The iconic historian Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler passed away at the age of 99, leaving behind a rich intellectual legacy.
Born in Athens in 1926 to parents from Asia Minor, she followed the path of History from an early age, first at the University of Athens and later in Paris. In the French capital she met her husband, Jacques Ahrweiler (1918–2010), an officer in the French Navy, with whom she had one daughter, Marie-Hélène.
Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler was a great Greek, a great woman and a great academic. A respected Byzantinologist, she was the first woman to serve as principal at the University of Sorbonne, was also principal at the University of Europe and president of the board at the European Cultural Center of Delphi, among other distinguished career milestones, and was passionate about history, which she often referenced when she got the chance.
“It is not history’s duty to solve the problems of the future, but simply to remind us of the solutions that were chosen during similar situations. But history that teaches only one solution is a dangerous thing,” she said.
Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler was an honorary member of the Academies of Athens, Berlin and Bulgaria, as well as of the British Academy. She was also a member and collaborator of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium.
Honours received by Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler
She received the following honours from the French Republic:
- Commander of the Legion of Honour
- Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit
- Commander of the Order of Academic Palms
- Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters
She also received the following distinctions: Commander of the Legion of Honour (Greece), Honorary Citizen (France), High Commander (Mexico), Commander of the National Order (Luxembourg), High Commander of the Order of Honour (Austria), Commander of the Royal Order of Denmark, Commander of the Order of Science, Education and Culture (Portugal), Commander of the Order of Merit (Italy), an honorary medal from the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Silver Olympic Order medal from the International Olympic Committee.
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With information from lifo.com / kathimerini.com
