Julien Fournier
Biography
Julien Fournier is a professor of Greek history and epigraphy at the University of Strasbourg. Within the Archaeology and Ancient History: Mediterranean – Europe (ArcHiMèdE) unit, led by Sylvain Perrot, he heads Team 2, ‘History and archaeology of the Greek and Roman worlds’.
His research focuses on the history of the integration of Greek cities into the Roman Empire, from a social, institutional and legal perspective. He is also a specialist in the history and archaeology of the island city of Thasos, contributing to the publication of its inscriptions and ancient coins as part of a programme led by the French School at Athens.
Julien Fournier was a research fellow at the French School at Athens (2004–2008). During his time in Greece, he began working on the epigraphy and numismatics of the city of Thasos. In parallel, he completed a PhD thesis at Paris-Sorbonne University (2007) on judicial administration in the Hellenophone provinces of the Roman East. The publication was awarded the Ninth Gérard Boulvert International Prize in Roman Law (2013). He then joined the University of Lorraine (France) as a senior lecturer in Greek history (2008–2012). From 2012 to 2016, he served as Director of Studies at the French School at Athens. In 2017, he obtained his habilitation to supervise research, awarded by the École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), before becoming a professor in Strasbourg (2018).
Fellowship 2026
Dates - 01/10/2026-30/09/2028
Project summary
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS BETWEEN DISCIPLINES IN ANTIQUITY: THE PORTICO OF THE AGORA OF THASOS (GREECE), BETWEEN EPIGRAPHY, ARCHAEOLOGY AND ARCHITECTURE
Julien Fournier’s project focuses on a marble portico in the agora of Thasos, built in the 4thcentury BC. This edifice may have served as the seat of magistrates or the city’s court. It was situated on the most prominent side of the public square, between the council chamber and the city’s prytaneum, facing a small temple of Zeus. It remained in use until the 4th century AD, before being demolished to make way for an early Byzantine church. Over the course of its history, its walls were covered with inscriptions: lists of civic magistrates were engraved there, as well as letters from Roman emperors and governors.
This monument was excavated between 1914 and 1945 but has never been the subject of a comprehensive publication: the excavation data, architectural features and inscriptions were published only partially and separately during the 1950s. This fragmentation, resulting from an arbitrary division of academic disciplines, did thus not allow for a comprehensive reconstruction of the building, nor for the writing of its long-term history. Julien Fournier’s project specifically aims to bring together the contributions of different disciplines to produce the first comprehensive study of the monument. This work, carried out in collaboration with the architect Sôtiria Kriemadi, will involve the systematic survey of all the elements preserved from the edifice: the remains in situ, scattered stones and inscribed slabs. Photogrammetry and digital humanities will enable a comprehensive reconstruction of the portico, including the epigraphic inscriptions.
This project aims to transcend traditional divisions in order to propose a dynamic study combining archaeology, architecture, epigraphy and history; its scope will not be limited to the monument’s original construction method, but will incorporate its numerous remodellings over the centuries, its functions and uses, as well ancient visitors to the agora would have seen it. The study will draw on recently developed or revisited conceptual tools, such as the epigraphic landscape or habit.
