February 12, 2026
Prof. Baukje van den Berg has won the inaugural Byzantine Studies Prize from the Medieval Academy of America for her book, Homer the Rhetorician: Eustathios of Thessalonike on the Composition of the Iliad.
Published by Oxford University Press in 2022, the book advances our understanding of rhetorical and literary thought in the Byzantine twelfth century, whilst shedding light on the role of Homeric poetry in twelfth-century rhetorical education and literary culture. It also includes English translations of substantial excerpts of Eustathios' commentary. Many of these are translated for the first time.
The department congratulates Prof. van den Berg on her achievement.