MAHAFFY

mahaffy, john pentland (1839- ), irish classical scholar, was born in switzerland on the 12th of july 1839. he received his early education in switzerland and germany, and later at trinity college, dublin, where he held the professorship of ancient history. mahaffy, a man of great versatility, published numerous works, some of which, especially those dealing with what may be called the silver age of greece, became standard authorities. the following deserve mention: _history of classical greek literature_ (4th ed., 1903 seq.); _social life in greece from homer to menander_ (4th ed., 1903); _the silver age of the greek world_ (1906); _the empire of the ptolemies_ (1896); _greek life and thought from alexander to the roman conquest_ (2nd ed., 1896); _the greek world under roman sway from polybius to plutarch_ (1890). his translation of kuno fischer's _commentary on kant_ (1866) and his own exhaustive analysis, with elucidations, of kant's critical philosophy are of great value. he also edited the petrie papyri in the _cunningham memoirs_ (3 vols. 1891-1905).