Siegfried Herbert Horn (March 17, 1908 – November 28, 1993) was a
Seventh-day Adventist
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...
archaeologist and
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
scholar. He is best known for his excavations at
Heshbon
Heshbon (also Hesebon, Esebon, Esbous, Esebus; ar, حشبون, links=no, la, Esebus, links=no, he, חשבון, links=no, grc, Ἐσεβών, Ἐσσεβών, Ἐσβούτα, Ἐσβούς, Ἔσβους, Ἔξβους, links=no) were at leas ...
in
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
and
Shechem
Shechem ( ), also spelled Sichem ( ; he, שְׁכֶם, ''Šəḵem''; ; grc, Συχέμ, Sykhém; Samaritan Hebrew: , ), was a Canaanite and Israelite city mentioned in the Amarna Letters, later appearing in the Hebrew Bible as the first c ...
in the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
. He was Professor of History of Antiquity at the
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary
The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (SDATS) is the seminary located at Andrews University in Michigan, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's flagship university. Since 1970 the SDATS has been accredited by the Association of Theological Sc ...
in
Berrien Springs
Berrien Springs is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,800 at the time of the 2010 census. The village is located within Oronoko Charter Township.
History
Berrien Springs, like Berrien County, is na ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
(now part of
Andrews University
Andrews University is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists and is the flagship universi ...
). The Siegfried H. Horn Museum at Andrews University was named in his honor. An educator of wide-ranging interests and abilities, his areas of specialty were
Ancient Near East
The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran ( Elam, ...
ern chronology and
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...
.
Biography
Horn was born March 17, 1908, to Albin and Klara Horn in
Wurzen
Wurzen () is a town in the Leipzig district, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Mulde, here crossed by two bridges, 25 km east of Leipzig, by rail N.E. of Leipzig on the main line via Riesa to Dresden. It has a cathedral datin ...
,
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. His father was one of the world's earliest aviators, trained as a pilot by
Louis Blériot. Horn served as a minister and as a missionary from 1930 to 1940, first in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and then in the
Dutch East Indies. Because he was German, Horn spent six and a half years as a prisoner of war during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, from 1940 to 1946, first as a prisoner of the Dutch in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and then imprisoned by the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Granted access to books, Horn made use of this time to develop his skills in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
and to teach his fellow inmates. Upon gaining his freedom at the end of World War II, Horn immigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and completed his education. He earned a B.A. at Walla Walla College (now a
University
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
) in Washington State (1947), an M.A. at the
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary
The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (SDATS) is the seminary located at Andrews University in Michigan, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's flagship university. Since 1970 the SDATS has been accredited by the Association of Theological Sc ...
in Washington, D.C. (1948), and a Ph.D. in
Egyptology
Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , ''-logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious p ...
at the
Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (1951). He studied briefly under
William F. Albright
William Foxwell Albright (May 24, 1891– September 19, 1971) was an American archaeologist, biblical scholar, philologist, and expert on ceramics. He is considered "one of the twentieth century's most influential American biblical scholars."
...
at
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
.
Horn taught at the Adventist Theological Seminary from 1951 to 1976. He started a
archaeological museum(later named for him), was the founding editor of the journal ''
Andrews University Seminary Studies
''Andrews University Seminary Studies'' is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. It was established in 1963 and publishes research articles and brief notes ...
'', and started up the Seminary's doctoral programs. Horn also initiated and directed the
Heshbon expedition, an archaeological dig at Tell Hesban thought to be the location of Biblical
Heshbon
Heshbon (also Hesebon, Esebon, Esbous, Esebus; ar, حشبون, links=no, la, Esebus, links=no, he, חשבון, links=no, grc, Ἐσεβών, Ἐσσεβών, Ἐσβούτα, Ἐσβούς, Ἔσβους, Ἔξβους, links=no) were at leas ...
. The dig at Hesban eventually developed into the
Madaba Plains Project
The Madaba Plains Project, or MPP, was founded by veterans of the Heshbon Expedition to continue archaeological survey and excavations research in the hills and plains between Amman and Madaba. MPP is notable for its longevity and influence on ...
, with excavations a
Hesban Umayri, an
Jalul Horn also dug at
Tell Balatah, biblical
Shechem
Shechem ( ), also spelled Sichem ( ; he, שְׁכֶם, ''Šəḵem''; ; grc, Συχέμ, Sykhém; Samaritan Hebrew: , ), was a Canaanite and Israelite city mentioned in the Amarna Letters, later appearing in the Hebrew Bible as the first c ...
, in the early 1960s. Horn died of
lymphoma
Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enla ...
on November 28, 1993, in
St. Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constit ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, at the age of 85.
See also
References
* Joyce Rochat, ''Survivor'' (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1986), a biography of Horn's early life
* I. J. Gelb, "Two Assyrian King Lists" ''
Journal of Near Eastern Studies
The ''Journal of Near Eastern Studies'' is an academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press, covering research on the ancient and medieval civilisations of the Near East, including their archaeology, art, history, literature, lin ...
'', 13:4 (1954), p. 209–230.
* Lawrence T. Geraty, "A Tribute to Siegfried H. Horn, March 17, 1908 – November 28, 1993: In Memoriam" ''
Biblical Archaeologist
''Near Eastern Archaeology'' is an American journal covering art, archaeology, history, anthropology, literature, philology, and epigraphy of the Near Eastern and Mediterranean worlds from the Palaeolithic through Ottoman periods. The journal is ...
'', 57:1 (1994), pp. 58–59.
* Siegfried H. Horn,
A Revolution in the Early Chronology of Western Asia" ''
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
'' 30:6 (1957), p. 4–8.
* Siegfried H. Horn, ''Promise Deferred'' (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1987), an autobiography.
* ''The Archaeology of Jordan and Other Studies'' ed. Lawrence T. Geraty and Larry Herr (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrew University Press, 1986), a ''
Festschrift
In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
'' (honorary book dedicated to him)
External links
Siegfried H. Horn MuseumArticles by Hornas catalogued in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index (SDAPI)
Madaba Plains Project*
Hesban ExcavationsRecent Discoveries Confirm the Bible, 1952 Bible Conference, Sept. 2 presentation mp3 format
Siegfried Horn: Dialogue With an Adventist ArchaeologistCollege and University Dialogue Retrieved September 28, 2018
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horn, Siegfried
1908 births
1993 deaths
People from Wurzen
American biblical scholars
Seventh-day Adventist theologians
German Seventh-day Adventists
Andrews University faculty
Walla Walla University alumni
People from St. Helena, California
Seventh-day Adventist biblical scholars
20th-century American archaeologists
Historians from California