Romilly Jenkins (1907-1969) was educated at The Leys School and Cambridge. After studying archaeology in Greece for four years, he returned to England to lecture in Modern Greek at Cambridge until the outbreak of the second world war, during which he worked at the Foreign Office. In 1946 he was appointed Koraes Professor of Byzantine and Modern Greek Language, Literature and History at King's College, London. In 1960 he moved to Harvard University's Dumbarton Oaks Research Institute, Washington D.C., where he held the posts of Professor of Byzantine History and Director of Studies. His many published works in the field of ancient, mediaeval and modern Greek studies testify to the far-ranging scope of his knowledge and are written in a style that is at once acute, clear, concise and set off with a fine, well-tempered wit.