Gustave Glotz
Encyclopedia
Gustave Glotz was a French historian of ancient Greece
. He was a supporter of the theory that history never follows a simple, logical course.
Glotz studied at the École normale supérieure
, and in 1885 received the agrégation d'histoire, a competitive examination in France
designed to recruit teachers for secondary school positions. In 1904, he succeeded Paul Guiraud
as professor of Greek history at the Sorbonne
. In 1920, he became a member of the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres
, and was named its president in 1928. His work on the economic history of Greece and the ancient Greek city is particularly noted. Le travail dans la Grèce ancienne (1920) is well known in the English translation Ancient Greece at Work (1926), as is his Cité Grecque (1928) as The Greek City and Its Institutions (1930).
According to Glotz, the first humans to arrive in Greece were semi-nomadic shepherds from the Balkans
. Their society was based on a patriarchal clan, whose members were all descendant from the same ancestor and all worshiped the same deity. Unions between several clans resulted in "fraternités", or armed groups. When faced with important undertakings, these groups would come together into a small number of tribes, entirely independent in terms of religious, political, and militaristic views, but which all recognized a supreme king, their chief.
Glotz also distinguished between two phases of the ancient Greek city: an archaic era (1500-1400 BCE), corresponding to the Minoan
age, with the formation in Greece of the first urban centers, and a Doric
age, roughly viewed as a Hellenic
middle age, characterized by chaos and invasions. Only fortified cities and acropolises, capable of controlling the surrounding regions, survived this period.
Glotz gives his name to the Centre Gustave Glotz, a group of researchers under the auspices of the Institut national d’histoire de l’art, the CNRS, and the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
. He was a supporter of the theory that history never follows a simple, logical course.
Glotz studied at the École normale supérieure
École normale supérieure
An école normale supérieure or ENS is a type of publicly funded higher education in France. A portion of the student body who are French civil servants are called Normaliens....
, and in 1885 received the agrégation d'histoire, a competitive examination in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
designed to recruit teachers for secondary school positions. In 1904, he succeeded Paul Guiraud
Paul Guiraud
Paul Guiraud was a French historian who was born in Cenne-Monestiés, a commune located in the department of Aude....
as professor of Greek history at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. In 1920, he became a member of the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres is a French learned society devoted to the humanities, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France.-History:...
, and was named its president in 1928. His work on the economic history of Greece and the ancient Greek city is particularly noted. Le travail dans la Grèce ancienne (1920) is well known in the English translation Ancient Greece at Work (1926), as is his Cité Grecque (1928) as The Greek City and Its Institutions (1930).
According to Glotz, the first humans to arrive in Greece were semi-nomadic shepherds from the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. Their society was based on a patriarchal clan, whose members were all descendant from the same ancestor and all worshiped the same deity. Unions between several clans resulted in "fraternités", or armed groups. When faced with important undertakings, these groups would come together into a small number of tribes, entirely independent in terms of religious, political, and militaristic views, but which all recognized a supreme king, their chief.
Glotz also distinguished between two phases of the ancient Greek city: an archaic era (1500-1400 BCE), corresponding to the Minoan
Minoan
Minoan may refer to the following:*The Minoan civilization**The Eteocretan language**The script known as Linear A**Minoan pottery*Minoa, name of several bronze-age settlements in the Aegean....
age, with the formation in Greece of the first urban centers, and a Doric
Doric
Doric may refer to:* Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians* Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture* Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode* Doric dialect...
age, roughly viewed as a Hellenic
Hellenic
Hellenic is a synonym for Greek and may refer to:* Hellenic languages* Hellenic Airlines* Hellenic College, a liberal arts college in Brookline, Massachusetts* Hellenic College of London* Hellenic FC, a football club in South Africa...
middle age, characterized by chaos and invasions. Only fortified cities and acropolises, capable of controlling the surrounding regions, survived this period.
Glotz gives his name to the Centre Gustave Glotz, a group of researchers under the auspices of the Institut national d’histoire de l’art, the CNRS, and the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.