Classics welcomes Maria Mavroudi: New Faculty in Byzantine and Medieval periods
October 8, 2009
joined our ranks as a full-fledged member of the Classics Department as of
July 1, 2009. Mavroudi earned her BA in Philology from the University of
Thessaloniki and her PhD in Byzantine Studies from the Byzantine Studies
Program at Harvard University.
Professor Mavroudi is one of the world’s foremost scholars in the field of
Byzantine Greek History, especially in the domain of Greek-Arabic
cultural, literary, and intellectual interaction. She is also a leading
figure in the area of ancient science and occult practices, and
cross-cultural exchange within these domains. Since arriving at Berkeley
in 2002 as a member of the History Department, she has been a longtime
colleague and friend of Classics, who has worked closely with many of our
students over the years. Based on a unanimous departmental vote in Spring
2009, Mavroudi was invited to join the Classics Department starting this
fall. With the addition of Mavroudi, as well as the recent arrival of
Frank Bezner, our new Medieval Latinist, the Classics Department extends
its temporal and chronological range into the Medieval period, with
unparalleled strength in East and West. In addition, we are anticipating
exciting and productive synergies with Diliana Angelova, a specialist in
Byzantine and Early Christian Art, who joins the Berkeley Departments of
History and History of Art, and Beate Fricke, the newly arrived Medieval
art specialist in History of Art. A warm welcome to all our new
colleagues!
