Johannes Classen
Encyclopedia
Johannes Classen was a German educator and classical philologist
.
Classen was educated at the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums
. He studied philology
at the University of Leipzig
, afterwards continuing his education at Bonn
, where he was a student of Barthold Georg Niebuhr
. From 1827 he lived in the home of Niebuhr, whose son Marcus was tutored by Classen. After the death of Niebuhr on January 2, 1831 and of his wife nine days later, Classen took care of his former teacher's three children.
In 1829 he received his habilitation at Bonn
, and in 1832 served as an assistant at the Joachimsthalsche Gymnasium in Berlin
. During the following year he became a professor at the Katharineum zu Lübeck
. In 1853 he was appointed director of the munincipal Gymnasium
in Frankfurt am Main, and in 1864 returned to Hamburg, where he served as director of the Johanneum.
Classen's best written work was an 8-volume publication on the works of Thucydides
(Thukydides, 1862-1889). He was also author of an 1859 biography
on Renaissance
humanist
Jacob Micyllus
.
Classical philology
Classical philology is the study of ancient Greek and classical Latin. Classical philology has been defined as "the careful study of the literary and philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds." Greek and Latin literature and civilization have traditionally been considered...
.
Classen was educated at the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums
Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums
The Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums is a Gymnasium in Hamburg, Germany. It is Hamburg's oldest school and was founded in 1529 by Johannes Bugenhagen. The school's motto is The Future needs a Heritage...
. He studied 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...
at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
, afterwards continuing his education at Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
, where he was a student of Barthold Georg Niebuhr
Barthold Georg Niebuhr
Barthold Georg Niebuhr was a Danish-German statesman and historian who became Germany's leading historian of Ancient Rome and a founding father of modern scholarly historiography. Classical Rome caught the admiration of German thinkers...
. From 1827 he lived in the home of Niebuhr, whose son Marcus was tutored by Classen. After the death of Niebuhr on January 2, 1831 and of his wife nine days later, Classen took care of his former teacher's three children.
In 1829 he received his habilitation at Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, and in 1832 served as an assistant at the Joachimsthalsche Gymnasium in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. During the following year he became a professor at the Katharineum zu Lübeck
Katharineum
The Katharineum zu Lübeck is a humanistic gymnasium founded 1531 in the Hanseatic city Lübeck, Germany. In 2006 the 475th anniversary of this Latin school was celebrated with several events...
. In 1853 he was appointed director of the munincipal Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Frankfurt am Main, and in 1864 returned to Hamburg, where he served as director of the Johanneum.
Classen's best written work was an 8-volume publication on the works of Thucydides
Thucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
(Thukydides, 1862-1889). He was also author of an 1859 biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
on Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
humanist
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
Jacob Micyllus
Jacob Micyllus
Jacob Micyllus, was a German Renaissance humanist and teacher, who conducted the city's Latin school in Frankfurt and held a chair at the University of Heidelberg, during times of great cultural stress in Germany....
.