A Hellenist with a Ph.D. in History (EHESS) and an agrégation in Classical Literature, Adrien Zirah conducts research on the connections between semantics, literature, and history in ancient Greece. His research follows two main lines of inquiry: on the one hand, he examines the connections between the semantic, sociological, and anthropological aspects of the naming of human beings (including religious, political, legal, and intellectual dimensions) in ancient Greece; on the other hand, he focuses on ancient etymology—that is, as conceived and practiced by the Greeks—its history and its methods. He joined the Chair of Religion, History and Society in the Ancient Greek World in September 2025 as a research engineer and is participating, in particular, in the project “ Collection of Greek Ritual Norms” ( CGRN ).
In his dissertation, he examined the ancient Greeks’ relationship to names ( onoma ) and naming practices in 5th–4th-century BCE Athens. His current research focuses in particular on secondary modes of designation and naming (pseudonyms, nicknames, occupational names , etc.) in ancient Greece, the ancient etymology of theonyms, and Plato’s *Cratylus *.
Adrien Zirah is the recipient of the 2026 Hugot Foundation Award from the Collège de France , nominated by Prof. Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge, for his work *Religion, History and Society in the Ancient Greek World *.
