Bettany

 Bettany Mary Hughes OBE FSA was born in May 1967. She is an English historian and author who is a specialist in the field of classical history. Her books cover mythology, classical antiquity, as well as the history of Istanbul. She is active in promoting the teaching of classics in UK state schools. Hughes was awarded an OBE in the year 2019. In 2010, she delivered the Hellenic Institute's Tenth Annual Lecture "Ta Erotika, The Things of Love" and in 2011, she delivered a speech at the Royal Television Society's Huw Wilson Memorial Lecture. She claimed that television history is flourishing and enjoying a new golden era. Hughes was chair of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011, the UK's only annual award for fiction written entirely by women. Hughes is a patron to The Iris Project which promotes teaching Latin and Greek in UK public schools. Classics For All is her honorary patron. This campaign aims to revive classical languages and ancient civilisations into state schools. She is an advisor to the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation that aims to encourage large-scale collaborative projects between East and West