Mabel Lang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mabel Lang
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| Born | November 12, 1917 |
| Died | July 21, 2010 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Columbia University Bryn Mawr College |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Classical Greek archaeology |
| Institutions | Bryn Mawr College |
Mabel Louise Lang (born November 12, 1917 – died July 21, 2010) was a smart American archaeologist. She studied ancient Greece and a very old culture called Mycenaean. She spent her life learning about and teaching others about these fascinating ancient worlds.
Life and Work
Mabel Lang started her journey in learning at Cornell University, where she earned her first degree in 1939. Later, in 1943, she received her PhD (which is a very high university degree) from Bryn Mawr College. She also began teaching at Bryn Mawr College that same year.
Teaching and Honors
Mabel taught at Bryn Mawr College for a long time, until 1991. Even after she stopped teaching full-time, she was still a special professor there until she passed away. In 1971, she became the Paul Shorey Professor of Greek. This was a very important teaching position. In 1981, she was chosen to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is a big honor for smart people in different fields.
Discoveries and Writings
Mabel wrote many books about the laws and culture of ancient Greece. She also helped figure out the meaning of some very old writings called Linear B. These writings were found at a place called Pylos in Greece.
In 1969, she was the first person to try and understand the patterns on the painted floors of a big hall, called a megaron, at Pylos. She thought the designs might show different types of stone. She also wrote about the ancient paintings and Linear B tablets found at Pylos, which tell us a lot about the Bronze Age.
Mabel also studied famous Greek historians like Herodotus and Thucydides. She worked as an archaeologist at the Agora in Athens. The Agora was the main public space in ancient Athens. She worked there with the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
In 1982, she gave special lectures at Oberlin College. These lectures were later published as a book called Herodotean Narrative and Discourse. After she passed away, her colleagues finished and published another book she had started, called Thucydidean Narrative and Discourse.
A special event was held at Bryn Mawr College on April 3, 2011, to remember Mabel Lang and all her amazing contributions.
