Greece and the academic world mourn the loss of Eleni Glykatzi-Arveler, a leading historian and Byzantinist, who passed away on 16 February 2026 at the age of 100.
Glykatzi-Arveler was born in Athens in 1926 and studied History and Archaeology at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens.
She subsequently completed her doctoral studies in France, where she established herself as an internationally recognized expert in Byzantine history.
The first woman rector of the Sorbonne
In her distinguished academic career, her position as the first woman rector in the history of the Sorbonne stands out, while she served as professor, research director, and member of numerous international cultural and scientific organizations.
Her work significantly advanced research on the Byzantium and influenced generations of historians in Greece and abroad.
Glykatzi-Arveler’s contribution was not limited to the academic sphere: she was a frequent speaker and commentator on issues of culture and history, while her views and publications enjoyed wide public resonance.
Her loss leaves a significant void in the field of history and Byzantine studies, but her work remains vibrant and decisive for the study of the cultural heritage of Greece and Europe.
The great chapter: Paris
During the 1950s, while she was a student at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens, she worked, as a fluent speaker of the French language, within the circle of Queen Frederica.
After graduating, she served as a researcher at the Centre for Asia Minor Studies (1949-1953), laying from an early stage the foundations for an international career.
In 1953, she settled in Paris to continue her studies, and two years later she was appointed to the National Centre for Scientific Research of France (CNRS).
In 1964, she became director of studies at the Center, and in 1967 professor at the Sorbonne. In 1966, she obtained the degree of doctorat ès lettres with her study on Byzantium and the sea, which was published as Byzance et la mer by the Presses Universitaires de France.
Glykatzi-Arveler served as Director of the Centre for the History and Civilization of Byzantium and Christian Archaeology, Vice Rector (1970-1973), and in 1976 Rector at the University of the Sorbonne (Paris I). She was the first woman Rector in the 700 year history of the Sorbonne and the first woman worldwide to hold a corresponding position at an internationally recognized university.
Eleni Glykatzi-Arveler: I reached 100 years of age to confirm that Alexander the Great is in Vergina
She had repeatedly argued that the tomb at Vergina belongs to Alexander the Great and not to Philip II, as is widely believed today:
“When Andronikos, with whom I was friends, discovered the tumulus, we are not speaking of a tomb, we are speaking of an entire tumulus, he found inside the so called tomb of Philip, the statuette of Alexander the Great, I told him, my dear Manolis, how is it possible that a reigning king, which would have been Alexander after his father’s death, could be inside a tomb?
And Andronikos, who was a perfect archaeologist and excavator, simply told me, my dear Eleni, around 20 texts say that Alexander is buried in Alexandria. Forgive my insistence, I told him, if that is so, I am a Byzantinist, I deal with Byzantine matters,” she noted.
She continued by saying: “However, when Amphipolis was discovered, they began searching for Alexander there as well. So I wondered, since they are searching for him in Amphipolis, then they are not certain he is in Alexandria. And indeed, as a historian, I then examined the texts referring to Alexander’s death and burial in Alexandria and saw that they were all written centuries after his death. Alexander died in 323 BC, while Strabo, for example, who refers to his death and burial in Alexandria, wrote in 60 AD. I therefore questioned this and began researching the matter historically. Then I saw that since all these texts are later, we must examine the actual findings.”
Honors and distinctions worldwide
She was awarded honorary doctorates from the American University of Paris (1989), Harvard University, as well as the Universities of London, Belgrade, Athens, Lima, New Brunswick (Canada), Haifa, New York, Thessaloniki, Fribourg (Switzerland), and others. [39]
She became an honorary member of the Academy of Athens, the Berlin Academy, the Bulgarian Academy, as well as the British Academy. She was also a member and collaborator of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium.
She received the following distinctions 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 numerous additional honors, including Commander of the Legion of Honour (Greece), Honorary Citizen (France), Grand Commander (Mexico), Commander of the Order of Merit (Luxembourg), Grand Commander of the Order of Honour (Austria), Commander of the Royal Order of Denmark, Commander of the Order of Science, Education and Art (Portugal), Commander of the Order of Merit (Italy), an honorary medal from the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Silver Medal of the Olympic Order from the International Olympic Committee. [39]
Eleni Glykatzi-Arveler is considered one of the most distinguished academic figures, particularly in Byzantine studies, with a vast number of lectures and public addresses both in and outside Greece. In the television program Great Greeks, she ranked 86th.
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