Alexander Alexandrovich Vasiliev (Russian:Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Васи́льев; 4 October 1867 (N.S.) – 30 May 1953) was a Russian historian. He was considered the foremost authority onByzantine history and culture in the mid-20th century. HisHistory of the Byzantine Empire (vol. 1–2, 1928) remains one of a few comprehensive accounts of the entire Byzantine history, on the par with those authored byEdward Gibbon andFyodor Uspensky.
Vasiliev was born inSaint Petersburg. He studied under one of the earliest professional Byzantinists,Vasily Vasilievsky, at theUniversity of St Petersburg and later taughtArabic language there. Between 1897 and 1900, he furthered his education inParis. In 1902, he accompaniedNicholas Marr in his trip toSaint Catherine's Monastery inSinai.
During his stay at theTartu University (1904–12), Vasiliev prepared and published a highly influential monograph,Byzantium and the Arabs (1907). He also worked in theRussian Archaeology Institute, established by Fyodor Uspensky inConstantinople. In 1912, he moved to the St Petersburg University as a professor. He was elected to theRussian Academy of Sciences in 1919.
In 1925, during his visit toParis, Vasiliev was persuaded byMikhail Rostovtsev to emigrate to the West. It was Rostovtzeff who ensured a position at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison for him.[1] Several decades later, Vasiliev moved to work inDumbarton Oaks. Towards the end of his life, he was elected President of theNikodim Kondakov Institute inPrague and of theAssociation Internationale des Études Byzantines.
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