Hartmut Erbse
Encyclopedia
Hartmut Erbse was a German
classical philologist
.
, Erbse studied classical philology
in Hamburg
, where he was well known for his lively hat-wear and received his doctorate in 1940. In 1948 he completed his habilitation
at Graz
with a study of Attic lexica; in the same year he received his first lectureship, in Hamburg. In 1954 he was appointed to a special professorship there, and six years later he was appointed a full professor. In 1965 he accepted an invitation to take the chair of Greek philology at Tübingen
, and in 1968 a further invitation to the University of Bonn
. He researched and taught there until just before his death.
His research was devoted to textual criticism and editions of Greek fragments and scholia, and to interpretation of Homer
, Herodotus
, and Thucydides
. Erbse acted as co-editor of the well-known journals Glotta and Hermes, and in 1965 was one of the editors of the Lexikon der Alten Welt (LAW), alongside Carl Andresen, Olof Gigon, Karl Schefold
, Karl Friedrich Stroheker, and Ernst Zinn. With Kurt Latte
he published the Lexica Graeca minora.
Hartmut Erbse was a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy
and the Academy of Sciences
at Göttingen.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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...
.
Life
The son of a dentist from ThüringenThuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, Erbse studied classical philology
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...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where he was well known for his lively hat-wear and received his doctorate in 1940. In 1948 he completed his habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
at Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
with a study of Attic lexica; in the same year he received his first lectureship, in Hamburg. In 1954 he was appointed to a special professorship there, and six years later he was appointed a full professor. In 1965 he accepted an invitation to take the chair of Greek philology at Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
, and in 1968 a further invitation to the University of 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...
. He researched and taught there until just before his death.
His research was devoted to textual criticism and editions of Greek fragments and scholia, and to interpretation of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, and Thucydides
Thucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
. Erbse acted as co-editor of the well-known journals Glotta and Hermes, and in 1965 was one of the editors of the Lexikon der Alten Welt (LAW), alongside Carl Andresen, Olof Gigon, Karl Schefold
Karl Schefold
Karl Schefold was a classical archaeologist based in Basel, Switzerland. Born and educated in Germany, he was forced in 1935 to emigrate to Switzerland, which he adopted as his home country...
, Karl Friedrich Stroheker, and Ernst Zinn. With Kurt Latte
Kurt Latte
Kurt Latte was a German philologist and classical scholar known for his work on ancient Roman religion.His major work is Römische Religionsgeschichte , which was intended to replace the work of Georg Wissowa that by then was nearly 60 years old. Although widely referenced, Latte's work has not...
he published the Lexica Graeca minora.
Hartmut Erbse was a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
and the Academy of Sciences
Academy of Sciences
An Academy of Sciences is a national academy or another learned society dedicated to sciences.In non-English speaking countries, the range of academic fields of the members of a national Academy of Science often includes fields which would not normally be classed as "science" in English...
at Göttingen.
Works (select)
- (1950) Untersuchungen zu den attizistischen Lexika, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag.
- (1960) Beiträge zur Überlieferung der Iliasscholien, München: Beck.
- (1965) Lexica Graeca minora, Hildesheim: Olms.
- (1969–1983) Scholia Graeca in Homeri Iliadem, Berlin: de Gruyter.
- (1972) Beiträge zum Verständnis der Odyssee, Berlin: de Gruyter.
- (1979) Ausgewählte Schriften zur klassischen Philologie, Berlin-New York: de Gruyter.
- (1980) Festschrift für Hartmut Erbse zum 65. Geburtstag, ed. Joachim LataczJoachim LataczJoachim Latacz is a German classical philologist.Latacz studied Classical Philology, Indo-Germanic languages, Ancient History and Archaeology from 1954-1956 at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg...
, Würzburg: Schöningh. - (1984) Studien zum Prolog der euripideischen Tragödie, Berlin: de Gruyter.
- (1986) Untersuchungen zur Funktion der Götter im homerischen Epos, Berlin: de Gruyter.
- (1989) Thukydides-Interpretationen, Berlin: de Gruyter.
- (1991) Fiktion und Wahrheit im Werke Herodots, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
- (1992) Studien zum Verständnis Herodots, Berlin: de Gruyter.
- (1995) Theosophorum Graecorum Fragmenta, Stuttgart: Teubner.
- (2003) Studien zur griechischen Dichtung, Wiesbaden: Steiner.