Hans Ankum (1930-2019)

The Institute has been deeply saddened by the news of the death, earlier this month, of Hans Ankum, an outstanding scholar of Roman law and European legal history. Johan Albert Ankum read law and completed his doctorate on the history of the actio Pauliana in his native Amsterdam. After three years as a professor in Leiden he returned to Amsterdam where he held the Chair of Roman law, history of jurisprudence and juridical papyrology from 1965 until his retirement in 1995.

His meticulous work on the Roman sources and his encyclopaedic knowledge of legal history made him one of the prime representatives of the prolific post-war Dutch school of legal history. Decorated with honorary doctorates and academy memberships he also was a frequent visitor and great friend of the Institute where he will be greatly missed.