Robert Étienne
French historian and classical archaeologist
About Robert Étienne
Lived 1921 – 2009 (aged 87). Robert Étienne was a French historian of classical antiquity, classical archaeologist, university teacher, secondary school teacher, researcher and lecturer.
Robert Étienne (; 18 January 1921 – 9 January 2009) was a 20th-century French historian of ancient Rome.
Career A student of the École Normale Supérieure and agrégé of history, Robert Étienne was member of the École française de Rome from 1947 to 1949. In 1958, he defended a doctoral thesis on the imperial cult in the Iberian Peninsula from Augustus to Diocletian.
Apart from a passage at the CNRS as research attaché, he spent his entire career at the University of Bordeaux as an assistant, lecturer and teacher. He headed the Centre Pierre Paris, a unit associated with the CNRS and the French mission in Portugal.
Robert Étienne won the Prix Broquette-Gonin of the Académie française in 1962 and the Prix Thérouanne of the same Académie in 1967.
In 1988 he was elected corresponding member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and full member in 1999.
Publications 1958: Le culte impérial dans la Péninsule ibérique d'Auguste à Dioclétien, Paris, BEFAR, 1960: Le quartier Nord-Est de Volubilis 1962: Bordeaux antique (in collaboration with P. Barrère) 1966: La vie quotidienne à Pompéi. 1970: Le siècle d'Auguste 1973: Les Ides de Mars : l'assassinat de César ou de la dictature ? 1986: Ausone ou les ambitions d'un notable aquitain 1987: Pompéi : La cité ensevelie, collection « Découvertes Gallimard » (nº 16), série Archéologie. Paris: Éditions Gallimard, new edition in 2009 Trad. into English by Caroline Palmer – Pompeii: The Day a City Died, "Abrams Discoveries" (New York: Harry N. Abrams) & 'New Horizons' (London: Thames & Hudson), 1992 1997: Jules César, Paris
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Robert Étienne's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Robert Étienne's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Robert Étienne?
French historian and classical archaeologist (1921–2009)
When was Robert Étienne born?
Robert Étienne was born on 18 January 1921 in Mérignac.
When did Robert Étienne die?
Robert Étienne died on 4 January 2009 in Bordeaux.
What was Robert Étienne's occupation?
Robert Étienne was a historian of classical antiquity, classical archaeologist, university teacher, secondary school teacher, researcher and lecturer.
What nationality was Robert Étienne?
Robert Étienne was French.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Robert Étienne. https://biography.guide/robert-etienne/
MLA: "Robert Étienne." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/robert-etienne/.
Chicago: "Robert Étienne." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/robert-etienne/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 04:58 UTC