Jan Erazim Vocel (23 August 1803 – 16 September 1871) was a
Czech
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* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
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Places
*Czech, ...
poet, archaeologist, historian and cultural revivalist. Though as heir to his father's trade he was to become a baker, his parents, observing his youthful enthusiasm for Gothic history, eventually heeded his academic calling.
[Vélová, L.]
Jan Erazim Vocel (1802–1871)
Archeologie na dosah, August 1, 2012.
Early life
Vocel was born in
Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora (; medieval Czech: ''Hory Kutné''; german: Kuttenberg) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. The centre of Kutná Hora, including the Sedlec Abbey and its ossuary, was designa ...
. At 14 he moved to Prague to attend a
Piarist
The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the ...
college-preparatory high school. Concomitantly he attended philosophy lectures at
Charles University
)
, image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg
, image_size = 200px
, established =
, type = Public, Ancient
, budget = 8.9 billion CZK
, rector = Milena Králíčková
, faculty = 4,057
, administrative_staff = 4,026
, students = 51,438
, undergr ...
. Already by that time he had begun writing fiction, of which efforts only two complete works survive—''Krvočíše'' (Bloodshot), a romance about growing grapes in celebration of
Charles IV (King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor), and ''Harp'' (1875), a tragedy. On graduating, Vocel departed from Prague to Vienna, where he studied philosophy and law. In order to support himself and assist his family, Vocel accepted tutoring appointments in various homes of the ancient Bohemian
Czernin
The House of Czernin ( cs, Černínové z Chudenic; german: Czernin von und zu Chudenitz) is a Czech noble family that was one of the oldest and most prominent noble families in the Kingdom of Bohemia. The family is a descendent family of the ...
family and later of other noble families, e.g., the
House of Harrach, where he established himself as an abiding
mentor
Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
to nascent businessman / arts patron
Jan Harrach (1828–1909).
On graduating from the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...
, Vocel returned to Prague, where, in 1843, he helped to establish the Archaeological Society.
Literature
![Jan Erazim Vocel grave](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Jan_Erazim_Vocel_grave.jpg)
Vocel's literary work reflects a pathological interest in medieval history, archeology and historiography. By and large his two most significant works are thought to be ''Poslední Orebit'' and ''Přemyslovci''.
In 1850 Vocel was appointed Associate Professor of Archeology and Art History at the
Charles University
)
, image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg
, image_size = 200px
, established =
, type = Public, Ancient
, budget = 8.9 billion CZK
, rector = Milena Králíčková
, faculty = 4,057
, administrative_staff = 4,026
, students = 51,438
, undergr ...
. As author of numerous articles and scientific papers he inadvertently introduced what would later become a widely accepted method of chemical analysis to determine the age of bronze objects.
[Vocel, J. E., ''Pravěk země české'' (Prehistory of the Czech Lands)]
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
(Prague: Royal Bohemian Society of Sciences
Royal Bohemian Society of Sciences ( la, Regia Societas Scientiarum Bohemica; german: Königliche böhmische Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften; cs, Královská česká společnost nauk) was established in 1784 – originally without the adjective " ...
, 1866, 1868).
A highlight of his literary career was the two-volume ''Prehistory of the Czech Lands'' (1866, '68), in which he posited a sound foundation for archeology in Czech science. Though beyond its expanded description of his method of chemical analysis the work did not offer archeological breakthroughs or newer methods, it has exercised considerable influence abroad.
Together with Czech writer, historian, museum director, patriot and publicist
Karel Vladislav Zap (1812–1871), Vocel contributed to the popularity and development of Czech archeology through their 1854 co-founding of a specialized organ, "
Archaeological Monuments" (edited by Zap from 1854 to '66), in which Czech history, from its mythic beginnings to the
Hussite
The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation.
The Hussit ...
movement, was examined and celebrated.
In 1872 the bourgeois Czech writer Jakub Malý, an early devotee of Czech history and literature and promoter of the study of the English language, published the biography ''Jan Erazim Vocel''.
Science
Vocel inadvertently pioneered a chemical method of determining the age of bronze objects. He published numerous scientific and historical-fiction books including his two-part treatise ''Prehistory of the Czech Lands'', which laid a foundation for scientific archeology in the country.
Legacy
Vocel died in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. Alongside fellow Kutná Hora natives
Karel Havlíček Borovský
Karel Havlíček Borovský (; Borová, today ''Havlíčkova Borová;'' 31 October 1821 – 29 July 1856) was a Czech writer, poet, critic, politician, journalist, and publisher.
Early life and education
He lived and studied at the Gymnasium i ...
and
Josef Kajetán Tyl
Josef Kajetán Tyl (4 February 180811 July 1856; ) was a significant Czech dramatist, writer, and actor. He was a notable figure in the Czech National Revival movement and is best known as the author of the current national anthem of the Czech Re ...
, he is regarded as a key figure in the 19th century Czech national revival.
[Anon.]
"Kutná Hora, domov můj"
''Parlamentní listy'', October 27, 2014.
References
External links
* Petřík, M.
"Jan Erazim Vocel" episode 65 of ''Dvaasedmdesát jmen české historie'' (Seventy-two names in Czech history),
Česká televize
Czech Television ( cs, Česká televize, italics=no ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting seven channels. Established after the Velvet Revolution in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslov ...
, 2010, 13 min. (in Czech)
* Vélová, L.
Entry on Vocel Archeologie na dosah,
National Museum
A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...
. (in Czech)
* Vocel, J. E.
''Grundzüge der böhmischen Alterthumskunde''(Prague: Kronberger und Řiwnač, 1845). (in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vocel, Jan Erazim
1803 births
People from Kutná Hora
University of Vienna alumni
Charles University alumni
Czech archaeologists
Museologists
Prehistorians
Czech art historians
19th-century Czech historians
19th-century Czech poets
Czech male poets
1871 deaths
Burials at Olšany Cemetery