Paavo Hohti believes that close relations between professors and students played an increasing role as his studies progressed. In a relatively small group, everybody knew one another and professors were personally involved. Of his Greek Literature teachers, Hohti mentions Henrik Zilliacus and Holger Thesleff.

Professor Zilliacus used to invite older students to go sailing at this summer house in Nauvo, and Hohti looks back on his friendship with the professor fondly. The sailboat, however, was later replaced by a motorised fishing boat. When these shared excursions came to an end, Zilliacus gave his boat Victoria to Hohti as a gift. The boat was eventually given back to the family of Zilliacus when Hohti moved to Mäntyharju.

Caption: Professor Henrik Zilliacus at the helm of the Nordic folkboat Mellitta in 1969. Photo from the family album.

Villa Lante, the Finnish Institute in Rome, became a central location in the life of Dr Hohti from the late 1960s onwards. In the springs of 1967 and 1968, he was part of a research team led by Patrick Bruun studying the Etruscans. One of his close colleagues, who was also working at the Institute, was Jorma Kaimio. Dr Hohti has visited Rome almost every year since the late 1960s. Being a member and later the chairman of the Foundation Institutum Romanum Finlandiae has also taken him to Italy.

The papyrological research team founded by Henrik Zilliacus was also significant. Zilliacus formed a tight-knit group and led it with determination and deep understanding, which was most likely based on his experience as the director of Villa Lante. Teamwork was somewhat unusual in the humanities at the time, and, for example, work could be carried out together in Vienna at the papyri collection of Archduke Rainer. Members of the team included Jorma and Maarit Kaimio and Jaakko Frösén, who have continued working on papyri to this day.

Caption: The team of the papyrological research team led by Henrik Zilliacus meeting in the office of Holger Thesleff on Vuorikatu in 1978. Pictured are Jorma Kaimio, Henrik Zilliacus, Maarit Kaimio, Jaakko Frösén and Paavo Hohti. Photo from the magazine Suomen Kuvalehti.

Academic pursuits began to receive less attention when Dr Hohti became the director of the Finnish Cultural Foundation in 1980, having been a lecturer in Latin at the University of Tampere for seven years. Dr Hohti worked at the foundation for 24 years, the last 14 of them as the Secretary General. Working to support art and culture was a pleasant and rewarding experience.

“The Cultural Foundation was a wonderful place to work. It was particularly enjoyable when you could play a part in giving scientists and artists the opportunity to make new discoveries. It was also great to be able to work with marvellous people and with experts from various fields. The greatness of the donators also deserves praise.”