Disparus, Louis Robert

Hommage by Professor Pierre Hadot

Hommage by Professor Pierre Hadot (In Modern Greek)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robert, Louis People from Haute-Vienne 1904 births 1985 deaths Historians of antiquity Hellenic epigraphers French epigraphers 20th-century French historians 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 Members of the German Academy of Sciences at Berlin Corresponding fellows of the British Academy Explorers of West Asia