Johannes Overbeck

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Johannes Overbeck

Johannes Adolph Overbeck (born March 27, 1826 in Antwerp , † November 8, 1895 in Leipzig ) was a German classical archaeologist .

Family background

Overbeck's grandfather was the Lübeck mayor and poet Christian Adolph Overbeck (1755-1821). Overbeck was married to Caroline Louise Augusta Goldfuss, daughter of the professor of zoology Georg August Goldfuß (1782-1848). His daughter Cäcilie Lotte Eleonore Overbeck married the anthropologist and ethnologist Emil Ludwig Schmidt (1837–1906). Overbeck's uncle was the painter Friedrich Overbeck (1789–1869).

Career

Plan of the baths in Pompeii by Overbeck
Tombstone Johannes Overbeck (2011)

In 1845 Overbeck began his studies at the University of Bonn , which he completed in 1848 with a doctorate to Dr. phil. completed. In 1850 his habilitation took place in Bonn. During his studies he became a member of the Fridericia Bonn fraternity in 1845 and co-founder of the Frankonia fraternity in Bonn in the winter semester 1845/46 . From 1853 Overbeck was an associate professor (from 1859 as a full professor) of archeology and head of the archaeological collection at the University of Leipzig . His aim was to “produce as complete a sequence as possible of art-historically characteristic, but especially datable monuments” in casts. Within a few decades he built up a representative cast museum, which by the end of the century had grown to around eight hundred and fifty inventory numbers, and which enjoyed recognition beyond national borders. Overbeck is the main representative of the art mythological school of archeology. His successor was Franz Studniczka in Leipzig in 1896 .

Overbeck was able to write one of his main works on Pompeii without having been there before or during the drafting. Overbeck, however, evaluated the archaeological literature to the extent that his work on Pompeii is still of interest. He himself had apparently been there after the publication of a later edition - probably more in the interest of checking the information he had given. This particularly applies to questions of topography .

As a representative of Leipzig University, he was a member of the first chamber of the Saxon state parliament in 1877/78 . Overbeck was a member of the Royal Saxon Society for Science in Leipzig. He was also a pioneer of university sports in Leipzig.

Fonts (selection)

  • Pompeii. Engelmann, Leipzig 1856 ( online at Arachne, archive.org ). 4th edition (together with August Mau ). 1884 ( archive.org ).
  • History of Greek sculpture. 2 volumes, Leipzig 1857–58 (Volume 1: archive.org . Volume 2: archive.org ).
  • The archaeological collection of the University of Leipzig. Leipzig 1859 ( archive.org ).
  • The ancient written sources on the history of the fine arts among the Greeks. Leipzig 1868 ( archive.org ).
  • Greek art mythology. 3 volumes, Leipzig 1871–1889.
  • Atlas. Leipzig 1872–1887

literature

See also

Web links

Commons : Johannes Overbeck  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Johannes Overbeck  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Franz Richarz: List of members of the Fridericia fraternity in Bonn (February 18, 1843 to autumn 1847) as well as the Arminia fraternity in Bonn (1847 to 1849) and the fraternity association Germania in Bonn (1843 to 1849). Bonn 1894, p. 14.
  2. ^ Directory of the old gentlemen of the Bonn fraternity "Frankonia". from September 1, 1901, p. 1.
  3. ↑ Josef Matzerath : Aspects of Saxon State Parliament History - Presidents and Members of Parliament from 1833 to 1952 , Saxon State Parliament 2001, p. 47.


personal data
SURNAME Overbeck, Johannes
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Overbeck, Johannes Adolph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German classical archaeologist
DATE OF BIRTH March 27, 1826
PLACE OF BIRTH Antwerp
DATE OF DEATH November 8, 1895
Place of death Leipzig