Wilhelm Petzsch

Wilhelm Petzsch

Wilhelm Paul Ludwig Petzsch (born December 29, 1892 in Schivelbein , † July 18, 1938 in Greifswald ) was a German prehistorian .

Life

Wilhelm Petzsch was born as the fifth of eleven children of a pastor's family in Schivelbein. As a child he suffered from the consequences of a serious illness that accompanied him until his early death. After high school in Pyritz , he began studying in Greifswald in 1917. During his studies he became a member of the Association of German Students in Greifswald . In 1918 he married on Rügen Maria nee Trill. He had three children with her.

Petzsch was in 1922 at the University of Greifswald with a classical philological work on De M. Tulli Ciceronis orationum textus historia quaestiones selectae ( "Selected questions on the textual history of Cicero's speeches") to Dr. phil. doctorate and habilitation in 1928.

After brief activities as a teacher in Greifswald and Putbus , he became district curator of the soil antiquities on Rügen in 1923. He was then also an excavation worker at Carl Schuchhardt's excavation on the Garzer Burgwall. As a part-time job, he worked in Stralsund as a curator in the prehistory department of the local museum there from 1926. In 1928 he became a teacher at the grammar school in Greifswald . At the same time he was deputy shop steward for the antiquities of New West Pomerania and Rügen. In 1930 he was promoted to the teaching position. From 1933 he was a corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute .

In 1935 Wilhelm Petzsch became professor of prehistory at the University of Greifswald, and in 1936 a civil servant. Among other things, he published the writings from the Prehistoric Seminar of the University of Greifswald and the communications from the collection of patriotic antiquities at the University of Greifswald .

During his entire time as a conservationist on Rügen and Western Pomerania, he took part in many excavations and wrote many reports and articles about the excavations. His main areas were the Stone Age research in Lietzow , the castle wall research, as well as barrows and other ground monuments. He was involved in all important excavations throughout Pomerania or in their preparation and processing.

Wilhelm Petzsch died in 1938 at the age of 46. In contrast to many experts in his field, he had no adversaries, he was popular and undisputed in his analyzes.

Publications (selection)

98 of his publications are listed in his memorial.

• Rügen's barrows . Bergen on Rügen, Krohß (1923). 2nd edition 1925.
• Rügen's ramparts and the island's Slavic culture . Bergen on Rügen, Krohß 1927.
• The Stone Age of Rügen . Bamberg publishing house, Greifswald 1928. (= habilitation thesis)
• The prehistoric coin finds of Pomerania . Publishing house Bamberg, Greifswald 1931.
• German excavations on German soil . Karlsruhe, Moninger 1933.
• A Viking weapon find from Arkona . Publishing house Bamberg, Greifswald 1935.
• Excavations on the Gützkow Castle Hill . Publishing house Bamberg, Greifswald 1935.
• Rügen's barrows and the island's oldest cultures . Bergen on Rügen, Krohss 1938. 3. completely reworked. Edition.

literature

• Commemorative writing for Wilhelm Petzsch from his friends and students . Issue 11./12. the messages from the Prehistory Seminar of the University of Greifswald, Bamberg Verlag, Greifswald 1940.
• Lexicon of Greifswald university lecturers 1907 to 1932. 2004, pp. 180–181.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Louis Lange (Ed.): Kyffhäuser Association of German Student Associations. Address book 1931. Berlin 1931, p. 170.

Web links

• Literature about Wilhelm Petzsch in the state bibliography MV