Stephen Scully

Stephen Scully is Professor of Classical Studies and Department Chair at Boston University, with a career spanning over five decades. His research bridges ancient Greek literature, philosophy, and their reception across millennia. Educated at New York University (BA, 1970), the University of North Carolina (MA, 1973), and Brown University (PhD, 1978), he has authored seminal works on Hesiod, Virgil, Plato, and Homeric tradition.

His research interests focus on Greek epic poetry (particularly Homer and Hesiod), comparative mythology, Greek tragedy, and the intersection of ancient philosophy with political thought. He has translated Plato’s Phaedrus and co-translated Euripides’ Suppliant Women, while also exploring Renaissance receptions of classical texts like George Chapman’s translations and Milton’s Paradise Lost.

His publications include The Oxford Handbook of Hesiod (2018), Hesiod’s Theogony (2015), and foundational studies on Virgil. His work often connects ancient texts to broader cultural contexts, from Babylonian myths to Freudian psychoanalysis. Beyond academia, he manages a Vermont tree farm and maintains an off-grid mountain cabin.