Wilhelm Adolf Becker (179630 September 1846) was a German classical scholar.

Biography

Becker was born in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

, the son of German art historian, numismatist and author

Wilhelm Gottlieb Becker Wilhelm Gottlieb Becker (4 November 1753, in Callenberg, Oberkallenberg in Saxony – 3 June 1813, in Dresden) was a German art historian, numismatist, and author. Biography He received an early education in Gera, then studied law at University of ...

. At first destined for a commercial life, he was in 1812 sent to the celebrated school at

Pforta Pforta, or Schulpforta, is a school located in Pforta monastery, a former Cistercian monastery (1137–1540), near Naumburg on the Saale River in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The site has been a school since the 16th century. Notable p ...

. In 1816 he entered the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

, where he studied under Beck and Hermann. After holding subordinate posts at

Zerbst Zerbst () is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district. Geography Zerbst is situated in the Anhalt-Wittenberg regi ...

and Meissen, he was in 1842 appointed professor of archaeology at Leipzig. He died at Meissen on 30 September 1846.

Works

The works by which Becker is most widely known are the ''Gallus, oder, römische Scenen aus der Zeit Augusts: zur genaueren Kenntniss des römischen Privatlebens'' (1838, new ed. by

Hermann Göll Hermann or Herrmann may refer to: * Hermann (name), list of people with this name * Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language * Éditions Hermann, French publisher * Hermann, Miss ...

, 1880–1882), and the ''Charicles: Bilder altgriechischer Sitte, zur genaueren Kenntniss des griechischen Privatlebens'' (1840, new ed. by Göll, 1877–1878). These two books were translated into English by

Frederick Metcalfe Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederic ...

. They contain a description of the everyday life of the

ancient Greeks Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

and

Romans 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 lette ...

, in the form of a romance, with notes and appendices. A major work is ''Handbuch der römischen Alterthümer'' (1843–1868), completed after Becker's death by

Marquardt Marquardt is a surname of German origin. Notable people with the surname include: * August F. Marquardt (1850–1925), American politician *Bridget Marquardt (born 1973), American television personality, glamour model, and actress * Christel Marquar ...

and Mommsen. Becker's other treatises include ''De Comicis Romanorum Fabulis'', a treatise on Roman dramatic poetry (1837); ''De Romae Veteris Muris atque Portis'' (1842); ''Die römische Topographie in Röm'' (1844); and ''Zur römischen Topographie'' (1845).

Biography

Works

References

Sources

Further reading