Renowned Greek Byzantinist Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler Dies Aged 99

Renowned Greek Byzantinist Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler died at the age of 99, leaving behind what Greek leaders described as an invaluable intellectual legacy.

Glykatzi-Ahrweiler made history as the first woman to lead the History Department at the Sorbonne in 1967 and later became the first female rector of the Sorbonne in its 700-year history in 1976. She also served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

The President of the Hellenic Republic said Glykatzi-Ahrweiler left behind “an invaluable spiritual legacy” and a living example of service. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis praised her life as proof of the strength of will and the capabilities of Greek women and men. Politicians including Nikos Androulakis and Nikita Kaklamanis also issued tributes, highlighting her place in Greece’s collective memory and European intellectual life.

Glykatzi-Ahrweiler was born in Athens on 29 August 1926. Her parents, Nikolaos Glykatzi and Kallirroi (née Psaltidi), arrived in Athens as refugees from Asia Minor after the Asia Minor Catastrophe. She studied at the 4th Gymnasium of Athens and later attended the University of Athens, graduating from the Department of History and Archaeology.

She moved to Paris in 1953 to continue her studies at the École des Hautes Études, earning her doctorate in history in 1960 and becoming Docteur ès Lettres in 1966. She married Jacques Ahrweiler in 1957 and had one daughter.

From 1955 onwards, she worked as a researcher at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and became director of research in 1964. She took up a professorship in Byzantine History at the Sorbonne in 1967 and later served in a series of senior academic and cultural roles, including visiting professor at Harvard University (1973–1974).

Glykatzi-Ahrweiler held top leadership roles across French and European institutions, including President of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, Chancellor of the Universities of Paris, and President of the Georges Pompidou Centre. In Greece, she served as President of the National Theatre and led the European Cultural Centre of Delphi for nearly three decades.

She also held memberships and honorary titles from major academies and universities worldwide, including the Academy of Athens, the British Academy, and numerous honorary doctorates across Europe, the United States, and beyond.