Alexander Hollmann

Chair, Hellenic Studies

About

Alexander Hollmann is Chair of the Hellenic Studies Program and Valdakis Endowed Professor.
PhD, Classical Philology, Harvard, 1998
MA, Classics, University of Colorado, 1990
BA, Ancient Greek, Roman Dutch Private Law, University of Cape Town 1987

My interests are generally in ancient Greek language and literature and in Greek religion. More specifically, I am interested in Greek literary prose, particularly the historian Herodotus: my book, The Master of Signs: Signs and the Interpretation of Signs in Herodotus’ Histories, is about how Herodotus presents figures in the Histories interpreting and using signs (e.g. oracles, portents, dreams, riddles, objects) and I have published articles on related aspects in the text. Another great interest is religion and magic: I have been working for some time on curse tablets on lead from ancient Antioch in Syria, several of which I have published, and am collaborating with Prof. Robert Daniel of the University of Cologne on a project to publish these and other magical texts in Greek from the Eastern Mediterranean.


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