Max von Oppenheim
Encyclopedia
Max Freiherr von Oppenheim (July 15, 1860, Köln
- November 17, 1946, Landshut
) was a German ancient historian, and archaeologist, "the last of the great amateur archaeological explorers of the Near East.".
He was a son of Albert Freiherr von Oppenheim. Abandoning his career in diplomacy, he financed his own excavations at Tell Halaf
in 1911-13 and 1929. During World War I
, Oppenheim led the Intelligence Bureau for the East
and was closely associated with German plans to initiate and support a rebellion in India
and in Egypt
.
From his works in archaeology, he personally owned a large portion of the finds, as was then the custom, and he hoped that the Staatliche Museen, Berlin, would acquire the material which included some of the most important Neo-Hittite
sculptural reliefs. Disappointed in his negotiations, he opened his own museum in an abandoned factory in Berlin in 1930.; consequently, when measures were taken to protect the national collections during World War II, his Halafian material was not included: it was obliterated in a bombing raid in November 1943. Some fragments preserved in East German museum basements were reassembled after the reunification of Germany.
In more recent years new evidence of Oppenheim's role in the East during World War I
has surfaced. In examining the recently translated journals discovered in Southern Tehran in 1981, a clearer picture begins to emerge regarding the importance of claiming a pure link to ‘Western’ identity by imperial powers and the implied authority that position awarded them in authority over the East. Oppenheim's activity as an agitator to create subversive resistance to the British rule in India aided through creating claims of lost cultural greatness at the hands of the dominant colonial masters in the East, conveniently Germany could make such an argument as the result of their declining status as an imperial power. Oppenheim used his background as an archaeologist to lend credence and authority to his assertions about "understanding the oriental" and their cultural logic.
According to the journals, Oppenheim was greatly influenced by the works of Herodotus
, the first historian, Aeschylus
and Philostratus
in his approach to dealing with the East.
References to Herodotus and other classical works permeate the journals as he intricately links the kismet
of Germany with that of the Dorian Greeks and the Ionian Athenians, those who stand against external threats.
In 2005, Barnes and Jones challenged Zola's findings, as they appeared to overly reflect the modern political climate of the American invasion of Afghanistan
in 2001. What Barnes and Jones argue is not the fundamental narrative of the translation, but Zola's intentional imbedding of highly political anti-American sentiments. Zola is quoted defending his interpretation of Oppenheim's journals,{I stand by my translation. One can never be entirely divorced of the political or historical circumstances they exist within. It is less a reflection of my intent, and perhaps mirroring American scholars feeling anxiety about their countries aggression towards the East.}citation needed
KOLN
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- November 17, 1946, Landshut
Landshut
Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also the seat of the...
) was a German ancient historian, and archaeologist, "the last of the great amateur archaeological explorers of the Near East.".
He was a son of Albert Freiherr von Oppenheim. Abandoning his career in diplomacy, he financed his own excavations at Tell Halaf
Tell Halaf
Tell Halaf is an archaeological site in the Al Hasakah governorate of northeastern Syria, near the Turkish border, just opposite Ceylanpınar. It was the first find of a Neolithic culture, subsequently dubbed the Halaf culture, characterized by glazed pottery painted with geometric and animal designs...
in 1911-13 and 1929. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Oppenheim led the Intelligence Bureau for the East
Intelligence Bureau for the East
The Intelligence Bureau for the East was a German intelligence organisation established on the eve of World War I dedicated to promoting and sustaining subversive and nationalist agitations in the British Indian Empire and the Persian and Egyptian satellite states...
and was closely associated with German plans to initiate and support a rebellion in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
From his works in archaeology, he personally owned a large portion of the finds, as was then the custom, and he hoped that the Staatliche Museen, Berlin, would acquire the material which included some of the most important Neo-Hittite
Neo-Hittite
The states that are called Neo-Hittite, or more recently Syro-Hittite, were Luwian, Aramaic and Phoenician-speaking political entities of the Iron Age northern Syria and southern Anatolia that arose following the collapse of the Hittite Empire around 1180 BC and lasted until roughly 700 BC...
sculptural reliefs. Disappointed in his negotiations, he opened his own museum in an abandoned factory in Berlin in 1930.; consequently, when measures were taken to protect the national collections during World War II, his Halafian material was not included: it was obliterated in a bombing raid in November 1943. Some fragments preserved in East German museum basements were reassembled after the reunification of Germany.
In more recent years new evidence of Oppenheim's role in the East during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
has surfaced. In examining the recently translated journals discovered in Southern Tehran in 1981, a clearer picture begins to emerge regarding the importance of claiming a pure link to ‘Western’ identity by imperial powers and the implied authority that position awarded them in authority over the East. Oppenheim's activity as an agitator to create subversive resistance to the British rule in India aided through creating claims of lost cultural greatness at the hands of the dominant colonial masters in the East, conveniently Germany could make such an argument as the result of their declining status as an imperial power. Oppenheim used his background as an archaeologist to lend credence and authority to his assertions about "understanding the oriental" and their cultural logic.
According to the journals, Oppenheim was greatly influenced by the works of Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, the first historian, Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
and Philostratus
Philostratus
Philostratus or Lucius Flavius Philostratus , , called "the Athenian", was a Greek sophist of the Roman imperial period. His father was a minor sophist of the same name. He was born probably around 172, and is said by the Suda to have been living in the reign of emperor Philip the Arab . His death...
in his approach to dealing with the East.
"…When after riding nearly twenty five hours on the back of a camel, it became very clear to me that…[Herodo]tus was speaking to me. To the future. He clearly understood the nature of Greeks (and thus their inheritors) and their inevitable role as the leaders of freedom in the face of a larger imperial threat... The isolationism of the Greeks as the sole dissenting voices against the Eastern menace truly can be understood by the modern German, following the signing of the Entente CordialeEntente CordialeThe Entente Cordiale was a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and the French Republic. Beyond the immediate concerns of colonial expansion addressed by the agreement, the signing of the Entente Cordiale marked the end of almost a millennium of intermittent...
…”
References to Herodotus and other classical works permeate the journals as he intricately links the kismet
Kismet
Kismet may refer to:* Fate or Destiny in Turkish and Hindi-Urdu, a predetermined course of events, from Persian qesmat, from Arabic qisma, lot, from qasama, to divide, allot...
of Germany with that of the Dorian Greeks and the Ionian Athenians, those who stand against external threats.
“[missing]…these simple creatures! They are pawns of their masters...[the] British! They do not see that if they stood against their masters they could depose this tyrant! I feel I have made some success in Persia and Afghanistan in fostering subversion, but this exotic and sensual country is cowed by notions of loyalty to their master. They are like the Medized Ionians, too cowardly to act in their own best interests while their King is across a pontoon bridge. [missing] …tainted by luxuries and frivolities... fallen upon we real ‘Greeks’ to show them the way to the manifest nature of their destiny and towards Enduring Freedom”
In 2005, Barnes and Jones challenged Zola's findings, as they appeared to overly reflect the modern political climate of the American invasion of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in 2001. What Barnes and Jones argue is not the fundamental narrative of the translation, but Zola's intentional imbedding of highly political anti-American sentiments. Zola is quoted defending his interpretation of Oppenheim's journals,{I stand by my translation. One can never be entirely divorced of the political or historical circumstances they exist within. It is less a reflection of my intent, and perhaps mirroring American scholars feeling anxiety about their countries aggression towards the East.}citation needed
Publications
- Vom Mittelmeer zum persischen Golf durch den Haurän, die syrsche Wüste und Mesopotamien, 2 vols., 1899
- Rabeh und Tschadseegebiet, 1902
- Max von Oppenheim: Der Tell Halaf und die verschleierte Göttin. Leipzig: Hinrichs 1908.
- Max von Oppenheim: Die Revolutionierung der islamischen Gebiete unserer Feinde. 1914.
- Max von Oppenheim: Der Tell Halaf: Eine neue Kultur im ältesten Mesopotamien. F.A. BrockhausBrockhausBrockhaus may refer to:* Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus , German encyclopedia publisher and editor** Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, German-language encyclopedia**Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Russian-language encyclopedia...
, Leipzig 1931. - Tell Halaf I, 1943 (with Hubert Schmidt)
- Tell Halaf II, 1950 (with R. Naumann)
External links
- Bibliothek der Max Freiherr von Oppenheim Stiftung at www.uni-koeln.de