Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Gennadius Library and honoring archaeologist and scholar Jack L. Davis with the Athens Prize for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge of ancient Greece. The award will be presented at the American School’s annual Gala on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at Gotham Hall in New York City.

The Athens Prize is awarded for outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge of ancient Greece. Past recipients include John McK. Camp II (2016), Malcolm H. Wiener (2017), Ronald S. Stroud (2018), Corinth Excavations (2019), Edward E. Cohen (2022), and Mary R. Lefkowitz (2024). William T. Loomis, President of the Board of Trustees, in making this announcement said, “We are delighted to bestow the Athens Prize on Jack Davis. Not only has he been at the forefront of Aegean Archaeology for the past 50 years, as a wide-ranging field archaeologist, prolific scholar, and mentor to numerous students, but he also has made significant contributions to the American School as an institution, serving as Director, Trustee, Overseer, and supporter of the Archives, Gennadius Library, and Wiener Laboratory. We also want to recognize the crucial contributions of his wife, Sharon R. Stocker, with whom he co-directed excavations in Albania and at Pylos.”

Jack L. Davis is the Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology in the Department of Classics at the University of Cincinnati. A leading figure in Aegean archaeology, he received the Archaeological Institute of America’s Gold Medal in 2020 for his groundbreaking work in regional studies and his profound impact on the understanding of Greek history from prehistoric times to the present. After earning his PhD from Cincinnati in 1977, Davis collaborated in conducting a major survey project on Kea, helping to establish the Cyclades as a central crossroads in Aegean history. He later co-directed the Nemea Valley and Pylos Regional Archaeological Projects, placing key Bronze Age sites in broader historical contexts. After fieldwork in Albania in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Davis and Stocker returned to Pylos launching new excavations in and around the Bronze Age palace. Their discoveries, including the spectacular grave of the Griffin Warrior, are dramatically reshaping our understanding of ancient Greece. In 2021, the President of Greece honored them with the “Commander of the Order of the Phoenix.”

As Director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (2007–2012), a time of global economic crisis, Davis provided leadership and encouragement to both the staff and the students. He supported expanded programming at the Gennadius Library and actively promoted scholarly attention to the School’s Archives. His example led to greater awareness in the School community of Greece’s more recent past.