Theodor Thalheim

Theodor Thalheim (born March 25, 1847 in Oels , Lower Silesia , † February 4, 1921 in Breslau ) was a German classical philologist and legal historian . He is particularly known as the editor of the Attic speakers and as an expert on Greek constitutional law.

Life

Theodor Thalheim, the eldest son of District Judge Albert Thalheim, attended grammar school in Oels from 1858 to 1865 , from which he graduated with distinction. From Easter 1865 he studied classical philology at the universities of Jena , Leipzig , Berlin and Breslau . He also dealt with philosophy, German studies and law. He developed his thesis from a Berlin award paper about a court speech by Lysias . Unlike many others, he did not pursue a doctorate . In November 1868 he interrupted his studies for a year to do military service with the 1st Silesian Grenadier Regiment. From Easter 1870 he was preparing for the state examination in Breslau.

When the Franco-German War broke out in July 1870 , Thalheim volunteered for military service. He took part in the battles at Weißenburg and Wörth and was promoted to lieutenant in the reserve. After the siege of Paris , on January 18, 1871, he attended the imperial proclamation in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles and was introduced to Kaiser Wilhelm I a few days later with several other officers .

Upon his return, Thalheim prepared for the state examination, which he passed on February 25, 1872. He received the full teaching qualification for the subjects German, Latin, Greek and French, for geography and history up to sub-second. At Easter 1872 Thalheim began the probationary year at the Realgymnasium zu Reichenbach and the Gymnasium zu Ratibor. On April 1, 1873, the city of Breslau hired him as a “regular teacher” at the Elisabeth Gymnasium .

In the university city of Breslau, Thalheim was able to pursue his academic interests in addition to his school service. He has occupied himself with the Attic orators since his studies. His salary enabled him to do various research trips, on which he collated numerous manuscripts . In 1880 he traveled to London, in 1881 to Florence, Rome and Naples. Despite these favorable working conditions, Thalheim moved to the smaller town of Brieg in 1882 , where he had received a senior teacher position at the Royal High School. There (unlike in Breslau) he was able to give lessons in the upper school.

With his move to Brzeg, Thalheim began a varied career. In 1885 he returned to Breslau to teach at the newly established König-Wilhelm-Gymnasium. On May 14, 1888 Thalheim was appointed director of the grammar school in Schneidemühl in West Prussia. In 1893 he returned to Silesia as the director of the Hirschberg high school . From January to September 1897 he was entrusted part-time with the provisional administration of a provincial school council in Breslau. In Hirschberg, Thalheim also headed the newly established educational seminar from Easter 1899.

Shortly thereafter, Thalheim finally switched to school administration: on February 1, 1900, he was appointed provincial school council, and on February 5, he was appointed co-director of the educational seminar in Breslau. From September 1907 he headed the scientific examination committee for the teacher training candidates. Since January 22, 1908, he was a Privy Councilor . During the First World War he was acting head of the provincial college.

Thalheim retired on July 1, 1916 for health reasons. On this occasion he was awarded the Order of the Crown, 2nd Class. Shortly thereafter, Thalheim also resigned from the chair of the scientific examination committee. In his last years he devoted himself mainly to his scientific work. He died after a long illness (progressive paralysis of the limbs) on February 4, 1921.

Services

As a researcher, Thalheim was particularly concerned with the Greek speakers. After studying manuscripts in various European libraries, he created critical editions of Lycurgus of Athens , Deinarchus , Lysias , Isaios , Xenophon and Antiphon . By dealing with the Attic speakers, Thalheim became a specialist in Greek constitutional law. As such, he took care of the revision of the textbook on Greek legal antiquities by Karl Friedrich Hermann in the third (1884) and fourth (1895) editions. These revisions are also cited as "Hermann-Thalheim" after the authors. In recognition of his scientific merits, Thalheim received an honorary doctorate in philosophy from the University of Breslau on July 28, 1902, and an honorary doctorate in law from the University of Geneva on July 2, 1909 .

From 1892 until his death Thalheim wrote 293 articles for the real encyclopedia of classical antiquity , including an article on Demosthenes with 10 double columns .

Fonts (selection)

• Lysia's speech for Polystratus . Breslau 1876 (program of the Elisabeth-Gymnasium)
• Lycurgi oratio in Leocratem . Berlin 1880
• Dinarchi orationes tres . Berlin 1886
• Lysiae orationes, editio maior . Leipzig 1901. Second, improved edition Leipzig 1913
• Lysiae orationes, editio minor . Leipzig 1901. Second edition Leipzig 1913
• Isaei orationes. Post Carolum Scheibium iterum edidit . Leipzig 1903. Reprint Leipzig 1963
• Demosthenes' Nine Philippine Discourses . Leipzig 1906
• Xenophontis scripta minora . Leipzig 1910. Second edition Leipzig 1915
• Antiphontis orationes et fragmenta. Post Frid. Pale edidit . Leipzig 1914

literature

• Heinrich Schwarz: Theodor Thalheim . In: Biographisches Jahrbuch für Altertumskunde . 44th year (1924), pp. 139–160 (with list of publications)

Web links

Wikisource: Theodor Thalheim  - Sources and full texts

• Literature by Theodor Thalheim in the catalog of the German National Library
• Personnel sheet from Theodor Thalheim in the personnel file of the BIL expert body in the archive database of the Library for Research on Educational History (BBF)