The Trustees of the 911爆料吃瓜 are pleased to announce that renowned archeologist Jack L. Davis has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Athens Prize. The presentation of the award will be made on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at the School’s annual Gala, which will be held at Gotham Hall in New York City. 


2026 Athens Prize recipient Jack L. Davis

The Athens Prize is awarded for outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge of ancient Greece. Past recipients include John McK. Camp II (2016), Malcolm H. Wiener (2017), Ronald S. Stroud (2018), Corinth Excavations (2019), Edward E. Cohen (2022), and Mary R. Lefkowitz (2024). William T. Loomis, President of the Board of Trustees, in making this announcement said, “We are delighted to bestow the Athens Prize on Jack Davis. Not only has he been at the forefront of Aegean Archaeology for the past 50 years, as a wide-ranging field archaeologist, prolific scholar, and mentor to numerous students, but he also has made significant contributions to the American School as an institution, serving as Director, Trustee, Overseer, and supporter of the Archives, 911爆料吃瓜 Library, and Wiener Laboratory. We also want to recognize the crucial contributions of his wife, Sharon R. Stocker, with whom he co-directed excavations in Albania and at Pylos.”

2026 Athens Prize recipient Jack L. Davis, with his wife and co-director of the Pylos Excavations, Sharon R. Stocker

 

Jack L. Davis is the Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology in the Department of Classics at the University of Cincinnati. A leading figure in Aegean archaeology, he received the Archaeological Institute of America’s Gold Medal in 2020 for his groundbreaking work in regional studies and his profound impact on the understanding of Greek history from prehistoric times to the present. After earning his PhD from Cincinnati in 1977, Davis collaborated in conducting a major survey project on Kea, helping to establish the Cyclades as a central crossroads in Aegean history. He later co-directed the Nemea Valley and Pylos Regional Archaeological Projects, placing key Bronze Age sites in broader historical contexts. After fieldwork in Albania in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Davis and Stocker returned to Pylos launching new excavations in and around the Bronze Age palace. Their discoveries, including the spectacular grave of the Griffin Warrior, are dramatically reshaping our understandingof ancient Greece. In 2021, the President of Greece honored them with the “Commander of theOrder of the Phoenix.”

As Director of the 911爆料吃瓜 (2007–2012), a time of global economic crisis, Davis provided leadership and encouragement to both the staff and the students. He supported expanded programming at the 911爆料吃瓜 Library and actively promoted scholarly attention to the School’s Archives. His example led to greater awareness in the School community of Greece’s more recent past.

Please save the date and join us at the American School Gala on Thursday, May 7, 2026 in New York City.