In 2025, the sixth year of the Erich S. Gruen Prize, the selection committee received submissions from graduate students across North America who present exciting new approaches to race, ethnicity, and cultural exchange as they pertain to the ancient Mediterranean. The committee was impressed by the papers’ quality and wide range of disciplinary perspectives, methodologies, types of evidence, and time periods.
Of these submissions, all anonymized before review, the committee commends one with an honorable mention. Kiran Mansukhani’s “The (Social) Structure of Utopia: Caste in Plato’s Republic” (Classics, Brown University) proposes that caste studies may be used to provide an analytical framework that describes the religious and political nature of the Kallipolis.
The committee unanimously awards the 2025 Erich S. Gruen Prize to Phoebe Hyun (Classics, Harvard University). Her paper “Do You Trust Me? Formations of Trust in First- to Fourth-Century CE Erythraean Trade” investigates how traders of diverse origins and disparate socio-ethnic backgrounds successfully established trust networks among themselves when conducting business around the Erythraean Sea, that is the stretch of ocean between the Mediterranean and Asia that encompasses the modern-day Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean. More broadly, it demonstrates how careful analysis helps to increase our appreciation of the ancient world’s interconnectedness. The paper will receive a cash prize of $1,000.
The committee thanks and commends all applicants, above all Phoebe Hyun, for work that enhances our understanding of multiculturalism in and around the ancient Mediterranean, in honor of Erich Gruen’s continuing contributions to the field.
Support the Gruen Fund
SCS has established the Gruen Fund to support this important new prize. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the prize is now $1,000. You can donate to the endowment for long-term support of the prize. Donations can be made via this online form on the SCS website. SCS is a 501(c)3 public charity and donations may be tax deductible.
Volunteer to Serve on the Gruen Prize Committee
Please visit the Volunteering for SCS page and fill out its volunteer survey form if you would like to serve on the committee and reach out to [email protected] with questions.
