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| Judith Herrin | |
|---|---|
| Name | Judith Herrin |
| Birth date | 1942 |
| Birth place | Worcester |
| Occupation | Historian, Classicist, Byzantinist |
| Alma mater | Oxford, UCL |
| Notable works | Constantinople: Capital of Byzantium, Women in Purple |
Judith Herrin is a British historian and professor specializing in Byzantium, Late Antiquity, and the interactions between Medieval Europe, the Islamic world, and the Mediterranean Sea. Her work spans archaeological, literary, liturgical, and artistic evidence, informing debates about the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, and the transition from the Roman Empire to medieval polities. Herrin has held posts at leading institutions and contributed to public understanding through broadcasts, exhibitions, and popular books.
Herrin was born in Worcester and educated at schools influenced by curricula from the British Council and traditional programs in Classics. She read Classics and Ancient History at Somerville College, Oxford and completed postgraduate work at UCL under supervisors connected to scholars of Late Antiquity and Byzantine studies. During her formation she engaged with primary sources in Greek and Latin and studied material culture from excavations in the Aegean, Anatolia, and the Levant. Her education included contact with curatorial and research practices at institutions such as the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Herrin taught and researched at King's College, where she developed courses on Byzantine art, Byzantine history, and the legacies of the Roman Empire. She served as Professor of Byzantine Studies at King's, participating in collaborative projects with scholars at Oxford University, Cambridge University, The British Academy, and the Warburg Institute. Herrin has held visiting appointments at the Institute for Advanced Study, the University of Chicago, and the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies. She has been active in learned societies including the International Congress of Byzantine Studies, the British School at Athens, and the Royal Historical Society.
Herrin's scholarship has reshaped understanding of the social and cultural fabric of Constantinople, the role of women and gender in Byzantium, and cross-cultural contact across the Mediterranean Sea. She combined textual analysis of sources such as Procopius, Anna Komnene, Theodore Studites, and John of Ephesus with study of liturgy from Hagia Sophia, mosaics from Ravenna, and coinage from the Byzantine Empire. Herrin emphasized the importance of pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem, commercial exchanges with Venice and Genoa, and diplomatic contacts with the Abbasid Caliphate, the Bulgarian Empire, and the Carolingian Empire. Her work engaged with archaeological reports from sites like Ephesus, Pergamon, and Thessaloniki and with historiographical debates involving scholars such as A. A. Vasiliev, Steven Runciman, George Ostrogorsky, and Peter Brown.
Herrin challenged narratives that isolated Byzantium from broader medieval developments by showing continuities with the Late Roman administrative apparatus, exchanges with Abbasid culture, and influences on Renaissance receptions of classical heritage. She explored gendered power in courts exemplified by empresses like Irene of Athens and Theodora and traced artistic patronage linking the Iconoclasm controversies to liturgical practice. Her interdisciplinary methodology connected work in art history, archaeology, numismatics, and philology.
Herrin's books include widely cited monographs and edited volumes that reached audiences across academia and the public sphere. Notable works: - Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire, which addresses the longue durée of Byzantine history and interactions with Western Europe, the Islamic world, and the Slavic world. - Constantinople: Capital of Byzantium, a study of urbanism, architecture, and political symbolism centered on Constantinople and monuments such as Hagia Sophia and the Great Palace of Constantinople. - Women in Purple: Rulers of Medieval Byzantium, examining empresses, court ritual, and gendered politics tied to figures like Irene of Athens and Anna Komnene. - Edited volumes and essays on liturgy, art, and cross-cultural contacts appearing in journals associated with the Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and the Bryn Mawr Classical Review.
Her articles appeared in periodicals such as the Journal of Hellenic Studies, the Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies journal, and proceedings of the International Congress of Byzantine Studies.
Herrin's scholarship has been recognized by election to fellowships and awards from bodies including the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society, and the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies. She received honours from universities with honorary degrees and was invited to lecture at institutions such as Princeton University, the Sorbonne, and the University of Bologna. Her work has been shortlisted and awarded prizes in historical and academic publishing competitions administered by The Historical Association and national arts organizations.
Herrin contributed to major exhibitions and media that brought Byzantium to wider audiences, advising on displays at the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, and collaborating with curators from the Metropolitan Museum and the Louvre. She appeared on BBC Radio 4, BBC Television, and documentary productions alongside presenters associated with series on Medieval history and Art history. Herrin has participated in talks at festivals like the Cheltenham Literature Festival and the Hay Festival, contributed essays to mainstream outlets, and engaged in public debates concerning heritage sites such as Hagia Sophia, preservation projects in Istanbul, and the impact of archaeology in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Category:British historians Category:Byzantine studies scholars