A historian of the European Middle Ages is among the six winners of the 2007 Dan David Prize, to be presented in Paris on Thursday. The prize honors scientific, technological, and humanistic achievements, and is awarded in three categories for achievements related to the past, present, and future.

Jacques Le Goff will receive the $1-million prize for achievements that benefit understanding of the past, in recognition of contributions to his discipline over the past half century. Mr. Le Goff, who is a chief editor of the history journal Annales: Histoire, Sciences Sociales (Annals: History and Social Science) has published more than 30 books and edited 15 others. He is also a former director and chair of the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences), in Paris.

Mr. Le Goff's ability to study the past "while keeping a constant eye on the great questions of the present ... helps explain why his abundant accomplishments as a scholar have been so widely received and why they continue to be so important today," the prize's committee said in a written announcement.

The awards for achievements that benefit the present and achievements that hold promise for the future each carry a $1-million prize as well...