Richard Knabl
Encyclopedia
Richard Knabl was an Austrian parish priest and epigraphist
who, though he lacked formal academic training as a historian, became a prominent contributor to our current knowledge of the Roman period in Noricum
and eastern Pannonia
, especially on the territory of modern Styria.
Ambros Knabl, who had been mayor of Styria's capital Graz from 1784 to 1788. He attended school and studied theology in his home town, was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1811, and spent the following years as a chaplain and parish priest at various places in Stryria. In 1838 he was assigned to parishes in what was then the immediate vicinity of Graz, first to Karlau and then to St. Andrä.
. Inspired by the large collection of Roman artifacts on display at the Johanneum (the largest museum in Graz) and at Seckau Abbey
, he embarked on private investigations which in 1845 led to his discovery that the archeological finds near Leibnitz
marked the site of the Roman town Flavia Solva
. His first major paper, published in 1848, presented such convincing epigraphic proof to this effect that the predominant academic opinion which had tentatively located Flavia Solva in the Zollfeld
in Carinthia
(actually the site of Virunum
), quickly accepted it.
From this time onward Knabl published significant findings from his research on an almost yearly basis, earning himself a reputation as one of his period's most important investigative historians of Roman times in the eastern Alpine region. Among other things, he was particularly interested in Roman traffic routes. He investigated the Roman road that had connected Claudia Celeia (now Celje
) and Poetovio (now Ptuj
) and also the transalpine road from Virunum to Ovilava (now Wels
), frequently combining epigraphy and numismatics with additional sources such as the Tabula Peutingeriana
. However, the central project of his life - a codex of all epigraphic finds from antiquity made in the area encompassing today's Austrian province of Styria and northern Slovenia, documenting about 600 inscriptions at 183 sites on its 728 pages - remained unpublished; the manuscript is kept at the University of Graz.
who in their official statements spoke highly of him. However, when they expressed their opinions in private, academic arrogance sometimes showed. For example, Mommsen (then a 40-year old assistant professor in Berlin) wrote in a letter to a friend dated September 8, 1857:
honored Knabl with a doctorate. The Austrian emperor awarded him the Golden Service Medal in 1862 and the Austrian Medal for Science in 1864, and named him Imperial Counsellor in 1868. Knabl reciprocated by donating his numismatic collection to the University of Graz in 1867, followed by his remaining antiquities on April 15, 1868. When Knabl died in 1874, aged 85 years, the university collected his library of 1,456 volumes as per his testament.
Epigraphy
Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
who, though he lacked formal academic training as a historian, became a prominent contributor to our current knowledge of the Roman period in Noricum
Noricum
Noricum, in ancient geography, was a Celtic kingdom stretching over the area of today's Austria and a part of Slovenia. It became a province of the Roman Empire...
and eastern Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
, especially on the territory of modern Styria.
Youth and parish priest
Knabl was a son of the syndicSyndic
Syndic , a term applied in certain countries to an officer of government with varying powers, and secondly to a representative or delegate of a university, institution or other corporation, entrusted with special functions or powers.The meaning which underlies both applications is that of...
Ambros Knabl, who had been mayor of Styria's capital Graz from 1784 to 1788. He attended school and studied theology in his home town, was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1811, and spent the following years as a chaplain and parish priest at various places in Stryria. In 1838 he was assigned to parishes in what was then the immediate vicinity of Graz, first to Karlau and then to St. Andrä.
Epigraphist and historian
Only at this time, already at an age of 49 years, Knabl began to devote himself to epigraphy and numismaticsNumismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...
. Inspired by the large collection of Roman artifacts on display at the Johanneum (the largest museum in Graz) and at Seckau Abbey
Seckau Abbey
Seckau Abbey or Abbey of Our Dear Lady, Seckau is a Benedictine monastery in Seckau in Styria, Austria.-Seckau Priory:The monastery was founded by the Augustinian Canons, when an already existing community in Sankt Marein bei Knittelfeld was moved to Seckau in 1142...
, he embarked on private investigations which in 1845 led to his discovery that the archeological finds near Leibnitz
Leibnitz
Leibnitz is a city in the Austrian state of Styria and at the 2001 census had a population of approximately 7.577 .It is located to the south of the city of Graz, between the Mur and Sulm rivers....
marked the site of the Roman town Flavia Solva
Flavia Solva
Flavia Solva was a municipium in the ancient Roman province of Noricum. It was situated on the western banks of the Mur river, close to the modern cities of Wagna and Leibnitz in the southern parts of the Austrian province of Styria...
. His first major paper, published in 1848, presented such convincing epigraphic proof to this effect that the predominant academic opinion which had tentatively located Flavia Solva in the Zollfeld
Zollfeld
Zollfeld is a slightly ascending plain in Carinthia, Austria. It is one of the oldest cultural landscapes in the East Alpine region.-Geography:...
in Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
(actually the site of Virunum
Virunum
Claudium Virunum was a Roman city in the province of Noricum, on today's Zollfeld in the Austrian State of Carinthia. Virunum may also have been the name of the older Celtic-Roman settlement on the hilltop of Magdalensberg nearby....
), quickly accepted it.
From this time onward Knabl published significant findings from his research on an almost yearly basis, earning himself a reputation as one of his period's most important investigative historians of Roman times in the eastern Alpine region. Among other things, he was particularly interested in Roman traffic routes. He investigated the Roman road that had connected Claudia Celeia (now Celje
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
) and Poetovio (now Ptuj
Ptuj
Ptuj is a city and one of 11 urban municipalities in Slovenia. Traditionally the area was part of the Lower Styria region. The municipality is now included in the Podravje statistical region...
) and also the transalpine road from Virunum to Ovilava (now Wels
Wels
Wels is the second largest city of the state of Upper Austria, located in the north of Austria, on the Traun River near Linz. It is not part of its surrounding Wels County , but a so-called Statutarstadt . However, Wels is the county seat of Wels-Land.- Geography :Wels is located in the...
), frequently combining epigraphy and numismatics with additional sources such as the Tabula Peutingeriana
Tabula Peutingeriana
The Tabula Peutingeriana is an itinerarium showing the cursus publicus, the road network in the Roman Empire. The original map of which this is a unique copy was last revised in the fourth or early fifth century. It covers Europe, parts of Asia and North Africa...
. However, the central project of his life - a codex of all epigraphic finds from antiquity made in the area encompassing today's Austrian province of Styria and northern Slovenia, documenting about 600 inscriptions at 183 sites on its 728 pages - remained unpublished; the manuscript is kept at the University of Graz.
Reception by academic historians
Knabl's painstaking work, sustained over three decades and always adhering to the scientific standards of his time, earned him acceptance among accomplished historians such as Alfred von Arneth and Theodor MommsenTheodor Mommsen
Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician, archaeologist, and writer generally regarded as the greatest classicist of the 19th century. His work regarding Roman history is still of fundamental importance for contemporary research...
who in their official statements spoke highly of him. However, when they expressed their opinions in private, academic arrogance sometimes showed. For example, Mommsen (then a 40-year old assistant professor in Berlin) wrote in a letter to a friend dated September 8, 1857:
"Number One among the sages in Graz is the priest Knabl, an aged type of 65 who has applied himself to the stones in his late years. If he learns of a Roman stone somewhere in Styria he will instantly travel there with comical enthusiasm, and will then lie there reading for two or three days; with a strong pretense at scholarship, but with even stronger respect shown towards myself whom he eagerly kisses the hands, collecting fragments for my biography. (...) However, his hobby is indeed useful and he has advanced historical knowledge by a good bit, although he did it more with his short legs than with his thick head..."
Honors
In 1861 the University of GrazUniversity of Graz
The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....
honored Knabl with a doctorate. The Austrian emperor awarded him the Golden Service Medal in 1862 and the Austrian Medal for Science in 1864, and named him Imperial Counsellor in 1868. Knabl reciprocated by donating his numismatic collection to the University of Graz in 1867, followed by his remaining antiquities on April 15, 1868. When Knabl died in 1874, aged 85 years, the university collected his library of 1,456 volumes as per his testament.