Helène Whittaker (born 13 March 1958) is a Canadian-Norwegian archaeologist and scholar of antiquity. She is known for her work on the Bronze Age Aegean, ancient Greek and Roman language and culture, and Early Christianity. As of 2022, she is professor of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.[1]

Helène Whittaker
Born (1958-03-18) 18 March 1958 (age 66)
CitizenshipCanadian, Norwegian
Known forArchaeology, Classics
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Toronto, University of Tromsø
ThesisMycenaean cult buildings : a study of their architecture and function in the context of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean (1997)
Doctoral advisorJoseph Shaw
Academic work
Institutions
Doctoral studentsRobin Rönnlund

Education and career

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Whittaker studied languages and archeology at the University of Bergen, finishing her candidata philologiae in 1983. She continued her studies at the University of Tromsø and the University of Toronto, completing a Ph.D. in 1996.[1]

Having been a senior lecturer at the University of Tromsø in 1994–2004, she was promoted to full professor at the same university in 2004.[2] In 2009, she was the Peter W. Warren visiting professor in Aegean prehistory at the University of Bristol.[1] In 2013, she accepted the position as professor of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at the department of Historical Studies at the University of Gothenburg.[3] Together with Maria Vaïopoulou, she directed the Greek-Swedish Vlochos Archaeological Project at Thessalian Vlochos in 2016–2018.[4]

Work

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Whittaker is known for her work on archaeology and antiquity. A portion of her research examines the history of games,[5][6] and she has commented on the historical significance of hnefatafl, an ancient board game that was common during the early Middle Ages.[7]

Selected publications

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  • Whittaker, Helène (1997). Mycenaean Cult Buildings. A Study of their Architecture and Function in the Context of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.[8]
  • Whittaker, Helène (2018). "Approaches to Popular Religion in Late Bronze Age Greece". In Vavouranakis, Giorgos; Kopanias, Konstantinos; Kanellopoulos, Chrysanthos (eds.). Popular Religion and Ritual in Prehistoric and Ancient Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. Oxford: Archaeopress. pp. 55–62.

Awards and honours

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In 2014 Whittaker was named to the Royal Society of Sciences and Letters in Gothenburg.[11] She was elected as a member of the Academia Europaea in 2020.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Curriculum Vitae – Helene Whittaker
  2. ^ a b "Helène Whittaker, Academia Europea". Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  3. ^ University of Gothenburg – Helene Whittaker
  4. ^ The Vlochos Archaeological Project
  5. ^ Kutilova, Klara (2017-09-27). "Tělo vikinské bojovnice mění pohled na roli žen ve středověku". Flowee (in Czech). Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  6. ^ Whittaker, Helène (June 1, 2006). "Game-boards and gaming-pieces in funerary contexts in the Northern European iron age". Nordlit (20): 103–112.
  7. ^ Crown, Daniel (2018-06-26). "The Vikings Took This Board Game Very Seriously". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  8. ^ Review for Mycenaean Cult Buildings
  9. ^ Review for Ancient Warfare
  10. ^ Reviews for Religion and Society in Middle Bronze Age Greece
  11. ^ "Ledamöter, Kungliga Vitterhets- och Vetenskapssamhället i Göteborg". Retrieved 2022-08-04.