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Knut Kleve (24 February 1926 – 11 February 2017) was a Norwegian classical philologist and a professor at the
University of Bergen The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in ...
and at the
University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top univers ...
. He was particularly known for his efforts on restoration of papyrus fragments from the ancient
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
town
Herculaneum Herculaneum (; Neapolitan and it, Ercolano) was an ancient town, located in the modern-day ''comune'' of Ercolano, Campania, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Like the n ...
.


Early life

Kleve was born in
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
on 24 February 1926, the son of wholesaler Alfred Lauritz Kleve and Miriam Blom Bakke. He was a resistance member during the German occupation of Norway, and was arrested in May 1942 and incarcerated at
Møllergata 19 Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here. This i ...
and at the Grini concentration camp until June 1944.


Career

While incarcerated at Grini, Kleve met co-prisoner and professor of
classical philology Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classi ...
Eiliv Skard, who gave him lessons in the
Latin language Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of ...
. He finished his secondary education in 1945, with examen artium at Kristelig Gymnasium in Oslo. After studies at the
University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top univers ...
he graduated as
cand.mag. Candidatus magisterii (male), or candidata magisterii (female), abbreviated as cand.mag., is an academic degree currently awarded in Denmark. The degree is officially translated into English as Master of Arts and currently requires 5 years of studi ...
in 1955. He started lecturing in classical philology at the University of Oslo from 1957. Subject for his doctorate studies was the understanding of gods in the school of philosophy called
Epicureanism Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded around 307 BC based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. Later its main opponent became Stoicism. Few writings by Ep ...
, including the philosophical work ''
De natura deorum ''De Natura Deorum'' (''On the Nature of the Gods'') is a philosophical dialogue by Roman Academic Skeptic philosopher Cicero written in 45 BC. It is laid out in three books that discuss the theological views of the Hellenistic philosophies of ...
'' by the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
orator
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
. His dr.philos. thesis from 1963 was called '. He was a professor at the
University of Bergen The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in ...
from 1963. He became interested in the Epicurean library from
Herculaneum Herculaneum (; Neapolitan and it, Ercolano) was an ancient town, located in the modern-day ''comune'' of Ercolano, Campania, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Like the n ...
which had been excavated in the mid 18th century. He joined efforts to verify the writing on papyrus fragments. In 1974 Kleve was appointed professor at the University of Oslo. Along with Brynjulf Fosse he developed a new method for restoration of carbonized papyrus fragments. From 1983 he supervised restoration work in
Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's admin ...
. These efforts have resulted in restoration of works by
Lucretius Titus Lucretius Carus ( , ;  – ) was a Ancient Rome, Roman Roman literature, poet and Ancient Roman philosophy, philosopher. His only known work is the philosophical poem ''De rerum natura'', a didactic work about the tenets and philosoph ...
and
Ennius Quintus Ennius (; c. 239 – c. 169 BC) was a writer and poet who lived during the Roman Republic. He is often considered the father of Roman poetry. He was born in the small town of Rudiae, located near modern Lecce, Apulia, (Ancient Calabria, ...
, and relicts of works by ancient comedy writer Caecilius Statius. He was a member of the
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Univ ...
.


Personal life

Kleve was married to Ragnhild Abusdal from 1951 to 1952, to Esther Thylander from 1957 to 1972, to psychologist Kari Aud Ljøstad from 1972, and to professor Liv Jorunn Storstein from 1974 to 1992. Kleve died on 11 February 2017, aged 91.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kleve, Knut 1926 births 2017 deaths Norwegian philologists University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo Academic staff of the University of Bergen Norwegian resistance members Grini concentration camp survivors Members of the Norwegian Academy Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters