Antti Arjava
Humanist of the day

Antti Arjava

Professor Antti Arjava, secretary general of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, is a classical philologist who has researched the status of women in antiquity and published the carbonised papyrus scrolls found at Petra in Jordan. However, it is his (incomplete) student career at the Helsinki School of Economics that qualifies him to manage the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s billions. In addition to researching Latin and Ancient Greek, professor Arjava spends his spare time studying birds.

Antti Arjava

Antti Juhani Arjava
Born July 18, 1961, Helsinki

Master of Arts 1987, Licentiate 1990, PhD 1995 (Latin and Roman literature), University of Helsinki
Docent in classical philology 1998–, University of Helsinki

Secretary general 2003–, Finnish Cultural Foundation
Academy research fellow 2001–3, Academy of Finland
Planning officer and deputy director 2000–01, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki
Classical philology researcher and senior assistant 1988–2000, University of Helsinki
Head of the textbook department 1986–88, Academic Bookstore

Publications
Women and Law in Late Antiquity (Oxford UP, 1996)
The Petra Papyri I–IV (General Editor, 2002–13)

Awards and achievements
Finnish Academy of Science and Letters prize for an outstanding doctoral dissertation
Award of the title of professor 2013

Written by Antti Arjava (Riitta-Ilona Hurmerinta, ed.)
Translated by Matthew Billington

Women and the end of an age

In the Roman Empire, the status of women was stronger than anywhere in Europe before the 20th century. What happened to women when the Empire fell, Christianity became the state religion, and Classical Antiquity faded into the Middle Ages?

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The Easiest Job in the World?

When I was appointed Secretary General of the Finnish Cultural Foundation in 2003, I was only the fifth person to hold the reins of that wealthy organisation since its establishment just before World War II. Although I was loath to leave my University career, this unique vantage point on the Finnish arts and sciences proved irresistible.

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Charred documents from Jordan

In 1995 Antti Arjava joined a team led by Professor Jaakko Frösén dedicated to the study of charred 6th century papyrus scrolls written in Greek that were discovered by American archaeologists in the ruined city of Petra. For the last ten years, he has been in charge of the publication of the texts.

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Destined for Academia

The University of Helsinki has been a part of the history of my family for generations. When my grandfather, Antero Manninen, announced his retirement after 49 years of faithful service, the then Rector, straight-talking Ernst Palmén, let loose with the traditional Finnish swearword “Perkele!”

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