Introduction to Hellenic Studies at Princeton

Established in 1979, the Program in Hellenic Studies aims to strengthen scholarship and aid research in all aspects of Byzantine and Modern Greek civilization, while also exploring their relations to the classical tradition and the Late Antique world. The Program promotes academic collaboration between Princeton faculty and students and scholars at Greek institutions.

The Program operates with the support of the Stanley J. Seeger Hellenic Fund, which was established by the generosity of Stanley J. Seeger '52 in order to "advance the understanding of the culture of ancient Greece and its influence...and to stimulate creative expression and thought in and about modern Greece." An interdepartmental Committee on Hellenic Studies administers the income from the Fund and reports to the Seeger Trustees. The Program is under the general direction of the Council of the Humanities.

For much of the twentieth century, Princeton University has played a leading role among American institutions in the development of Greek studies, including Modern Greek studies, Byzantine studies, and classical studies in literature, history, archaeology, and philosophy. The Program in Hellenic Studies continues to build on the strong intellectual tradition established by such Princeton scholars as Howard Crosby Butler, Charles Rufus Morey, Edward Capps, Oliver Strunk, Georges Florovsky, Gregory Vlastos, Kurt Weitzmann, Kenneth Levy, W. Robert Connor, and Edmund Keeley.

One of the principal goals of the Program in Hellenic Studies is to integrate the study of postclassical Greece into the intellectual life of the University. To this end, the Program offers comparative and interdisciplinary courses, hires faculty on joint appointments with Princeton departments, and shares students with other academic units of the University.

Princeton University
Program in Hellenic Studies
hellenic@princeton.edu

Last revised December 18, 2002