![Wilhelm Kroll](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Wilhelm_Kroll.jpg)
Wilhelm Kroll (October 7, 1869 – April 21, 1939) was a German classicist who was full professor at the universities of Greifswald (1899–1906), Münster (1906–1913) and Breslau (1913–1935).
Education and Career
Kroll was born in the town of
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
in the
Prussian
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia (german: Provinz Schlesien; pl, Prowincja Śląska; szl, Prowincyjŏ Ślōnskŏ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1740 and established as an official p ...
and brought up in
Breslau, the capital city. From 1887 to 1891 he studied Classics, Archeology, History and
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
at the universities of
Breslau and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. After obtaining his Ph. D. in 1891, Kroll went to Italy for the first of many times to study Greek manuscripts in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
and
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
and continued his studies at the
University of Bonn
The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...
in the summer term of 1892.
Before the end of the term he was awarded a four-year scholarship by the
Prussian Academy of Sciences
The Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences (german: Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften) was an academy established in Berlin, Germany on 11 July 1700, four years after the Prussian Academy of Arts, or "Arts Academy," to which "Berlin ...
that gave him the means to further his academic career. Kroll returned to Italy where he continued and expanded his research from September 1893 until April 1894. Having obtained his
habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...
at Breslau university in 1894, he continued to teach and publish as
Privatdozent
''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualific ...
. After five years he was appointed full professor of Classics at the
University of Greifswald
The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pom ...
where he started teaching in April 1899. A year later he married Katharina Wegener, the daughter of a schoolmaster.
In March 1906, Kroll moved to the
University of Münster
The University of Münster (german: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
With more than 43,000 students and over ...
, a newly adorned university with a significant number of students. In Münster, Kroll strove to enhance the quality of studying for his students. His efforts to cooperate with his colleagues led to the foundation of the ''Institut für Altertumskunde'' (institute for antiquity studies) which included the departments of classics, ancient history and linguistics (archaeology followed in 1914). Nevertheless, Kroll persistently tried to secure a better position for himself and in 1913 succeeded to obtain a full professorship at his
alma mater in Breslau.
Apart from his teaching and publications, Kroll was an important agent for international collaboration in the classics. As an editor of important journals (''Bursian’s Jahresbericht über die Fortschritte der klassischen Altertumswissenschaft'', 1898–1912; ''Glotta'', 1913–1936) and the ''
Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft'' (1906–1939, as successor to
Georg Wissowa
Georg Otto August Wissowa (17 June 1859 – 11 May 1931) was a German classical philologist born in Neudorf, near Breslau.
Education and career
Wissowa studied classical philology under August Reifferscheid at the University of Breslau ...
) he collaborated with hundreds of scholars from all over Europe and the United States. He was one of the first German scholars to be invited to lecture in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and was awarded a visiting professorship at the
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1930/31.
His last years were overcast by the rise of
Nazism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
in Germany. In 1934 he resigned as president of the
Silesian Society for Patriotic Culture Silesian as an adjective can mean anything from or related to Silesia. As a noun, it refers to an article, item, or person of or from Silesia.
Silesian may also refer to:
People and languages
*Silesians, inhabitants of Silesia, either a West Sla ...
, a learned association that he had headed since 1927. In 1935, under new legislation, Kroll was retired earlier than usual. As his successor he opted for his long-time colleague
Hans Drexler who had been an active supporter of the Nazi party. Drexler would later write Kroll's obituary in the ''Gnomon'', apologising for his predecessor's alleged ″lack of a positive world view″.
While not being a victim of the
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws (german: link=no, Nürnberger Gesetze, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of th ...
himself, Kroll witnessed the removal of his colleagues from office and the persecution of his former pupils, some of whom he aided in finding work abroad. He also continued to collaborate with Jewish scholars in editing the ''Realencyclopädie''. For this Kroll was assaulted in the Nazi newspaper ''
Der Stürmer
''Der Stürmer'' (, literally "The Stormer / Attacker / Striker") was a weekly German tabloid-format newspaper published from 1923 to the end of the Second World War by Julius Streicher, the ''Gauleiter'' of Franconia, with brief suspensions ...
'', after he had already relocated to Berlin with his wife early in 1937.
Meanwhile, academic institutions continued to appreciate and honor Kroll's achievement. He was elected ordinary member of the
German Archeological Institute
The German Archaeological Institute (german: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office of Germany ...
in 1934, corresponding member of the
Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1935 and fellow of the
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...
in 1937. He was also awarded honorary degrees by the universities of
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
(1935) and
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
(1938).
After an operation, Kroll died to an
embolism
An embolism is the lodging of an embolus, a blockage-causing piece of material, inside a blood vessel. The embolus may be a blood clot (thrombus), a fat globule ( fat embolism), a bubble of air or other gas (gas embolism), amniotic fluid (amniot ...
on April 21, 1939. He was survived by his wife, a daughter and three sons, one of whom had emigrated to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in 1936 and later became a renowned physicist at the
University of Taipei
University of Taipei (UT; ) is an institution of higher education in Taipei, Taiwan. It has two campuses in Taipei metropolitan area and is the only university under the administration of Taipei City Government.
Established by the merger of Ta ...
.
Literary works
* An editor of the "''
Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft''" (since 1906; after
August Pauly
August Friedrich von Pauly (; ; 9 May 1796, in Benningen am Neckar – 2 May 1845, in Stuttgart) was a German educator and classical philologist.
From 1813 to 1818 he studied at the University of Tübingen, then furthered his education at Heidelb ...
,
Georg Wissowa
Georg Otto August Wissowa (17 June 1859 – 11 May 1931) was a German classical philologist born in Neudorf, near Breslau.
Education and career
Wissowa studied classical philology under August Reifferscheid at the University of Breslau ...
)
* ''Geschichte der klassischen Philologie''. 1908;
2. verb. Aufl. Vereining. wissenschaftl. Verl., Berlin und Leipzig 1919 (Sammlung Göschen, 367)
* ''C. Valerius Catullus''. 1922;
7. Aufl.
Teubner
The Bibliotheca Teubneriana, or ''Bibliotheca Scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana'', also known as Teubner editions of Greek and Latin texts, comprise one of the most thorough modern collection published of ancient (and some medieval) ...
, Stuttgart 1989,
* ''Die wissenschaftliche Syntax im lateinischen Unterricht''. Weidmann, 1925
* ''Studien zum Verständnis der römischen Literatur''.
Metzler
Metzler is a surname. It may refer to:
* Alex Metzler (1903–1973), American baseball player
*Brenton Metzler, American producer
*Chris Metzler, American filmmaker
* George Metzler (1912–1949), American racecar driver
* Jan Metzler (bor ...
, Stuttgart 1924
Nachdruck
Garland
A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance.
Etymology
From the ...
, New York und London 1978,
* ''Die Kultur der ciceronischen Zeit''. 2 Teile.
Dieterich Dieterich () is both a surname and a masculine German given name, a variant of Dietrich, itself the High German form of Theodoric. Notable people with the name include:
Surname:
* Albrecht Dieterich (1866–1908), German classical philologist and ...
, Leipzig 1933
Nachdruck
Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft
The Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft (WBG) is a German publishing house in Darmstadt. With about 140,000 subscribers (as of 1999) it is one of the largest book clubs in Germany.
German scientists founded the WBG in 1949 as a voluntary associati ...
, Darmstadt 1975,
* ''
Rhetorik'', 1937
Critical editions
* ''Vettii Valentis Anthologiarum Libri'', Guilelmus Kroll, Weidman, Berlin, 1908.
* ''Matheseos Libri VIII'', 2 vols., ed. W. Kroll, F. Skutsch and K. Ziegler, Teubner, Stuttgart, 1897–1913.
* ''Historia Alexandri Magni'', ed. W. Kroll, vol. 1. Weidmann, Berlin, 1926.
See also
*
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 estab ...
*
August Pauly
August Friedrich von Pauly (; ; 9 May 1796, in Benningen am Neckar – 2 May 1845, in Stuttgart) was a German educator and classical philologist.
From 1813 to 1818 he studied at the University of Tübingen, then furthered his education at Heidelb ...
*
Wilhelm Siegmund Teuffel
Wilhelm Siegmund Teuffel (; September 27, 1820March 8, 1878), German classical scholar, was born at Ludwigsburg in the Kingdom of Württemberg. In 1849 he was appointed extraordinary, in 1857 ordinary professor in the university of Tübingen, whic ...
*
Vettius Valens
Vettius Valens (120 – c. 175) was a 2nd-century Hellenistic astrologer, a somewhat younger contemporary of Claudius Ptolemy.
Valens' major work is the ''Anthology'' ( la, Anthologia), ten volumes in Greek written roughly within the period 150 t ...
*
Georg Wissowa
Georg Otto August Wissowa (17 June 1859 – 11 May 1931) was a German classical philologist born in Neudorf, near Breslau.
Education and career
Wissowa studied classical philology under August Reifferscheid at the University of Breslau ...
Notes
References
*
Udo W. Scholz: ''Die Breslauer klassische Philologie und die Realenzyklopädie der klassischen Altertumswissenschaft''. In: ''Jahrbuch der Schlesischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Breslau'', Bd. 62–64 (2001–2003), S. 311–326, esp. S. 320–322.
* Peter Wirth: ''Kroll, Wilhelm''. In: ''Neue deutsche Biographie''. Vol. 13 (1982), p. 73.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kroll Wilhelm
German philologists
1869 births
1939 deaths
University of Münster faculty
People from Ząbkowice Śląskie
People from the Province of Lower Silesia
Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy