Máté Ittzés

Dr. habil. Máté Ittzés (1976–), the present Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies and Head of the Department of Indian Studies joined the Department in February 2001, and has been teaching Sanskrit, Indo-Aryan and Indo-European Linguistics. In 2007 he earned his PhD in Linguistics from ELTE with a dissertation entitled “The Augment in Greek and Indo-Iranian”. Currently he is Associate Professor and Head of Department and the Leader of the Indo-European Linguistics Research Division of the Department. His research field is Indo-European comparative linguistics, Latin syntax and Greek and Indo-Aryan historical linguistics. He has published several articles on the light verb constructions of ancient Indo-European languages, in particular Vedic Old Indo-Aryan, and various other topics in Indo-European comparative linguistics. Under his headship a new English language MA programme in Indology has been introduced at the Department.

Education

2000–2003: Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, Doctoral School of Linguistics, Program of Ancient Studies
1997–2002: Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, Ancient Greek language and literature BA+MA
1994–2001: member of the Eötvös József Collegium
1994–2001: Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, Hungarian language and literature BA+MA
1994–1999: Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, Latin language and literature BA+MA
1990–1994: Gergely Czuczor Benedictine Secondary School, Győr

Qualifications

2002: philologist of Ancient Greek language and literature
2001: secondary school teacher of Hungarian language and literature
1999: secondary school teacher of Latin language and literature

Academic degrees and titles

2016: habilitated doctor (Linguistics)

title of the habilitation thesis: Funkcióigés szerkezetek a védikus óind nyelvben [Light verb constructions in Vedic Old Indo-Aryan]
titles of the habilitation lectures: Funkcióigés szerkezetek és a rekonstrukciós módszer [Light verb constructions and linguistic reconstruction]; Light verbs and grammaticalization (Nr. of the diploma: 1002/2016; rating: 100%)

2007: PhD (Linguistics – ancient studies)

title of the PhD dissertation: Tanulmányok az augmentum használatáról a görög és az indo-iráni nyelvekben [Studies on the augment in Greek and Indo-Iranian] (Nr. of the diploma: P-2230/2007.; rating: summa cum laude)

Employment

2001–: Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Oriental Studies, Department of Indian Studies (until 26 June 2017: Department of Indo-European Studies [as part of the Institute of Ancient Studies])

1 July 2026–: director of institute
1 July 2018–: head of department
1 June 2018–: associate professor
2008–2018: assistant professor
2001–2008: assistant lecturer

2019–2024: Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, Doctoral School of Linguistics, leader of the Program of Indian Studies

12–16 May 2025: Erasmus+ guest lecturer / Universiteit Gent, Department of Languages and Cultures

20–24 January 2020: Erasmus+ guest lecturer / Universität Wien, Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde

8–19 June 2009: Erasmus guest lecturer / Universität Wien, Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde

Administrative functions and academic positions

member of the Society for Indo-European Studies
editor-in-chief of the journal Keletkutatás [Oriental studies]
member of the board of the Kőrösi Csoma Society
member of the public body of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ID 22284)
member of the Indo-Hungarian Friendship Society
member of the Society for Ancient Studies

Grants

2025: Erasmus+ teaching mobility (Universiteit Gent, Department of Languages and Cultures)
2019: Erasmus+ research mobility (Universität Wien, Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde)
2016: research grant of the Stiftung Aktion Österreich-Ungarn
2009: Erasmus teaching mobility (Universität Wien, Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde)
2008–2011: János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Historical linguistic investigations in Vedic Old Indo-Aryan)
2000: Socrates-Erasmus scholarship (University College London)
1997–1999: Hungarian Republic Scholarship

Research projects

2022–2026: "OTKA" research project funded by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office, principal investigator (Canons and standards in premodern South Asia: Formation, preservation, innovation, reception; NKFI K 142535)
2012–2016: "OTKA" postdoctoral research project funded by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, principal investigator (Verbs and light verb constructions in ancient Indo-Europan languages, with special emphasis on Vedic Old Indo-Aryan; OTKA PD 100700)

Scientific grants and honors

2013: József Révay prize of the Society for Ancient Studies

Courses taught

• Sanskrit (BA, MA)
• Vedic text reading (BA, MA)
• History of Indo-Aryan languages (BA)
• Historical grammar of Old Indo-Aryan (MA)
• Latin syntax (BA, MA)
• Latin text reading (Caesar) (BA)
• Mycenaean Greek documents (BA, MA)
• History of Ancient Greek (MA)
• Indo-European foundations of Greek and Latin (MA)
• Indo-European linguistics (MA)
• Methodology of historical linguistics (MA)
• Introduction to linguistics (BA)