Friedrich Wilhelm King

Friedrich Wilhelm König (born June 7, 1897 in Adlerkosteletz , today: Kostelec nad Orlicí, † February 5, 1972 in Vienna ) was an Austrian ancient orientalist .

Life

As the son of a railroad adjunct , Friedrich Wilhelm König voluntarily went to World War I after graduating in 1915 . He was badly wounded in fighting at the front, and lost his left leg and one eye. He was retired with the rank of lieutenant in 1917. In the winter semester of 1916/1917 he studied at the University of Vienna a . a. oriental languages, anthropology, and ethnology. He focused on the Elamite culture. He received his doctorate in 1921 and was active in the disability compensation commission from 1920, i.e. before graduation. From 1923 he was the state librarian at the National Library , where he published various scientific papers on the Elam, so that in 1931 he received his habilitation at the University of Vienna. In December 1937, the faculty applied for the title of professor, which was not completed due to the Nazi seizure of power . Rather, King had to leave the library and university, as he was considered a " 1st degree Jewish half-breed ". At the intercession of the dean and as a holder of the Silver Medal for Bravery, 1st class , he was retired.

Immediately after the end of the Second World War , König returned to the National Library. In 1948 he became an honorary professor at the University of Vienna, where he had resumed his lectures in 1945. In 1951 he retired for health reasons as a result of his war injuries. Productive years followed, during which he brought his most important publications to print: The two-volume handbook of Chaldic inscriptions, The Elamite royal inscriptions and the first scientific edition of the Persika of Ktesias of Knidos , which appeared posthumously.

The scientific estate of König has been in the manuscript collection of the Austrian National Library since 1975. A directory can be viewed in the Institute for Oriental Studies at the University of Vienna.

Publications (selection)

The castle building at Susa according to the building report of King Dareios I (= messages of the Near Eastern -Egyptian society. Volume 35, Issue 1). JC Hinrichs, Leipzig 1930.

The oldest history of the Medes and Persians (= Der Alte Orient. Volume 33, Issue 3/4). JC Hinrichs, Leipzig 1934 ( digitized ).

Handbook of Chaldic Inscriptions (= Archive for Orient Research . Supplement 8, Part 1 and 2). Archive for Orient Research, Graz 1955.

The Elamite royal inscriptions (= Archive for Orient Research. Supplement 16). Archive for Orient Research, Graz 1965.

The Persika of Ktesias of Knidos (= Archive for Orient Research. Supplement 18). Archive for Orient Research, Graz 1972.

literature

Ernst Weidner : Friedrich Wilhelm King. (June 7, 1897 to February 5, 1972). In: Archive for Orient Research . Volume 24, 1973, p. 246.
Ernst Weidner: Friedrich Wilhelm King. In: Almanac of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Volume 122, 1972 (1973), pp. 352–355.

Web links

Andreas Huber: Friedrich Wilhelm König. In: gedenkbuch.univie.ac.at . Memorial book for the victims of National Socialism at the University of Vienna in 1938.

Individual evidence

^ So Ernst Weidner : Friedrich Wilhelm König. (June 7, 1897 to February 5, 1972). In: Archive for Orient Research . Volume 24, 1973, p. 246; the same: Friedrich Wilhelm König. In: Almanac of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Year 122, 1972 (1973), p. 352, on the other hand, Andreas Huber gives January 7th as the date of birth: Friedrich Wilhelm König. In: Memorial book for the victims of National Socialism at the University of Vienna in 1938 . University of Vienna , 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
^ Andreas Huber: Friedrich Wilhelm King. In: gedenkbuch.univie.ac.at . Memorial book for the victims of National Socialism at the University of Vienna 1938, March 4, 2019, accessed on March 17, 2020.
↑ Erika Bleibtreu: Ancient Near Eastern Antiquities in Museums and Private Collections. In: Archive for Orient Research. Volume 25, 1974 (1977), p. 220 ( JSTOR ; accessed: March 16, 2019).

personal data
SURNAME	King, Friedrich Wilhelm
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	King, Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Austrian ancient orientalist
DATE OF BIRTH	January 7, 1897 or June 7, 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH	Kostelec nad Orlicí
DATE OF DEATH	5th February 1972
Place of death	Vienna

[1] So Ernst Weidner : Friedrich Wilhelm König. (June 7, 1897 to February 5, 1972). In: Archive for Orient Research . Volume 24, 1973, p. 246; the same: Friedrich Wilhelm König. In: Almanac of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Year 122, 1972 (1973), p. 352, on the other hand, Andreas Huber gives January 7th as the date of birth: Friedrich Wilhelm König. In: Memorial book for the victims of National Socialism at the University of Vienna in 1938 . University of Vienna , 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2020.

[Huber-2] Andreas Huber: Friedrich Wilhelm King. In: gedenkbuch.univie.ac.at . Memorial book for the victims of National Socialism at the University of Vienna 1938, March 4, 2019, accessed on March 17, 2020.

[3] Erika Bleibtreu: Ancient Near Eastern Antiquities in Museums and Private Collections. In: Archive for Orient Research. Volume 25, 1974 (1977), p. 220 ( JSTOR ; accessed: March 16, 2019).