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Ronald Syme

New Zealand born British historian and classicist (1903-1989) · United Kingdom · On the map · Writers · Died at 86

Sir Ronald Syme was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. He was regarded as the greatest historian of ancient Rome since Theodor Mommsen and the most brilliant exponent of the history of the Roman Empire since Edward Gibbon.

Ronald Syme is read about 53 times a day, in 19 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 104 days, one point a day.

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A life in dates

1989Died4 September 19891975Kenyon MedalAward1967Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of LyonAward1962Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of ParisAward1949Honorary Doctor of the University of New ZealandAward1903Born11 March 1903

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Awards

Kenyon Medal1975
Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Lyon1967
Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Paris1962
Honorary Doctor of the University of New Zealand1949
Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order
Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art
Order of Merit
Honorary Doctorate of the University of Graz
Fellow of the British Academy
Knight Bachelor

About this person

His great work was The Roman Revolution (1939), a masterly and controversial analysis of political life in the Roman Republic following the assassination of Julius Caesar, offering critical views about Octavian in particular that challenged widely accepted views in contemporary academia.

Country
United Kingdom
Category
Writers
Type
Writer / Author
Status
Deceased
Dates
Lived 1903 to 1989 · aged 86