Jean-Yves STRASSER

Jean-Yves STRASSER is a CNRS research fellow and former lecturer at the University of Maine, specializing in Greek and Roman epigraphy, ancient athletic competitions, and the history of imperial cult and festivals. His career began with studies at ENS Ulm (1992–1996) and the French School of Athens (1998–2002), followed by a lectureship at the University of Maine (2005–2011).

Education & Training

• 1992–1996: École normale supérieure (ENS Ulm)
• 1998–2002: French School of Athens

Research Interests

STRASSER’s scholarship centers on the epigraphic evidence for Greek agonistic culture in the Imperial period. He meticulously analyses honorific decrees, victor lists and sacred regulations to reconstruct the chronology, organization and ideology of festivals across the eastern Mediterranean. A second major strand of his work concerns the intersection of athletics and religion, particularly the role of emperors in reshaping festival calendars and the priesthoods attached to them. His investigations extend from mainland Greece to Asia Minor, Egypt and the Aegean islands, yielding new insights into the vocabulary of competition and the social status of athletes and musicians in the Roman world.

Publication Profile

Since 2001 he has published more than thirty articles in leading journals such as Hermes, BCH, Nikephoros, Tyche and Revue des Études Anciennes. The corpus reveals a steady focus on imperial-period epigraphy, with recurring themes of festival chronology, imperial interventions in agonistic life, and the prosopography of athletes and priests. Recent work (2015–2016) has turned toward Rhodian and Anatolian inscriptions and the reassessment of third-century chronology.

Scientific Awards & Honours

No specific prizes or fellowships are mentioned in the provided materials.

Advising & Grants

No doctoral students or grant details are recorded in the text.

Laboratories & Teams

STRASSER is listed among the “Researchers, permanent teacher-researchers” of the ANHIMA (Anthropologie et Histoire des Mondes Anciens) research center, indicating ongoing collaboration within this CNRS-affiliated unit.