Finley, Sir Moses

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FINLEY, SIR MOSES

FINLEY, SIR MOSES (1912–1986), American-born British historian. Born Moses Finkelstein in New York, Sir Moses was educated at Syracuse and Columbia Universities and changed his name to "Finley" in 1936. In 1954, fearful of McCarthyism, he migrated to England, becoming a British subject in 1962. There, his distinguished academic career was spent at Cambridge, where he was professor of ancient history from 1970 to 1979. Finley was one of the most productive and highly regarded historians of the ancient world of his time, whose interests centered especially on the economy and society of ancient Greece. Among his best-known works are The World of Odysses (1956) and The Ancient Economy (1973). Finley received many academic honors and was knighted in 1979.

[William D. Rubinstein (2nd ed.)]