Carl Humann (first name also ''Karl''; 4 January 1839 – 12 April 1896) was a German engineer, architect and archaeologist. He discovered the

Pergamon Altar The Pergamon Altar () was a monumental construction built during the reign of the Ancient Greek King Eumenes II in the first half of the 2nd century BC on one of the terraces of the acropolis of Pergamon in Asia Minor. The structure was 35.64 ...

Biography

Early Years

Humann was born in Steele, part of today's Essen - Germany. An educated railroad engineer and aspiring architecture student, he worked initially on the construction of the Bergisch-Märkische Railway in North Rhine-Westphalia—position he got through help from his older brother Franz, who had been working there—and later attended the Building-Academy in Berlin. Due to him falling ill to tuberculosis, he looked for warmer climates and moved to the then Ottoman Empire and settled down in Istanbul. He participated in excavations on the island of

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greece, Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a se ...

—joining his brother Franz, who had been working on the Heraion sanctuary—, building palaces and travelling in 1864 through Palestine, under order of the Ottoman Empire, drawing up accurate maps of the area. His work as a surveyor for the railway and road construction departments helped him gain a personal familiarity with classical-era ruins, as well as develop an extensive network of contacts and acquaintances. He never studied archaeology or took an advanced degree of any kind, exemplifying the nineteenth-century self-made archaeologist, akin to

Heinrich Schliemann Johann Ludwig Heinrich Julius Schliemann (; 6 January 1822 – 26 December 1890) was a German businessman and pioneer in the field of archaeology. He was an advocate of the historicity of places mentioned in the works of Homer and an archaeolog ...

and

Wilhelm Dörpfeld Wilhelm Dörpfeld (26 December 1853 – 25 April 1940) was a German architect and archaeologist, a pioneer of stratigraphic excavation and precise graphical documentation of archaeological projects. He is famous for his work on Bronze Age site ...

. He was representative of a generation of rough and ready pioneers, who had developed an antipathy for philologists and got easily aggravated by their slow and careful approach to excavations (Schuchhardt, 1931). On the other hand, Humann established extensive connections throughout the whole of the Ottoman Empire, with local officials as well as workmen, which earned him the nickname “''Viceroy of Asia Minor''” and the very important esteem of the director of the Turkish Museums,

Osman Hamdi Bey Osman Hamdi Bey (30 December 1842, in Istanbul 24 February 1910) was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman administrator, intellectual, art expert and also a prominent and pioneering painter. He was also an accomplished archaeologist, and is regarded as th ...

(Schulte, 1974).

Pergamon

From 1867 until 1873 he supervised the construction of roads in Anatolia. As part of his preparation, he visited in the winter of 1864/65 the site of the antique Pergamon. In this historical site, he used his influence to stop the destruction of the partly unearthed marble ruins. Although he already showed a high interest in starting excavations in this area, he still needed the official support from Berlin. Finally, in 1878, he received the backing from the director of the Berlin Sculpture Museum and financial support from

Alexander Conze Alexander Christian Leopold Conze (10 December 1831 – 19 July 1914) was a German archaeologist, who specialized in ancient Greek art. He was a native of Hanover, and studied at the universities of Göttingen and Berlin. In 1855 he obtained his ...

, as well as the official permits from the Ottoman government, to start excavations in September of the same year. During this initial work, large parts of the artistically extremely valuable frieze of the altar and numerous sculptures were found. Following this success, a second and third excavation missions were carried out, from 1880-1881 and 1883-1886 (assisted by

) respectively. The findings, which by agreement with the Ottoman government became property of the German archaeologists, were transported in carriages to the coast and then loaded onto German Navy ships and taken to Berlin. Back in the German Empire, the finding of the great altar, recognised to be one of the finest examples of Hellenistic sculpture, garnered significant attention and made Humann instantly famous. Against the nationalistic backdrop of the time the findings awoke a strong feeling of pride, especially as something to boast against the

Parthenon The Parthenon (; grc, Παρθενών, , ; ell, Παρθενώνας, , ) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena during the fifth century BC. Its decorative sculptures are considere ...

frieze in London's

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

Later Expeditions

On behalf of the Berlin Academy of Sciences, Humann later made recordings of the ancient archaeological sites of Angora, in both the upper

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers''). Originating in Turkey, the Eup ...

as well as northern Syria. In 1882 he carried out excavations for the German Oriental Society in Sam'al (modern Zincirli). Later, in 1884 he became department director of the Royal Museum in Berlin responsible for all Prussian archaeological expeditions in the Near East, but he retained his residence in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

(modern İzmir), in order to protect the interests of the royal museums in area. He continued to work and expanded his research during his time in Smyrna, and became a world-renowned host of foreign guests to the area. He worked in June and July 1887 on the site of Hierapolis. In 1888 he directed further excavations in Sam'al and a trial-excavation in Tralles (modern Aydın). Between 1891 and 1893 he conducted the excavations that lead to the discovery of the

Magnesia on the Maeander Magnesia or Magnesia on the Maeander ( grc, Μαγνησία ἡ πρὸς Μαιάνδρῳ or ; la, Magnesia ad Maeandrum) was an ancient Greek city in Ionia, considerable in size, at an important location commercially and strategically in th ...

, as well as the later expeditions of

Priene Priene ( grc, Πριήνη, Priēnē; tr, Prien) was an ancient Greek city of Ionia (and member of the Ionian League) located at the base of an escarpment of Mycale, about north of what was then the course of the Maeander River (now called th ...

(1895), and with Otto Benndorf of Ephesus (1895).

Personal life and death

Carl Humann married Louise Werner in 1874 and together they had two children. Maria Humann (1875-1971), who married the archaeologist

Friedrich Sarre Friedrich Paul Theodor Sarre (22 June 1865, in Berlin – 31 May 1945, in Neubabelsberg) was a German Orientalist, archaeologist and art historian who amassed a collection of Islamic art. In 1895-96, inspired by Carl Humann Carl Humann (first na ...

in 1901, and Hans Humann (1878-1933), who became an officer of the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Kaise ...

naval attaché A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

, diplomat as well as businessman. Carl Humann died on 12 April 1896 in Smyrna (today

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

), in Turkey, and was buried in the Catholic cemetery in İzmir. His remains were reinterred at Pergamon in 1967, just south of the altar. A bust of Carl Humann was created by Adolf Brütt in 1901, to coincide with the completion of the

Siegesallee The Siegesallee (, ''Victory Avenue'') was a broad boulevard in Berlin, Germany. In 1895, Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered and financed the expansion of an existing avenue, to be adorned with a variety of marble statues. Work was completed in 1901. A ...

and the opening of the

Pergamon Museum The Pergamon Museum (; ) is a listed building on the Museum Island in the historic centre of Berlin. It was built from 1910 to 1930 by order of German Emperor Wilhelm II according to plans by Alfred Messel and Ludwig Hoffmann in Stripped Clas ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. A replica of this bust can be found in the Kaiser-Otto-Platz in Steele, while the Carl-Humann-Gymnasium in Essen and the Carl-Humann-School in Berlin were named after the archaeologist. Despite all the praise that Humann received during his lifetime and posthumously, the Institute for Archaeological Correspondence never made him a ‘Fellow’ but accepted his membership merely as ‘Architect’ (Marchard, 2003).

Bibliography

* Carl Humann,

Richard Bohn Karl Theodor Richard Bohn (29 December 1849 – 22 August 1898 in Görlitz) was a German archaeological architect born in Berlin. Beginning in 1868, he studied architecture in Berlin, and in 1877 participated in the archaeological dig at Olym ...

& Max Fränkel (1888). ''Die Ergebnisse der Ausgrabungen zu Pergamon''. Berlin: Grote’sche. * Carl Humann,

Conrad Cichorius Conrad Cichorius (25 May 1863 in Leipzig – 20 January 1932 in Bonn) was a German historian and classical philologist. He is known for publishing a complete survey of the reliefs of Trajan's Column, which still forms the basis of modern scholars ...

Walther Judeich Walther Judeich (5 October 1859, Dresden – 24 February 1942, Jena) was a German ancient historian. His grandfather on his mother's side was publisher Heinrich Brockhaus (1804–1874)."Statement based on translated text of an equivalent article at ...

Franz Winter Franz Winter (4 February 1861 in Braunschweig – 11 February 1930 in Bonn) was a German archaeologist. He specialized in ancient Greek and Roman art, being particularly known for his analyses of individual statues, such as the Apollo Belvedere. ...

(1898). ''Altertümer von Hierapolis''. Berlin: Reimer. * Carl Humann &

Otto Puchstein Otto Puchstein (6 July 1856, Labes – 9 March 1911, Berlin) was a German classical archaeologist. From 1875 to 1879 he studied philology, classical archaeology and Egyptology at the University of Strasbourg, where his instructors include ...

(1890). ''Reisen in Kleinasien und Nordsyrien''. Berlin: Reimer. * Carl Humann, Julius Kohte &

Carl Watzinger Carl Watzinger (9 June 1877 in Darmstadt – 8 December 1948 in Tübingen) was a German archaeologist, who with Ernst Sellin, worked on uncovering the site of the ancient city of Jericho (1907–09), and earlier, with Heinrich Kohl (1877–1914), c ...

(1904). ''Magnesia am Mäander''. Berlin: Reimer. * Carl Humann (1954). ''Der Pergamnon Altar: Entdeckt, beschrieben und gezeichnet''. Dortmund: Ardey Verlag. *

Carl Schuchhardt Carl Schuchhardt (August 6, 1859 – December 7, 1943) was a German archaeologist and museum director. For many years, he was the director of the pre-historic department of the Ethnological Museum of Berlin. He was involved in numerous excavations ...

Theodor Wiegand Theodor Wiegand (October 30, 1864 – December 19, 1936) was one of the more famous German archaeologists. Wiegand was born in Bendorf, Rhenish Prussia. He studied at the universities of Munich, Berlin, and Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau ...

, (1931). ''Der Entdecker von Pergamon''. Berlin. * Schulte, Edward (1974). ''Neu Deutsche Biographie'' 10, Vol. 33. * Marchard, S. L. (2003). ''Down from Olympus: Archaeology and Philhellenism in Germany'', 1750–1970. Princeton: University Press.

External links

Biography on the web-page of the Carl-Humann-Gymnasium in Essen, Germany (in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Humann, Carl 1839 births 1896 deaths Engineers from Essen Archaeologists from North Rhine-Westphalia People of the Antikensammlung Berlin Directors of museums in Germany Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences 19th-century German architects German expatriates in the Ottoman Empire