Joseph Fuchs (historian)
Joseph Fuchs OSB (* 1732 in Mainz ; † July 19, 1782 in Seligenstadt ) was a German Benedictine and one of the most important early researchers of the Roman history of Mainz . His best-known work is the Old History of Mainz , of which the first two volumes were published in 1771/72.
family
Joseph Fuchs was the son of the electoral artillery captain Franz Sebastian Fuchs. Through his military function, he was involved in the expansion of the fortress of the city of Mainz and came into contact with numerous finds from the Mainz Roman era . Soon he became interested in the city's Roman past and collected and described his finds, especially stone monuments. His son, Joseph Fuchs, soon showed the same historical interest. Nevertheless, Fuchs embarked on a church career and became a monk in the old Benedictine abbey in Seligenstadt am Main .
Appointment as court archaeologist in Mainz
Fuchs continued his historical research about his hometown as Benedictine priest of Seligenstadt from 1769. The reputation he acquired in this field prompted Elector Emmerich Joseph von Breidbach zu Bürresheim to call him to Mainz. Fuchs was to become the author and editor of a historical work on Mainz that he sponsored. Shortly before (1765) the same elector had given all the Roman stone monuments that were in his possession at that time to the Palatinate Elector Karl-Theodor for his Electoral Academy of Sciences in Mannheim . Emmerich Joseph soon seemed to have regretted this act and wanted to build up his own collection of Roman monuments and have it documented. Joseph Fuchs was also still in possession of his father's extensive notes and drawings. This described many of the stone monuments that were now in Mannheim. Emmerich Joseph sponsored excavations and publications by Joseph Fuchs, who thus had access to extensive funds from the electoral court in Mainz.
As part of his work, Joseph Fuchs was the first to clearly recognize the remains of the pillars in the Zahlbach Valley as the remains of a Roman aqueduct . He traced the course of the aqueduct back to its origin, the Finther springs , and discovered remains of the old spring enclosure there. Fuchs also examined the 62 remaining pillar remains, located over 500 pillar foundations and found parts of the original cladding. He also made the first reconstruction drawing of the aqueduct.
Main work Ancient History of Mainz
Fuchs wanted to divide the old history of the city of Mainz, beginning with the Roman foundation and ending with the 7th century, into four volumes. All volumes should appear in Latin. On the advice of the Electoral Minister Friedrich Carl Willibald Freiherr von Groschlag zu Dieburg , Fuchs wrote in German. In 1771 and 1772 the first two volumes of the series appeared under the title Old History of Mainz, from the earliest and oldest times, from the beginning of this capital under the Emperor Augustus to the end of the seventh century, divided into four volumes. edited by Joseph Fuchs. Volume 1 covered the time from Augustus to Nerva and was entitled: From the building of the old Moguntiacum vestibule to the times of Trajan and was published in 1771 in the Churfüsstliche Hof- und Universitätsbuchdruckerey Joh. Häfners seel. Heirs printed in Mainz. Volume 2 covers the period from 98 to 180 AD.
The books were extensively illustrated with copper engravings by the Mainz engravers Wilhelm Christian Rücker and Lindenschmit. Volume 2 was 358 pages long. The works were printed in the electoral court printing house, Hof- und Universitätsbuchdruckerey, by J. Häfner's heirs . The elector took over all the costs. Due to the unexpected death of his sponsor, Elector Emmerich Joseph von Breidbach zu Bürresheim, in 1774 the project came to a standstill. Fuchs' work and works were in perfect harmony with the Elector in the Age of Enlightenment . Emmerich Joseph's successor, Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal , on the other hand, was initially strictly conservative and reversed many of the changes made by his predecessor. The project was stopped and Joseph Fuchs was sent back to the Seligenstadt monastery.
Life and death in Seligenstadt
After his return from Mainz, Fuchs lived again as a Benedictine priest in the Seligenstadt monastery. In the course of internal church disputes due to an archbishop's ordinance of 1771, which also affected his monastery, Fuchs came into the focus of the authorities from 1778. A criminal investigation was launched against him and he was arrested in the monastery. He died there on July 19, 1782.
Father Fox Prize
Since 2009, the Mainz Regional Archeology Directorate has awarded the Rhineland-Palatinate General Directorate for Cultural Heritage the Pater Fuchs Prize annually to honor outstanding achievements in researching and maintaining historic Mainz.
literature
- Stephan Pelgen: Mainz - From the "wretched stone lump" to the monument. From the history of the Mainz Roman ruins . (= Archaeological Site Considerations Volume 3). Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2003, ISBN 3-8053-3283-1 .
- Stephan Pelgen: P. Joseph Fuchs OSB professus Seligenstadiensis (1732-1782). A Mainz scholar and the edition history of his archaeological and monastery political writings. (= Contributions to the history of the city of Mainz, Volume 37). Mainz 2009, ISBN 978-3-924708-28-3 ( table of contents ).
Web links
- Ancient history of Mainz. Volume 2 - full view at Arachne
- Research history - General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate, Directorate Archeology Mainz
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stephan Pelgen: Mainz - From the "wretched stone lump" to the monument. From the history of the Mainz Roman ruins. P. 31.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fuchs, Joseph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German Benedictine priest and court archaeologist in Mainz |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1732 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mainz |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 19, 1782 |
| Place of death | Seligenstadt |