The Michael I. Rostovtzeff Papers span the years 1897 to 1968 with the bulk dated 1926 to 1954. The collection chiefly consists of the correspondence of Michael Rostovtzeff and C. Bradford Welles, a colleague of Rostovtzeff's at Yale University, with other scholars in the fields of ancient history, archaeology, and philology. Other materials include autobiographical writings by Rostovtzeff, photographs, financial papers, and clippings. The papers primarily reflect Michael Rostovtzeff's tenure as a faculty member of the Classics Department at Yale University.
The Papers of Michael I. Rostovtzeff provide information on the scholarly study of the ancient world during the first half of the twentieth century. In the Correspondence Series, letters from scholars in England, America, and Europe focus on matters of historical interpretation, archaeological work at Dura-Europos, and philological analysis. Notable scholars include Rene Mouterde, W. W. Tarn, Franz Cumont, Athur D. Nock, Vincenzo Arangio-Ruiz, Tadeusz Zielinski, Walter Otto, and Fritz Heichelheim.
The Biographical Materials Subseries contains Rostovtzeff's narrative of the Provisional Government's fall during the Russian Revolution of 1917, his opposition to Bolshevism, and his eventual emigration from Russia. The Correspondence Series also documents Rostovtzeff's assistance to European scholars seeking teaching and research positions in the United States during World War II. A number of letters between Rostovtzeff and Alvin Johnson, Director of the New School for Social Research, concern efforts by Johnson to identify refugee scholars for faculty positions at the New School for Social Research.
| Date |
Event |
| 1870, Nov. 10 | Born, Zhitomir (the Ukraine), Russia |
| 1888 | Graduated from the First Classical Gymnasium, Kiev, Russia |
| 1892 | B.A., University of St. Petersburg |
| 1899 | Master of Latin Literature, University of St. Petersburg |
| 1901 | Married Sophie M. Kulezycki |
| 1903 | Doctor of Latin Literature, University of St. Petersburg |
| 1905-1918 | Member, Constitutional Democratic Party |
| 1916-1919 | Member, Russian Academy of Sciences |
| 1918 | Emigrated to Great Britain |
| 1918-1920 | Lecturer, Queen's College, Oxford University |
| 1920-1925 | Professor of Ancient History, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. |
| 1925-1939 | Sterling Professor of Ancient History, Yale University |
| 1926-1927 | Published A History of the Ancient World |
| 1926 | Published The Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire |
| 1928-1937 | Director of the Yale University Expedition at Dura-Europos |
| 1938 | Published Dura-Europos and Its Art |
| 1939 | Appointed Director of Archaeological Studies, Yale University |
| 1941 | Published The Social and Economic History of the Hellenistic World |
| 1944 | Appointed as the Sterling Professor of Ancient History and Classical Archaeology, Emeritus |
| 1952, Oct. 20 | Died, New Haven, Conn. |
Professor Rostovtzeff received honorary degrees from the University of Leipzig (1909), Oxford University (1919), University of Wisconsin (1924), Cambridge University (1934), Harvard University (1936), Athens University (1937), and the University of Chicago (1941). He was also a member of numerous national academies and learned societies, both in the United States and Europe. Included among these are Phi Beta Kappa, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philological Society, La Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeologia, Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, and the Polish Academy of Science.
