445:“The Design of the Monarchical Ceremony at the Roman Imperial Court” (1934 ) and “Insignia and Costume of the Roman Empire” (1935) mark the pinnacle of Alföldi's work. In these two essays he describes both the religious foundations as well as the continuous development and official expressions of Roman rulers’ ideology. In these articles Alföldi again connects numismatic, literary, epigraphic, and archaeological studies. His understanding of the ancient imagery and of their abstraction to small coin designs was particularly praised. These studies provided a basis for further exploration of the world of ideas and representation within the empire.
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interpretations were groundbreaking. Just as
Mommsen is regarded as the great organizer in the study of Roman inscriptions, Alföldi is thought of as the doyen of numismatics. "He had a big role in ensuring that the Numismatics has become a historical science." (Géza Alföldy). Alföldi's contributions to the exploration of the Danube and Carpathian regions are also noteworthy. Through his efforts, this area which was once almost a blank spot on the "map" of the ancient world became one of its most well researched areas.
433:. Although he saw Cicero as the ideological instigator of Caesar's murder, he also considered Cicero to be an artist of nature. The murder of Caesar attested to the blindness and scrupulousness of the senatorial oligarchy, which in turn no way supported a republican order. In his eyes, the outrage against Caesar arose from the conflict between the Greek-influenced upper class, and with Caesar, who bore the stamp of the native Roman tradition.
334:, which officially ended the war in Hungary and established its borders, was perceived as a humiliation to the country. This strengthened Alföldi's interest in regional history. In the aftermath of World War I, national ties and boundaries that had been established over hundreds of years were dissolved and rebuilt. As was not uncommon in the years between the wars, archeology served to strengthen national identity.
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547:. In addition, he was a member or honorary member of many scientific societies and academies. He also held honorary doctorates from several universities and earned other awards . The Historic Class of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences took accepted him as a corresponding member in 1936. In 1975 he was awarded the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art.
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Probably the most important contribution that Alföldi made to the study of ancient history was the realization that epigraphic, numismatic, and archaeological sources are equal and complementary, and that literary sources should not just be treated as an auxiliary scholarly pursuit. As an opponent of
320:. Although the family finances were damaged after the death of his father in 1910, Alföldi was able to begin his studies of classical history after his graduation from high school. His first area of interest was in classical numismatics, which at the time was a neglected area of study in Hungary.
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coins, which opened up a new, hitherto almost unknown source, especially for the history of ideas of the late 4th and early 5th centuries. The coins had been almost totally misunderstood before his work. This research took place during the second World War, which makes the achievement particularly
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Alföldi's use of numismatic sources was also a major contribution. Ancient coins were, thanks to him, one of the main sources of ancient history. His methods, which included the study of series of coins, as well as the analysis of mintmarks and the use of coins as a source for religious studies
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In the absence of comprehensive written sources for Roman history in the middle and the second half of the 3rd
Century, in the time of the so-called imperial crisis, Alföldi once again approached his research on the basis of numismatic sources. He reviewed great collections of material from this
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In Afoldi's opinion, the importance of Rome in the
Etruscan period was far less than was later portrayed. He attempted to compare the oldest structures of the Roman state with the Eurasian horsemen and herdsmen. Although his theories were not received with a wholly positive response, even his
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excessive specialization in a field that increasingly broke down into specialist divisions, he himself was a specialist in many areas. In a historical perspective, he stood in the tradition of
Mommsen, but in a methodological perspective he followed the tradition of
327:. He was a highly decorated soldier, and after sustaining a severe injury, he was dismissed from the military in 1917. In later years he looked back on his service with pride and he retained an interest in military and strategic subjects throughout his life.
388:'s School of Historical Studies. The position afforded better pay and more opportunities for travel, and Alföldi would continue to work on projects at Princeton even after his retirement. While at Princeton, he married his second wife,
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put an end to his research. He emigrated to
Switzerland in 1947. Although most of his research materials remained behind in Budapest, the continued to contribute to the field of classical studies and archaeology. He was awarded the
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He based his work on
Octavian's rise primarily on literary sources. Here he highlighted not only the emotional and religious grounds for Octavian's approach after Caesar's death, but also the underlying tangible economic aspects.
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In addition to his better-known research, Alföldi also pursued other studies. He wrote about the art of photographing of Greek vase paintings, the psychological foundations of witchcraft and the importance of the
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intended to establish a monarchy along the old Roman pattern. He believed that he found evidence that confirmed this theory in the coinage of the year 44BC. Alföldi defended Caesar in this. Like
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Alföldi also made noteworthy contributions to the study of late antiquity and here again he made particular use of numismatic sources. Of particular importance was the cataloging of the so-called
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proved particularly important. Based on the coins he studied, Alföldi a worked out a new chronology of this period in Roman history. Among his new findings was that during the period of
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and is considered one of the leading researchers of his time. Although some of his research results are controversial, his work in several areas is viewed as groundbreaking.
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critics recognized the originality of his arguments. In addition to archeological and later literary sources, he employed the methods of comparative religion in his work.
496:. His work “A Festival of Isis in Rome under the Christian Emperors of the IVth Century” (Budapest 1937), in which he writes about a festival honoring the goddess
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Christian emperors of the 4th century, is considered outstanding. Also his annual organization of an international colloquium to the
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After emigrating, Alföldi expanded his areas of research into early Roman history and the eventual demise of the empire. In Alföldi's obituary,
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noteworthy. Despite the turmoil of war Alföldi was able to obtain the materials he needed from the different museums of Europe.
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as a great Roman emperor, which was different point of view from that hitherto presented by historical research.
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said: "He illuminated the history of Rome from the beginning to end like no other scholar in this century."
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Alföldi's œuvre includes more than 300 articles, including about a dozen in the form of monographs.
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560:(1934). "Eine spätrömische Helmform und ihre Schicksale im Germanisch-Romanischen Mittelalter".
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What most interested Alföldi in the study of late antiquity, however, was the era between
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Alföldi's work regarding the downfall of the Roman
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held some of the highest positions in the empire. In addition, he presented
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Like many middle class young men of his age, Alföldi participated in
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In 1923, Alföldi was appointed chair of
Ancient History at the
267:(27 August 1895 – 12 February 1981) was a Hungarian historian,
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Members of the Göttingen
Academy of Sciences and Humanities
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herders and horsemen and the imagery and representation of
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Professor Alföldi contributed significantly to the massive
626:"The Society's Medal | The Royal Numismatic Society"
596:"Andrew E.Z. Alföldi | Institute for Advanced Study"
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period. He was one of the most productive 20th-century
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The son of a doctor, Alföldi was born in 1895 in the
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384:In 1956, Alföldi accepted a position in the
364:Alföldi's work was not interrupted by the
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111:Learn how and when to remove this message
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539:In 1972, Alföldi was awarded the Order
379:medal of the Royal Numismatic Society
208:Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society
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723:Institute for Advanced Study faculty
541:Pour le Mérite for Arts and Sciences
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728:20th-century Hungarian historians
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532:worldview among the peoples of
449:time. His investigation of the
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16:Hungarian historian (1895-1981)
417:The fall of the Roman Republic
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353:, the history and culture of
703:Archaeologists from Budapest
386:Institute for Advanced Study
306:Institute for Advanced Study
390:Elisabeth Alföldi-Rosenbaum
351:Crisis of the Third Century
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237:University of Debrecen
178:Princeton, New Jersey
265:Ede Zsigmond Alföldi
245:Princeton University
45:improve this article
515:Michael Rostovtzeff
488:and the victory of
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683:1981 deaths
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610:14 November
478:Contorniate
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277:numismatist
273:epigraphist
225:History of
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568:: 99–144.
534:North Asia
462:Pannonians
408:Early Rome
170:1981-02-13
145:1895-08-27
101:March 2014
71:newspapers
574:0065-101X
466:Gallienus
381:in 1953.
372:over the
308:in 1955.
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355:Eurasian
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460:, many
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210:(1953)
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180:, U.S.
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