Andreas Alföldi
| Andreas Alföldi | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 27, 1895 Budapest, Hungary |
| Nationality |
 Hungarian
|
| Spouse(s) | Elisabeth Alföldi-Rosenbaum |
| Awards | Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society (1953) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Late Antique |
| Institutions |
University of Debrecen University of Budapest Princeton University |
András (Andreas) Ede Zsigmond Alföldi (27 August 1895, Pomáz near Budapest – 12 February 1981, Princeton) was a Hungarian historian, art historian, epigraphist, numismatist and archaeologist, specializing in the Late Antique period. He was one of the most productive 20th-century scholars of the ancient world 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.
Professor Alföldi contributed significantly to the massive Cambridge Ancient History, including Vol. 12: The Imperial Crisis and Recovery. He became a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1955.
The son of a doctor, Alföldi was born in 1895 in the Austro-Hungarian empire. 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.
Like many middle class young men of his age, Alföldi participated in World War I. 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.
The Treaty of Trianon, 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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