Erich Julius Adolf Bethe (May 2, 1863 – October 19, 1940) was a German classical philologist

Classical philology

Classical philology is the study of ancient Greek and classical Latin. Classical philology has been defined as "the careful study of the literary and philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds." Greek and Latin literature and civilization have traditionally been considered...

 who was a native of Stettin.

In 1887 he earned his doctorate from the University of Göttingen, and in 1891 received his habilitation at Bonn

University of Bonn

The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...

. From 1893 to 1897 he was an associate professor at the University of Rostock

University of Rostock

The University of Rostock is the university of the city Rostock, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Founded in 1419, it is the oldest and largest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area...

, and afterwards was a professor of classical philology

Philology

Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...

 at the Universities of Basel

University of Basel

The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...

 (1897-1903), Giessen

University of Giessen

The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...

 (1903-06) and Leipzig

University of Leipzig

The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...

 (1906-1931). In 1927-28 he was rector

Rector

The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

at the University of Leipzig. His better known publications are as follows:

• Thebanische Heldenlieder (Theban Heroic Songs) 1891
• Prolegomena zur Geschichte des Theaters im Alterthum (Prolegomena on the History of Theaters in Antiquity) 1896
• Homer, Dichtung und Sage (Homer, Poetry and Legend), 1914
• Der troische Epenkreis (The Troische Epic Spheres), 1919
• Griechische Lyrik (Greek Lyric Poetry), 1920
• Marchen, sage, mythus (Fable, legend, myth), 1922
• Die griechische Dichtung (Greek Poetry), 1924
• Tausend jahre altgriechischen lebens (Millennium of Ancient Greek Life), 1933
• Ahnenbild und familiengeschichte bei Römern und Griechen (Ancestral Imagery and Family History among the Romans and Greeks), 1935