author
J. C. (John Cuthbert) Lawson
1874–1935
Best known for connecting village traditions in modern Greece with the study of ancient religion, this British classical scholar wrote with unusual curiosity about how old beliefs survive in everyday life.
1 Audiobook
Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion: A Study in Survivals
by J. C. (John Cuthbert) Lawson
About the author
Born in 1874, John Cuthbert Lawson was a British classical scholar who became a Fellow and lecturer of Pembroke College, Cambridge, a position he held from 1899 until 1935. He also spent time as a Craven Student at the British School at Athens, an experience that helped shape his lasting interest in Greek language, culture, and folklore.
Lawson is chiefly remembered for Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion: A Study in Survivals, first published in 1910. The book set out to show how customs and superstitions in modern Greece could shed light on ancient Greek belief, and it became the work most closely associated with his name.
Alongside that major study, he also worked as an editor and scholar of Greek texts, including an edition of books IX and X of the Iliad. He died in 1935, leaving behind a body of work valued by readers interested in classics, folklore, and the long continuity of Greek cultural life.