Armand Delatte

Armand-Louis-Joseph Delatte (12 October 1886 – 10 September 1964) was a Belgian classical philologist, historian of philosophy, and historian of religion. He served as a professor at the University of Liège. He was a specialist in Pythagoreanism, ancient Greek magic, astrology, Greek botany, and the history of Greek science. He co-founded the academic journal in 1932.

Biography Early life Armand Delatte was born on 12 October 1886 in , a village in eastern Belgium. He received his secondary education at the Petit Séminaire de Saint-Roch in Ferrières. He then entered the University of Liège, where he studied under the classical scholars Joseph Michel, Léon Parmentier, Jean-Pierre Waltzing, and Léon Halkin. He graduated from the university in 1908 with a doctorate in philosophy and letters.

Delatte's academic work earned him a travel scholarship in 1909 and the title of laureate in the Belgian Concours universitaire in 1910. These grants allowed him to pursue postgraduate studies abroad in Bonn and Paris. In Paris, he studied at the École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), graduating with the diploma of élève diplômé in 1915.

Research Delatte authored fifteen books and numerous scholarly articles focusing on ancient Greek religion, science, philosophy, and manuscripts.

Pythagoreanism Early in his career, Delatte established himself as a leading authority on Pythagoreanism. In his monographs Études sur la littérature pythagoricienne (1915) and Essai sur la politique pythagoricienne (1922), he analyzed the literary traditions, political philosophies, and social structures of the Pythagorean communities. He also published a critical edition and commentary of Diogenes Laërtius's biography of Pythagoras (La Vie de Pythagore de Diogène Laërce, 1922). Later in life, he returned to this interest with a study on the influence of Pythagoreanism on the United States Constitution (La Constitution des États-Unis et les pythagoriciens, 1948).

Greek magic, science, and religion Delatte dedicated much of his scholarship to the history of ancient Greek magic, divination, and religion, often linking these practices to the history of science. He published the Anecdota Atheniensia, a two-volume edition of previously unpublished Greek texts from manuscript collections in Athens. The first volume (1927) compiled texts related to the history of religions (including ancient magic, rituals, and folklore), while the second volume (1939) focused on texts relating to the history of sciences (such as ancient medicine, astrology, and alchemy).

His studies in ancient occultism and ritual practices included: La catoptromancie grecque et ses dérivés (1932), a historical study of divination using mirrors (catoptromancy). Herbarius: Recherches sur le cérémonial usité chez les anciens pour la cueillette des simples et des plantes magiques (1936 / 1938 2nd edition), which examined the magical and religious rituals used by ancient gatherers when collecting medicinal plants (simples) and magic herbs. Le Cycéon, breuvage rituel des mystères d'Éleusis (1955), an investigation into the nature and religious significance of the kykeon, the ritual drink consumed during the Eleusinian Mysteries. Les intailles magiques gréco-égyptiennes (1964), which analyzed the iconography and symbolism of Greco-Egyptian magical amulets and gems.

Other studies Other works include: La Musique au tombeau dans l'antiquité (1913). Les Manuscrits à miniatures et à ornements des bibliothèques d'Athènes (1926). Le Troisième Livre des Souvenirs socratiques de Xénophon: Étude critique (1933), a critical and philological study of the third book of Xenophon's Memorabilia. Les Conceptions de l'enthousiasme chez les philosophes présocratiques (1934), exploring the philosophical concepts of divine inspiration and enthusiasm among the Pre-Socratic philosophers. Les Portulans grecs (1957), a detailed study and edition of Byzantine and early modern Greek portolan charts (nautical charts).

Honors and decorations Some honors Delatte received include: Member of the Royal Academy of Belgium (corresponding member, 1930; full member, 1937) Corresponding member of the Institut de France Corresponding member of the Academy of Athens Honorary doctorate (Doctor honoris causa) from the University of Lyon Prix Zographos of the Association pour l'encouragement des études grecques en France (1917) Prix Gantrelle of the Royal Academy of Belgium (1921) Prix Bordin of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (1923) Decennial Prize for Classical and Oriental Philology of Belgium (for the period 1930–1939, awarded in 1946) Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)

Selected works