Bettany

 Bettany Mary Hughes OBE, FSA (born May 27, 1967) is an English historian writer, broadcaster and author, specialising in classical history. Her books are published and cover classical antiquity and myth as well as the history of Istanbul. She is active in efforts to encourage the teaching of the classics in UK state schools. Hughes was made 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 said that television history is thriving and has entered a new golden period. Hughes was chair of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011 which was the UK's sole annual award for fiction written entirely by women. Hughes is a patron of The Iris Project, a charity that promotes the teaching of Latin and Greek in UK public schools. She is an honorary patron of Classics For All, a national initiative to bring ancient languages and study of civilisations back in state schools. She serves as an advisor for the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation which aims to foster large-scale collaborative projects between East and West