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FORCHHAMMER, PETER WILHELM (18o1—1894)
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See also:FORCHHAMMER, See also:PETER WILHELM (18o1—1894) , See also:German classical archaeologist, was See also:born at See also:Husum in See also:Schleswig on the 23rd of See also:October 18o,. He was educated at the See also:Lubeck gymnasium and the university of See also:Kiel, with which he was connected for nearly 65 years. In 1830—1834 and 1838—184o he travelled in See also:Italy, See also:Greece, See also:Asia See also:Minor and See also:Egypt. In 1843 he was appointed See also:professor of See also:philology at Kiel and director of the archaeological museum founded by himself in co-operation with See also:Otto See also:Jahn. He died on the 8th of See also:January 1894. Forchhammer was a democrat in the best sense of the word, and from 1871 to 1873 represented the progressive party of Schleswig-See also:Holstein in the German Reichstag. His published See also:works See also:deal chiefly with See also:topography and See also:ancient See also:mythology. His travels had convinced him that a full and comprehensive knowledge of classical antiquity could only be acquired by a thorough acquaintance with See also:Greek and See also:Roman monuments and works of See also:art, and a detailed examination of the topographical and See also:climatic conditions of the See also:chief localities of the ancient See also:world. These principles are illustrated in his Hellenika. Griechenland. lm Neuen das Alte (1837), which contains his theory of the origin and explanation of the Greek myths, which he never abandoned, in spite of the attacks to which it was subjected. According to him, the myths arose from definite See also:local (especially atmospheric and aquatic) phenomena, and represented the annually recurring processes of nature as the acts of gods and heroes; thus, in See also:Achill (1853), the Trojan See also:War is the See also:winter conflict of the elements in that See also:district. Other similar See also:short See also:treatises are: See also:Die Grundung Roms (1868); Daduchos (1875), on the See also:language of the myths and mythical buildings; Die Wanderungen der Inachostochter Io (188o); Prolegomena zur Mythologie als Wissenschaft and Lexikon der Mythensprache (1891). Amongst his topographical works mention may be made of: Topograpl:ie von See also:Athos (1841); Beschreibung der Ebene von Troja (rS5o), a commentary on a See also:map of the locality executed by T. A. See also:Sprat (see See also:Journal of the Royal See also:Geographical Society, xii., 1842); Topographia Thebarum Heptapylarum (1854); Erklarung der See also:Bias (1884), on the basis of the topographical and See also:physical peculiarities of the See also:plain of See also:Troy. His Demokratenbiichlein (1849), in the See also:main a discussion of the Aristotelian theory of the See also:state, and Die Athener See also:land Sokrates (1837), in which, contrary to the almost universal See also:opinion, he upheld the See also:procedure of the Athenians as perfectly legal and their See also:verdict as a perfectly just one, also deserve See also:notice. For a full See also:list of his works see the obituary notice by E. See also:Alberti in C. See also:Bursian's Biographisches Jahrbuch See also:fur Altertumskunde, xx. (1897) ; also J. Sass in Allgemeine deutsche Biographie, and A. Hoeck and L. C. Pertsch, P. W. Forchhammer (1898). Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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