Woldemar Ribbeck

Woldemar Ribbeck: portrait relief (1902)

Woldemar Ribbeck (full name Heinrich Victor Constanz Woldemar Ribbeck , born February 17, 1830 in Erfurt , † June 4, 1902 in Berlin ) was a German classical philologist and grammar school director.

Life

Woldemar Ribbeck was the second youngest son of the Protestant theologian and general superintendent Friedrich Ribbeck (1783–1860) and his wife Julie born. Natan († 1880). Of his five older brothers, Otto Ribbeck (1827–1898) was closest to him, who like him became a classical philologist.

Woldemar Ribbeck grew up in Erfurt and Breslau, where his father was transferred in 1832. Woldemar Ribbeck initially received private lessons there and then attended the Friedrichsgymnasium . After his father was transferred to Berlin (1843), he attended the local grammar school at the Gray Monastery , which was then under the direction of his uncle August Ferdinand Ribbeck (1792–1847). Two events in particular shaped Ribbeck during his last school years: the untimely death of his uncle and the revolution in 1848 , during which his father resigned from his offices.

After graduation (September 22, 1848) Ribbeck studied Classical Philology at the Friedrich Wilhelms University in Berlin , following in particular August Boeckh and Karl Lachmann . His preoccupation with the Homeric epics and their ancient explanations, which Ribbeck researched throughout his life, goes back to Lachmann's influence. on the Homeric question he advocated Lachmann's song theory. Of his fellow students, he was particularly close to Henri Jordan (1833–1886) and Eduard Lübbert (1830–1889), with whom he was friends until their death. On July 31, 1852 Ribbeck was with a dissertation on Hellenistic philologists Zenodot Dr. phil. PhD . On April 22nd and 23rd, 1853, he passed the teaching examination and received the license to teach Greek, Latin, German and philosophical propaedeutics (for all classes), for history and geography (middle classes) as well as for French and mathematics (lower classes) .

After the probationary year at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Gymnasium in Berlin (Easter 1853-1854) he taught there and at two other schools (at the Dorotheenstädtischen Realgymnasium and the Joachimsthalschen Gymnasium ) as an assistant teacher. On January 1, 1857, he was permanently employed at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Gymnasium. Since he now received a regular salary, he was able to marry Anna Gropius (1834–1906) on November 18, 1857, the daughter of the publisher, book and art dealer and co-founder of the Berlin diorama George Gropius (1802–1842). Their son is the Essen city historian Konrad Ribbeck (1861–1929). A son and three daughters died while the couple was still alive.

On April 1, 1858 Ribbeck moved to the Kölln high school , on October 1, 1864 as a senior teacher at the Luisen high school (from April 13, 1866 with the title of high school professor ). On July 30, 1875, Ribbeck was appointed director of the newly founded Askanische Gymnasium with effect from October 1 . Ribbeck ran this school for more than 26 years. During his directorate, the reputation and the number of students rose steadily.

Grave of Woldemar Ribbeck in Berlin-Kreuzberg

For health reasons, Woldemar Ribbeck retired on April 1, 1902, and was awarded the 3rd Class Red Eagle Order on this occasion . He died just two months later at the age of 72 in Berlin. His grave is on the Trinity Cemetery I in Berlin-Kreuzberg . A bronze relief with the portrait of Ribbeck in profile, a work by Siegfried Schellbach, which moves the dead to the left edge in an idiosyncratic composition, is embedded in the front of the base of the black granite grave stele. The relief has been damaged by attempted theft; In addition, corrosion has meant that a Genius placed in the right half can no longer be recognized today. On the back of the grave stele, under the Christ monogram IHS with a halo and palm branch, there are inscriptions for the wife Anna, born here, who is also buried here. Gropius and for Käthe Ribbeck (1864–1941), probably a common daughter.

In addition to his work in the school service, Ribbeck was scientifically active throughout his life. His main research interests were in particular the linguistic use of Homeric epics, the Homerudies of ancient grammarians, and Greek tragedy and comedy. His commented, bilingual text editions (Greek and German) of the Aristophanes pieces Die Acharner (1864) and Die Ritter (1867) were particularly appreciated by the professional world. Ribbeck bequeathed his academic legacy to the teachers' library of his high school.

Ribbeck also published several textbooks for teaching Greek , including an Attic (1868) and a Homeric theory of forms (1873; 3rd edition 1895). His elementary reading book (1891) and his elementary grammar (1891) quickly fell out of use after his death, as they were too cumbersome due to their layout. The lessons consisted of abbreviated original text passages that demonstrated the grammatical phenomena, but were often incomprehensible without their original context.

Fonts (selection)

• Zenodotearum quaestionum specimen I. Trowitzsch, Berlin 1852 (Berlin, University, dissertation, 1852; digitized version ).
• D. Rich. Bentley's treatises on the letters of Phalaris, Themistocles, Socrates, Euripides and on the fables of Aesop. Teubner, Leipzig 1857, ( digitized ).
• De usu parodiae apud comicos Atheniensium. Pars prima (continens epicorum parodias) (= treatise with which to the examination of the pupils of the Cölnischen Real-Gymnasium, which takes place in the meeting room of the city councilors (Cöln. Rathaus, Breite Strasse) , sincerely invites . 1861, ZDB -ID 1317568- 3 ). Nauck, Berlin 1861, ( digitized version ).
• The Acharns of Aristophanes. Greek and German. With critical and explanatory notes and an appendix on the dramatic parodies of the Attic comedians. Teubner, Leipzig 1864, ( digitized version ).
• In Euripidis Helenam coniectanea (= annual report on the Luisenstädtisches Gymnasium in Berlin. 1, 1865, ZDB -ID 344453-3 ). Krüger, Berlin 1865, ( digitized version ).
• Ἀριστοφάνους Ἱππῆς. The Knights of Aristophanes. Greek and German. With critical and explanatory comments. Guttentag, Berlin 1867, ( digitized version ).
• Form theory of the Attic dialect along with the most important syntactic rules about Attic prose. Guttentag, Berlin 1868, ( digitized ).
• Homeric theory of forms. Calvary, Berlin 1873, ( digitized ; 2nd edition. Ibid. 1880, digitized ; 3rd shortened edition. Rockenstein, Berlin 1895, digitized ).
• Archestrati Syracusii sive Gelensis quae feruntur apud Athenaeum reliquiae. Langenscheidt, Berlin 1877.
• Homeric miscelles. II (= scientific supplement to the annual report of the Askanisches Gymnasium in Berlin. Easter 1888, ZDB -ID 748997-3 ). Gärtner, Berlin 1888, ( digitized version ).
• Translation samples (= supplement to the program of the Askanisches Gymnasium in Berlin. Easter 1890, ZDB -ID 748997-3 ). Gardener, Berlin 1890, ( digitized version )
• as editor: Greek Elementary Reader. Leonhard Simion, Berlin 1891.
• Greek school grammar. Form theory of Attic prose, along with case and mode rules. Leonhard Simion, Berlin 1891.

literature

• Friedrich August Eckstein : Nomenclator philologorum. Teubner, Leipzig 1871, p. 470 .
• Wilhelm Pökel : Philological writer's lexicon. Kruger, Leipzig 1882, p.225 .
• Conrad Bursian : History of Classical Philology in Germany from the Beginnings to the Present (= History of Sciences in Germany. Modern Times. Bd. 19, ZDB -ID 1016690-7 ). Half of the 2nd Oldenbourg, Munich et al. 1883, p. 888 .
• August Prümers: Woldemar Ribbeck. In: Annual report on the progress of classical antiquity. 31st year 1903, volume 119 (1904). Nekrologe [= Biographical Yearbook for Classical Studies. 26th year, 1903 (1904)], pp. 16–32.

Web links

Wikisource: Woldemar Ribbeck  - Sources and full texts

• Woldemar Ribbeck's personnel sheet in the personnel file of the BIL reviewer in the archive database of the Library for Research on Educational History (BBF)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Hans-Jürgen Mende : Lexicon of Berlin burial places . Pharus-Plan, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-86514-206-1 , p. 227. The clouds, the wasps, the peace. Tomb of Woldemar Ribbek (sic). On the website "Save Berlin Tombs" of the Berlin State Monuments Office (accessed on April 5, 2019).