Pierre Amandry was a French hellenist, especially interested in ancient Greece and its relationships with south-west Asia. He was born at Troyes on December 31, 1912, and died in Paris on February 21, 2006. A large part of his work was on the site of Delphi, excavated by the French School at Athens, of which he was secretary general from 1941 to 1948 and director from 1969 to 1981.
Career.
He joined the École Normale Supérieure in 1933, become a professor in 1937, and was member of the French School at Athens from 1937 to 1941. During this time, he carried out excavations in the sanctuary of Delphi, where he discovered treasure of gold and ivory under the sacred way. The study of these objects led him to be interested in south-west Asian art. From 1951 to 1969, he taught at the University of Strasbourg.
His thesis on "La mantique apollinienne à Delphes" (The Apollonic Divination at Delphi) refuted the romantic image of the consultation of the Pythia in favor of a more prosaic function of the Delphic oracle.
He wrote a of articles concerning the monuments at Delphi, in particular the temple.
He was elected to the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in 1972.
Aside from his work on ancient Greece, he was equally interested in modern Greece and in travelers. He translated "Christ recrucifié", written by Nikos Kazandzaki (1955), into French.