Friedrich Münzer
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Münzer was a German
classical scholar
noted for the development of prosopography
, particularly for his demonstrations of how family relationships in ancient Rome
connected to political struggles.
He was born at Oppeln
, Silesia
(now Opole, Poland), into a Jewish merchant family, went to Leipzig University and then in 1887 to Berlin University, where he wrote his thesis
De Gente Valeria under the supervision of Otto Hirschfeld
. In 1893 he traveled to Rome
, where Georg Wissowa
recruited him to write biographical articles for the Pauly-Wissowa
encyclopedia. From there he went to Athens
and participated in excavations on the Acropolis
. He also met Clara Engels there; they were married two years later, on 4 September 1897.
Meanwhile Münzer had been appointed as an unsalaried lecturer at Basel University, in 1896; he and Clara were supported by their parents and his article-writing. (When applying for the job, he reported himself as a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
; three years earlier his CV had said he was of Jewish faith.) He was promoted to the second chair in classical philology
in 1902. In 1912 he accepted a post at Königsberg
, which made him an official in the German civil service
.
Clara died in the influenza
pandemic
, 15 December 1918, and in 1921, the widower took up a post at the University of Münster
. His greatest work, Römische Adelsparteien und Adelsfamilien had appeared in 1920 and brought him fame for the first time.
He was appointed a dean
at the university in 1923, and in 1924 married a widow Clara Lunke née Ploeger, becoming a stepfather to two teenagers in the bargain.
Münzer was generally apolitical, but politics began to catch up with him in 1933 in the form of the law that sought to dismiss Communists, non-Aryan
s, and opponents of the Nazi Party. Civil servants appointed before 1914 were officially exempt, but his biographers attribute his continued employment to the intercession of influential colleagues and former students. In January 1935 a new law required the removal of all lecturers and professors over the age of 65 (a move to make available more posts for Nazi
sympathizers), and Münzer formally retired on 23 July 1935.
His wife died in 1935 as well, and on 14 November of that year he was officially classified as Jewish, upon which many colleagues and acquaintances distanced themselves. Nevertheless, he continued to write articles for Pauly-Wissowa, and they continued to accept them, in spite of a law forbidding Jews to publish. In 1938 a new law compelled him to adopt a Jewish middle name, and he became officially known as "the Jew Friedrich Israel Münzer". In a letter to Ronald Syme
sent on 12 December 1938, he wrote that the changed situation "deeply depressed" him, but that he still considered himself better off than many others.
Despite the urgings of some friends, he refused to emigrate. But in July 1942 he was taken by the Gestapo
to Theresienstadt. His adopted daughter Margerete won some privileges for him, such as the right to send and receive letters, and to receive his suitcase intact, and ultimately a release from Theresienstadt. But an epidemic of enteritis
had been sweeping through the camp, and he succumbed to it the very same day that Margerete received the notice that her father was to be released.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
classical scholar
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
noted for the development of prosopography
Prosopography
In historical studies, prosopography is an investigation of the common characteristics of a historical group, whose individual biographies may be largely untraceable, by means of a collective study of their lives, in multiple career-line analysis...
, particularly for his demonstrations of how family relationships in ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
connected to political struggles.
He was born at Oppeln
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
, Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
(now Opole, Poland), into a Jewish merchant family, went to Leipzig University and then in 1887 to Berlin University, where he wrote his thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
De Gente Valeria under the supervision of Otto Hirschfeld
Otto Hirschfeld
Otto Hirschfeld was a German epigraphist and professor of ancient history who was a native of Königsberg.In 1863 received his doctorate from the University of Königsberg, and in 1869 became a professor at the University of Göttingen...
. In 1893 he traveled to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where Georg Wissowa
Georg Wissowa
Georg Otto August Wissowa was a German classical philologist who was born in Neudorf, near Breslau.Wissowa studied at the University of Breslau, and in 1886 became a professor at the University of Marburg, and in 1895 a professor at the University of Halle.Wissowa was a specialist in the study of...
recruited him to write biographical articles for the Pauly-Wissowa
Pauly-Wissowa
The Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft, commonly called the Pauly–Wissowa or simply RE, is a German encyclopedia of classical scholarship. With its supplements it comprises over eighty volumes....
encyclopedia. From there he went to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and participated in excavations on the Acropolis
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...
. He also met Clara Engels there; they were married two years later, on 4 September 1897.
Meanwhile Münzer had been appointed as an unsalaried lecturer at Basel University, in 1896; he and Clara were supported by their parents and his article-writing. (When applying for the job, he reported himself as a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
; three years earlier his CV had said he was of Jewish faith.) He was promoted to the second chair in classical philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
in 1902. In 1912 he accepted a post at Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, which made him an official in the German civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
.
Clara died in the influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
pandemic
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
, 15 December 1918, and in 1921, the widower took up a post at the University of Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
. His greatest work, Römische Adelsparteien und Adelsfamilien had appeared in 1920 and brought him fame for the first time.
He was appointed a dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
at the university in 1923, and in 1924 married a widow Clara Lunke née Ploeger, becoming a stepfather to two teenagers in the bargain.
Münzer was generally apolitical, but politics began to catch up with him in 1933 in the form of the law that sought to dismiss Communists, non-Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
s, and opponents of the Nazi Party. Civil servants appointed before 1914 were officially exempt, but his biographers attribute his continued employment to the intercession of influential colleagues and former students. In January 1935 a new law required the removal of all lecturers and professors over the age of 65 (a move to make available more posts for Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
sympathizers), and Münzer formally retired on 23 July 1935.
His wife died in 1935 as well, and on 14 November of that year he was officially classified as Jewish, upon which many colleagues and acquaintances distanced themselves. Nevertheless, he continued to write articles for Pauly-Wissowa, and they continued to accept them, in spite of a law forbidding Jews to publish. In 1938 a new law compelled him to adopt a Jewish middle name, and he became officially known as "the Jew Friedrich Israel Münzer". In a letter to Ronald Syme
Ronald Syme
Sir Ronald Syme, OM, FBA was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. Long associated with Oxford University, he is widely regarded as the 20th century's greatest historian of ancient Rome...
sent on 12 December 1938, he wrote that the changed situation "deeply depressed" him, but that he still considered himself better off than many others.
Despite the urgings of some friends, he refused to emigrate. But in July 1942 he was taken by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
to Theresienstadt. His adopted daughter Margerete won some privileges for him, such as the right to send and receive letters, and to receive his suitcase intact, and ultimately a release from Theresienstadt. But an epidemic of enteritis
Enteritis
In medicine, enteritis, from Greek words enteron and suffix -itis , refers to inflammation of the small intestine. It is most commonly caused by the ingestion of substances contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, dehydration and fever...
had been sweeping through the camp, and he succumbed to it the very same day that Margerete received the notice that her father was to be released.
Works
- De Gente Valeria (Berlin Dissertation, published Oppoliae, 1891)
- Die Entstehung der Historien des Tacitus (1901)
- Cacus der Rinddieb (1911)
- Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families (The Johns Hopkins University PressJohns Hopkins University PressThe Johns Hopkins University Press is the publishing division of the Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The Press publishes books, journals, and electronic databases...
, 1999), Thérèse Ridley translation of the original Römische Adelsparteien und Adelsfamilien (J. B. Metzler, Stuttgart, 1920), adding sketches of the work's content and significance, and author biography: Ronald T. Ridley "Friedrich Münzer's Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families", XIX-XXXVIII; Thérèse Ridley "The Fate of a Historian", XXXIX-LVII; and a photograph of Münzer opposite the title page translation - Die Entstehung des römischen Principats (1927)
- thousands of biography articles in the Pauly-Wissowa RE: nomina gentilicia from C to P