Friedrich Creuzer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 10 March 1771 |
| Died | 6 February 1858(1858-02-06) (aged 86) |
| Alma mater | University of Jena |
| Occupation(s) | Archaeologist andphilologist |
Georg Friedrich Creuzer (German:[ˈɡeːɔʁkˈfʁiːdʁɪçˈkʁɔʏtsɐ]; 10 March 1771 – 6 February 1858) was a Germanphilologist andarchaeologist.
He was born atMarburg, the son of a bookbinder. After studying at Marburg and at theUniversity of Jena, he went toLeipzig as a private tutor; but in 1802 he was appointed professor at Marburg, and two years later professor of philology and ancient history atHeidelberg. He held the latter position for nearly forty-five years, with the exception of a short time spent at theUniversity of Leiden, where his health was affected by the Dutch climate.
Creuzer was one of the principal founders of the Philological Seminary established at Heidelberg in 1807. TheAcadémie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, Paris, appointed him one of its members, and from theGrand Duke of Baden he received the dignity of privy councillor.[1] In 1844 Creuzer received a medal for his 40th anniversary of employment at theUniversity of Heidelberg. This medal was made by the engraver Ludwig Kachel.[2]
Creuzer's first and most famous work was hisSymbolik und Mythologie der alten Völker, besonders der Griechen[3] (1810–12, 2nd ed. 1819, 3rd ed. 1837), in which he maintained that the mythology ofHomer andHesiod came from an Eastern source through thePelasgians, and reflected the symbolism of an ancient revelation;[4] as a reconciliation with Judeo-Christian religion, it was,Walter Burkert has said, "the last large-scale and thoroughly unavailing endeavor of this kind."[5]
This work ran counter to the ideology ofromantic nationalism, which held literature and culture to be intimately connected with aVolk, epitomized byKarl Otfried Müller's concept of a GreekStammeskultur, a Greek "tribal culture".[6] For this and the next generations, "origins and organic development rather than reciprocal cultural influences became the key to understanding."[7]
Creuzer's work was vigorously attacked byJohann Gottfried Jakob Hermann in hisBriefen über Homer und Hesiod, and in his letter, addressed to Creuzer,Über das Wesen und die Behandlung der Mythologie;[8] byJohann Heinrich Voss in hisAntisymbolik; and byChristian Lobeck in hisAglaophamus.[9] It was briefly praised, however, byHegel in hisPhilosophy of Right.[10]
Creuzer's other works include:
See the autobiographicalAus dem Leben eines alten Professors (Leipzig and Darmstadt, 1848), to which was added in the year of his deathParalipomena der Lebenskunde eines alten Professors (Frankfurt, 1858); also Starck,Friederich Kreuzer, sein Bildungsgang und seine bleibende Bedeutung (Heidelberg, 1875).[11]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Creuzer, Georg Friedrich".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 431–432.| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
