Greek lexicographer and philologists Emmanuel Kriaras died on Friday, August 22 in the city of Thessaloniki, aged 108.

According to media reports, he died in his home of a heart attack. The funeral service will probably take place on Monday.

His life and work

Born on November 28, 1906, Kriaras started working in the medieval archives of the Academy of Athens in 1930 and was appointed principal there in 1939.

In 1950 he was elected to the chair of Medieval Greek Philology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he taught Medieval Greek history, Modern philology among other courses until 1968, when his political views resulted in his dismissal by the right wing military junta.

Kriaras’ most important work is the Lexicon of Medieval Greek Demotic Literature, 1100-1669, which he started publishing in 1968. Throughout his life, he promoted research in the fields of medieval and modern Greek philology, lexicography and comparative grammatology, supporting the demotic language and the movements connected with its promotion.

In 2006, in recognition of his work and to mark his 100th birthday, he was awarded the “Golden Aristotle” by the University of Thessaloniki.