Зборник Матице српске за класичне студије

The Management Board of Matica Srpska passed a resolution on publishing the Journal of Classical Studies of Matica Srpska (Zbornik Matice srpske za klasične studije) at its 4th meeting on the 11th of March 1996.

The Journal focuses on studying the classical antiquities in all aspects. The classical period is the core of European civilization and culture, and our country and the Serbian people are an integral part of that cultural area of the classical era. Many achievements of the classical period in culture, philosophy and science, languages, literature, history, art and material culture were handed down to future European and other nations by the Ancient Balkans. As stated by our leading authority on the Balkans of the classical period, Academician Milan Budimir, the Balkan Slavs as well as all other citizens of former Yugoslavia had strong ties with the culture of the classical period, its location as well as representatives of the era.

“That antique influence and classical heritage, as well as the heritage and reception of the classical period in the Serbian nation are least mentioned in the world. Thus the primary objective of the journal is the contribution to the promotion of our classical science abroad. To this end are the contributions of colleagues from Europe, Russia, the USA, Canada and India published in our journal.”

The Journal is to cover critical acclamation and presentation of works of our scientists and authors dealing with classical topics. This is the reason why the reception of Hellenic philosophy, literature, art and culture, both Greek and Roman, in Serbian tradition will be one of the major topics. Comparative research of religion and myth along with theoretical definition of this sphere are further interests of our international partners, including law and natural sciences of the classical period.

Apart from original research studies and articles on classical topics, the Journal publishes proceedings from scientific conferences on the classical period in our country and abroad, relations with the Orient, classical heritage in Byzantium, interrelations with the Slavic World and Serbian language and culture.

The Journal also features permanent sections like Hronika naučnog života (the Chronicle of Scientific Life), Projekti (Projects), Vesti iz sveta (News from the World), Nekrolozi (Necrologies) and so forth.

Special attention is devoted in the Journal to scientific criticism and presentation of new books and studies published in our country as well as abroad, thus publications of the most important publishers have been provided.

We would like to point out that this Journal is the only one of its kind and has appeared rather late, bearing in mind that the Yugoslav journal on classical topics was lost with the secession of former Yugoslav republics. Precious support to our Journal was given by the International Federation of the Societies of Classical Studies FIEC at its General Assembly on the 20th of August 1999, in Kavala (Greece), when the president of FIEC, Academician Carl Joachim Classen, member of Matica Srpska, publicly supported the publishing of the Journal of Classical Studies and invited colleagues to cooperate with the Journal. We would like to emphasize that FIEC is one of thirteen UNESCO associations for social sciences. Papers from our Journal enter the leading bibliographical publication in the world in this field L’Année Philologique.

The Journal is edited by an international editorial board comprised of the most esteemed scientists at home and abroad.