All Scholars

Anthony Bulloch rapidly achieved an international reputation by his seminal contributions to the emerging field of Hellenistic literature. Between 1973 and 2006 he published articles on all the main Hellenistic poets including Apollonius Rhodius, Theocritus, and Callimachus.  A reviewer of the Cambridge History of Classical Literature I wrote that Anthony’s gracefully written chapter, “Hellenistic Poetry,” is described as “the prize for giving a fresh and stimulating account of what might seem relatively unpromising material.” Thirty years later his work remains a primary resource for scholars and students of Hellenistic poetry. In 1988 Anthony was co-organizer of a large-scale international conference at Berkeley on the Hellenistic world. He co-edited the resulting the resulting volume, Images and Ideologies. Along with his departmental colleagues Erich Gruen, Tony Long, and Andrew Stewart, he edited the University of California Press monograph series Hellenistic Culture and Society, which published a total of 55 volumes over a period of more than two decades.

         Anthony had an outstanding grasp of Greek and Latin philology, including both languages’ complex metrical systems. These were one of his favorite subjects for graduate instruction, but it was as a teacher of undergraduates, especially general students, that he excelled. His annual course on Greek mythology, thanks to his story-telling skills and engaging manner, generated the department’s largest enrollment by far, and he also attracted a big and appreciative audience for his regular course on Greek religion. For both offerings he enlisted enthusiastic graduate student instructors.

         Anthony’s concern and compassion for students, so evident from the beginning of his career at King’s College, extended at Berkeley to the Dean’s offices in the College of Letters and Science. As a long-standing assistant dean, Anthony had a special gift for listening to troubled students in what was usually a fraught situation for them. Those whom he advised deeply appreciated his obvious interest in their academic lives and personal welfare. For him, the student came before the rule; his philosophy was to find a way to make the best happen. His contributions to these peer discussions were always insightful and generous as well as often witty.