The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies was founded in 1910 as the sister society to the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.

The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, known as the Hellenic Society, was founded in 1879 to advance the study of Greek language, literature, history, art and archaeology in the Ancient, Byzantine and Modern periods. The first President was J. B. Lightfoot, the biblical scholar and Bishop of Durham. Ioannis Gennadius helped found it.