Theodor Bergk (22 May 181220 July 1881) was a German
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...
, an authority on
classical Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
poetry.
Biography
He was born in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
as the son of
Johann Adam Bergk Johann Adam Bergk (1769 – 1834, Leipzig) was a German philosopher and publicist.
Bergk was professor of philosophy and jurisprudence at the University of Leipzig. A Kantian, he defended the French revolution in his ''Untersuchungen aus dem Natur- ...
. After studying at 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 profited by the instruction of
Gottfried Hermann
Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann (28 November 1772 – 31 December 1848) was a German classical scholar and philologist. He published his works under the name Gottfried Hermann or its Latin equivalent .
Biography
He was born in Leipzig. Entering ...
, he was appointed in 1835 to the lectureship in Latin at the orphan school at
Halle. After holding posts at Neustrelitz, Berlin and Cassel, he succeeded (1842)
Karl Friedrich Hermann as professor of classical literature at
Marburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
. In 1852 he went to
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...
, and in 1857 returned to Halle.
In 1868 he resigned his professorship, and settled down to study and literary work in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
. He died on 20 July 1881, at
Ragatz Ragatz, also known as "''Old Baths Pfäfers''" or "''Old Baths of Pfäfersin''" in the 19th century and earlier, was a famous watering-place in the Swiss village of Bad Ragaz, situated on the left bank of the Rhine, and by rail 22 km north of ...
in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, where he had gone for the benefit of his health.
Bergk's literary activity was very great, but his reputation mainly rests upon his work in connection with Greek literature and the Greek lyric poets. His ''Poetae Lyrici Graeci'' (1843), and ''Griechische Litteraturgeschichte'' (1872–1887) (completed by G. Hinrichs and R. Peppmüller with the aid of Bergk's posthumous papers) became standard works.
He also edited
Anacreon
Anacreon (; grc-gre, Ἀνακρέων ὁ Τήϊος; BC) was a Greek lyric poet, notable for his drinking songs and erotic poems. Later Greeks included him in the canonical list of Nine Lyric Poets. Anacreon wrote all of his poetry in the ...
(1834), the fragments of
Aristophanes
Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme
In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states ...
(1840), Aristophanes (3rd ed., 1872),
Sophocles
Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or co ...
(2nd ed., 1868), a lyric anthology (4th ed., 1890). Among his other works may be mentioned: ''Augusti Rerum a se gestarum Index'' (1873); ''Inschriften römischer Schleudergeschosse'' (1876); ''Zur Geschichte und Topographie der Rheinlande in römischer Zeit'' (1882); ''Beiträge zur römischen Chronologie'' (1884).
His ''Kleine philologische Schriften'' were edited by Peppmüller (1884–1886), and contain, in addition to a complete list of his writings, a sketch of his life.
Works
*
Aristophanis fragmenta'. Edidit Th. Bergk, Berolini typis et impensis G. Reimeri, 1840.
*
Poetae Lyrici Graeci'. Edidit Theodorus Bergk, Lipsiae, Sumtu Reichenbachiorum fratrum, 1843.
**
Poetae Lyrici Graeci'. Recensuit Theodorus Bergk. Editio altera auctior et emendatior. Lipsiae, apud Rechenbachios, 1853.
**''Poetae Lyrici Graeci''. Tertiis curis recensuit Theodorus Bergk
Pars 1pars 2pars 3
Lipsiae in aedibus B. G. Teubneri, 1865–67.
**''Poetae Lyrici Graeci''. Recensuit Theodorus Bergk. Editionis quartae
Vol. 2vol. 3
Lipsiae in aedibus B. G. Teubneri, 1878–82.
*''Griechische Literaturgeschichte'' von Theodor Bergk
Vol. 1vol. 2vol. 3vol. 4
Berlin, Weimannsche Buchhanndlung, 1872–87.
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergk, Theodor
1812 births
1881 deaths
German classical scholars
German philologists
Writers from Leipzig
People from the Kingdom of Saxony
Leipzig University alumni
University of Marburg faculty
University of Freiburg faculty
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg faculty
Members of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities