Alexander Christian Leopold Conze (10 December 1831 – 19 July 1914) was a Germanarchaeologist, who specialized in ancient Greek art.
He was a native ofHanover, and studied at the universities ofGöttingen andBerlin. In 1855 he obtained his doctorate at Berlin as a student ofEduard Gerhard. In 1863 he became an associate professor at theUniversity of Halle,[1] and from 1869 to 1877, he served as a professor of archaeology at theUniversity of Vienna. In the 1870s, he performed two archaeological explorations atSamothrace (1873 and 1875).[2] In 1876, withOtto Hirschfeld, he organized the Archaeologic-Epigraphic Seminar at the university.[3]
In 1877 he succeededKarl Bötticher as director of the BerlinAntikensammlung (Collection of Classical Antiquities),[1] In 1887, he became Secretariat of theGerman Archaeological Institute.[4]
In 1878 with engineerCarl Humann, he began excavation atPergamon inAsia Minor, a project that lasted until 1886. WithWilhelm Dörpfeld, he started a second archaeological dig at Pergamon in 1900. At Pergamon, Conze and Humann uncovered one of the greatest archaeological treasures ofHellenistic civilization, thePergamon Altar, which today is housed at thePergamon Museum inBerlin.[1][4]
Conze died inBerlin.
Two types of medals were struck for Alexander Conze during lifetime. The first was emitted when he left theUniversity of Vienna in 1877. This piece has been made by famous Austrian engraverJosef Tautenhayn. The reverse shows anAthena Parthenos with a dedication in ancient Greek enclosed by a laurel wreath. The dedication names the memories and friendship that Conze will leave behind as reasons for commissioning this medal.[5]
The second piece was made in 1905 by German artist and engraverAdolf Brütt when Conze retired from his position as secretary of theGerman Archaeological Institute.[6]
