Harvard classical studies professor awarded Greek Order of Honor

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Friday bestowed the Order of Honor on Harvard University Professor of Classical Studies and Comparative Literature Gregory Nagy, in a ceremony at the Presidential Mansion in Athens.

“Your landmark studies on classical Greek poetry have always centerd on Homer’s epics, a fact that places you among the world's leading Homeric scholars,” Pavlopoulos was quoted by the ANA-MPA news agency as telling Nagy, praising the respected academic's contribution to the study of archaic Greek poetry.

On his part, the Hungarian-born professor thanked Pavlopoulos for the honor and pledged to continue his work focusing on the global heritage of Greek civilization, the ANA-MPA reported.

Nagy has been director of the Harvard-affiliated Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington DC since 2000 and since 2013 has offered his most popular course, “The Ancient Greek Hero,” as a massive open online course.