Martin Friedrich Arendt

Martin Friedrich Arendt (born February 22, 1773 in Altona , † April 1823 near Venice ( Italy )) was a German botanist and archaeologist .

Life

Martin Friedrich Arendt was born as the son of the tobacco manufacturer and trader Julius Christoph Arendt (baptized on April 15, 1738 in Altona; died on February 15, 1790 there) and his wife Sophia Louisa Elisabeth, née Lüdeke. His brother Hans Heinrich Wilhelm Arendt (born October 12, 1777 in Altona, † around 1840 in Hamburg ) was a German author and publisher of school and youth books.

Martin Friedrich Arendt visited the Christianeum in Altona and then studied medicine and natural sciences in Copenhagen and Göttingen, among others . In 1794 he undertook his first scientific journey, which, like all later journeys, he undertook on foot. The first trip led from Germany via France and Switzerland to Italy . Later trips took him to Norway , England , Hungary and Spain . To study the Scandinavian language and the antiquities there, he also visited the island of Iceland and spent some time there. He was often the first scholar to travel to remote regions and do research there.

In his research trips and hikes, he did not value convenience or comfort. He was dressed in a wide coat with large pockets in which he kept his drawings and written notes, as well as pencils, rulers and compasses; most of the time he stayed outdoors and lived on what he got from others. Because of his coarse behavior, he was considered an eccentric and was described by Heinrich Zeise as a "learned monster".

In 1797 he was briefly employed at the Botanical Garden in Copenhagen, but then devoted himself to researching antiquity. On his travels and hikes he made precise drawings and descriptions of rune stones, stone settings, churches, gravestones and other antiquities of interest to him. These drawings were given to the Danish National Museum in Copenhagen after his death.

Martin Friedrich Arendt was an important runologist of his time who described all of the rune monuments he found very precisely. He dealt in detail with the original forms of letters.

Martin Friedrich Arendt was acquainted with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and was described by him as a "wandering antiquarian". His scientific zeal, his erudition and willingness to pass on his knowledge to others were recognized in the professional world.

In 1823 Martin Friedrich Arendt was arrested in Naples , Italy on suspicion of " demagogic connections " and was imprisoned for a short time as a state prisoner. During this detention, he developed a serious illness that is believed to later lead to his death. On the way back to Germany he died near Venice and was found there in a ditch.

Martin Friedrich Arendt was unmarried.

Works (excerpts)

• Grand Ducal Strelitz Georgium of North Slavic deities and their service; Publisher: Minden: printed by RE Bösendahl, 1820.
• Scandinaviska paleografien, eller: Gamla nordiska skriften, till skapnad, bruk och utspridande. (Linköping, 1818; Petre och Abrahamsson. Fås endast af författaren.).
• Scandinaviska paleografien, eller, Gamla nordiska skriften till skapnad, bruk och utspridande.
• The latest on the runes: utterances by Mr A. and B .; Copenhagen: Printed by Andreas Seidelin, 1821.
• "Notices des Voyages et des travaux pour l'Antique, la Philologie, et la terature Scandinave, entrepris en Norvege et en Suede depuis 1797 jusqu 'á 1806". In: Millin's magazine. 1803
• "Ulfilani Codicis sculptura lignea idendi specimen Benzelianum. Lincopiae excusum cura MF Arendt". 1805.
• "Wendish words in naming Holsteinischer Oerter and rivers". 1813. (article)
• "Cismar antiquities". 1816. (article)
• "Oddities of Antiquity at Nüchel". 1821. (article)

literature

• Supplement to the Conversations Lexicon for owners of the sixth and earlier editions and the new episode. "General German Real Encyclopedia for the Educated Estates" (Conversations Lexicon), p. 96
• Detlev Lorenz Lübker, Hans Schröder: Lexicon of the Schleswig-Holstein-Lauenburg and Eutinian writers from 1796 to 1828. Aue, 1829
• Dr. Friedrich Wilhelm Riemer: Messages about Goethe. From oral and written, printed and unprinted sources. Berlin, published by Duncker and Humblot. 1841, pp. 412-414 [1]
• Johann Grönhoff: Arendt, Hans Hinrich Wilhelm . in: Schleswig-Holstein biographical lexicon . Wachholtz, Neumünster 1979.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Detlev Lorenz Lübker, Hans Schröder: Lexicon of Schleswig-Holstein-Lauenburg and Eutinian writers from 1796 to 1828 . Aue, 1829 ( google.de [accessed July 29, 2017]).
2. ↑ Friedrich Wilhelm Riemer: Mittheilungen über Goethe: From oral and written, printed and unprinted sources . Duncker and Humblot, 1841 ( google.de [accessed July 29, 2017]).