Jane Lightfoot

Jane Lightfoot
Born1969 (age 54–55)
Liverpool, England
Academic background
EducationThe Belvedere School
Alma materSt John's College, Oxford
St Hugh's College, Oxford
Academic work
DisciplineClassical scholar
Sub-discipline
Institutions

Jane Lucy Lightfoot FBA (born 1969) is a British classical scholar. She is Professor of Greek Literature at the University of Oxford and a fellow of New College, Oxford.

Early life and education[edit]

Lightfoot was born in 1969 in Liverpool, England. She was educated at The Belvedere School, an all-girls private school. She then studied Classics at St John's College, Oxford, graduating with a first class Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1992: as per tradition, her BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Oxon) degree in 1994. She stayed at Oxford to study for a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree, and was a Jubilee Scholar at St Hugh's College, Oxford, for the 1993/94 academic year and a Prize Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, from 1994.[1] She completed her doctorate in 1995 with a thesis titled "Parthenius" (concerning the ancient Greek poet, Parthenius of Nicaea), for which she won the Conington Prize.[2]

Academic career[edit]

Lightfoot was awarded a Prize Fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford, in 1994, while she was a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, which she held until 2000.[1] Then, from 2000 to 2003, she was a post-doctoral fellow at All Souls.[1] She has been a fellow and tutor in classics at New College, Oxford, since 2003.[3] In 2014, she was awarded a Title of Distinction by the University of Oxford as "Professor of Greek Literature".[4]

Her research interests include most aspects of Greek literature, with her publications focusing primarily on Hellenistic and imperial literature.[3] Her specialism is in the exploration of underrepresented classical texts, including mythography, ethnography, oracular literature, poetry and prose.[5] Her current work is a critical interpretation of late antique astrological poetry.[3]

Honours[edit]

Lightfoot was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2018, the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences.[6] She is an Honorary Fellow of St John's College, Oxford.[7]

Selected publications[edit]

  • Parthenius of Nicaea (Oxford, 1999)
  • Lucian, On the Syrian Goddess (Oxford, 2003)
  • The Sibylline Oracles (Oxford, 2007)
  • A Hellenistic Collection (Cambridge, MA, 2009)
  • Dionysius Periegetes, Description of the Known World: With Introduction, Translation, and Commentary (Oxford, 2014)
  • Pseudo-Manetho, Apotelesmatica, Books Two, Three, and Six: Edited with Introduction, Translation, and Commentary (Oxford, 2020)
  • Pseudo-Manetho, Apotelesmatica, Books Four, One, and Five: Edited with Introduction, Translation, and Commentary (Oxford, 2023)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Lightfoot, Prof. Jane Lucy, (born 25 Oct. 1969), Professor of Greek Literature, University of Oxford, since 2014; Charlton Fellow and Tutor in Classics, New College, Oxford, since 2003". Who's Who 2021. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  2. ^ Lightfoot, Jane Lucy (1995). "Parthenius". E-Thesis Online Service. The British Library Board. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Jane Lightfoot". New College. University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Recognition of Distinction: Successful applicants 2014" Archived 16 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The University of Oxford Gazette, no. 5076, 6 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Professor Jane Lightfoot". British Academy. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  6. ^ "Professor Jane Lightfoot elected Fellow of the British Academy | Faculty of Classics". www.classics.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  7. ^ "Professor Jane Lightfoot". www.sjc.ox.ac.uk. St John's College Oxford. Retrieved 2020-09-17.