James Henry Breasted Prize
Established in 1985 and named in honor of James Henry Breasted, a pioneer in ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern history and president of the Association in 1928, this prize is offered for the best book in English in any field of history prior to CE 1000. The prize was endowed by Joseph O. Losos, a longtime member of the Association. The general rules for submission are:
- Only books of a high scholarly nature should be submitted. Research accuracy, originality, and literary merit are important factors.
- Only books bearing a copyright of 2017 will be eligible for the 2018 award.
- Nominators must complete an online prize submission form for each book submitted.
- One copy of each entry must be sent to each committee member and clearly labeled “Breasted Prize Entry.” Print copies preferred unless otherwise indicated. If only e-copy is available, please contact review committee members beforehand to arrange submission format.
Please Note: Entries must be received by May 15, 2018, to be eligible for the 2018 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2018 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2019 AHA annual meeting in Chicago.
For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.
Contact Information for Committee Members
Send one copy to each committee member and complete the prize submission form (above).
2017 Breasted Prize
Alain Bresson, University of Chicago, and Steven Rendall, translator, freelance
The Making of the Ancient Greek Economy: Institutions, Markets, and Growth in the City-States (Princeton Univ. Press)
The Making of the Ancient Greek Economy is a groundbreaking contribution to the long-running debates over ancient economic growth. It combines an explicit conceptual framework with a thorough review of every aspect of the Greek economy in the last six centuries BC, from climate and sex to law and finance. Professor Bresson shows convincingly how Greek institutions—above all, those connected to markets—created levels of material well-being with few, if any, premodern parallels.