Author and Historian Christian Habicht Has Passed at 92
From our Classics editor Ellen Bauerle:
The University of Michigan Press notes the passing of Christian Habicht, a member of the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, from 1973 to 1998. We were privileged to work with Prof. Habicht on the publication of his book The Hellenistic Monarchies in 2006. In addition to that volume, he was also the author of very many articles and numerous other notable books, including Cicero the Politician (1990), Pausanias’ Guide to Ancient Greece (1985), and Polybius’ Histories, revised together with Frank Walbank (2010). His first two books, Gottmenschentum und griechische Städte (recently translated into English) and Altertümer von Pergamon: Die Inschriften des Asklepieions, established his reputation as a leading scholar of the institutions of the Greek city state. Professor Habicht’s style was marked by lucidity of thought, precise attention to detail, and mastery of the scholarly record. He will be particularly remembered for his path-breaking work on Athens after Alexander the Great, Hellenistic successor kingdoms, and on Greek epigraphy.
Professor Habicht was Sather Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1982, and had received prizes from the London Hellenic Society and the American Philosophical Society, among others. He was a member of the Academy of Athens, the American Philosophical Society, the British Academy, and the German Archaeological Institute. His wisdom and acute commentary will be missed by many.
