Wilhelm Dörpfeld
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Dörpfeld (December 26, 1853 – April 25, 1940) was a German
architect
and archaeologist
, the pioneer of stratigraphic
excavation and precise graphical documentation of archaeological projects. He is famous for his work on Bronze Age
sites around the Mediterranean
, such as Tiryns
and Hisarlik (the site of the legendary city of Troy
) where he continued Heinrich Schliemann
's excavations. Like Schliemann, Dörpfeld was an advocate of the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer
. While the details of his claims regarding locations mentioned in Homer's writings are not considered accurate by later archaeologists, his fundamental idea that they correspond to real places is accepted. Thus, his work greatly contributed not only to scientific techniques and study of these historically significant sites but also renewed public interest in the culture
and mythology
of ancient Greece
.
, the son of Christine and Friedrich William Dörpfeld. His father, a convinced Evangelist Christian
and a famous pedagogue
, tried to bestow deep religious
sentiment to his family, so Dörpfeld attended religious schools, where he received basic education in Latin
and Greek
. He graduated from Barmer High School in 1872, the year after his mother died.
In 1873 Dörpfeld enrolled in architectural
studies in Berlin
, into the famous Academy of Architecture (Bauakademie). At the same time he started to work for the Bergisch-Maerki industrial company. His father could not finance his studies, and so Dorpfeld’s sister Anna loaned him money. During holiday breaks, Dörpfeld worked for the Rheine railway company, drawing sketches of buildings and different architectural objects. Dörpfeld graduated with honors in 1876.
In 1877, Dörpfeld became an assistant at the excavations of Olympia, Greece
, conducted under Richard Bohn, Friedrich Adler, and Ernst Curtius
. He later became the technical manager of the project. The group uncovered, among other artifacts, an intact statue
of Hermes
by Praxiteles
. The excavations revived the memory of the ancient Olympic Games and contributed toward the establishment of the modern Olympics
, in 1896.
After his return from Olympia, Dörpfeld intended to take his architectural exam and settle down in Berlin. He needed a permanent source of income, as he prepared for the family life. In February 1883 he married Anne Adler, the daughter of his university professor Friedrich Adler. The couple had three children. Around the same time, he met Heinrich Schliemann
, who persuaded him to join his archaeological expedition.
In 1882 Dörpfeld joined Schliemann, who was then excavating Troy
. The two eventually became good friends and continued their collaboration on other projects as well. They excavated in Tiryns
, from 1884 to 1885, and at Troy again from 1888 to 1890. Dörpfeld also excavated at the Acropolis of Athens
from 1885 to 1890, where he unearthed the Hekatompedon temple
(the pre-Classical Parthenon
). He continued excavations at Pergamon
(1900–1913, with Alexander Conze), and in the 1931 in the Agora of Athens.
In the year 1886 Dörpfeld founded the German School of Athens
, which was later named after him, the Dörpfeld Gymnasium. From 1887 to 1912 he was the director of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens. He published, in 1896, Das griechische Theater, which was the first study of Greek theater construction.
After his retirement in 1912, Dörpfeld engaged in numerous academic debates on different archaeological topics. For example, in the mid-1930s he took part in a celebrated debate with American
archaeologist William Bell Dinsmoor
on the nature of configuration of the three phases of the Parthenon. At the beginning of the 1920s, he started to lecture at the University of Jena, but was not satisfied with teaching as a profession and returned to Greece
.
Dörpfeld died on April 25, 1940 on the island of Lefkada
, Greece, where he had a house, believing that the bay of Nidri on the eastern coast of Lefkada was the historical Ithaca
, home of Odysseus
in Homer
's Odyssey
.
Wilhelm Dörpfeld developed a method of dating archaeological
sites through the strata in which objects were found and the type of materials used for the buildings. He corrected many of Schliemann
's previous conclusions, including the shaft burial sites at Mycenae
. Dörpfeld realized that the site was a "tholos" tomb, and not the "Treasury of Atreus," as Schliemann claimed.
During the Kavvadias’ excavations, Dörpfeld was instrumental in correcting the previous belief that the temple of Athena
, destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE, was not beneath the Parthenon
, but to the north of it. He suggested the three different structures build in the same place, speaking thus of Parthenon I, Parthenon II, and Parthenon III, applying the last term to the temple with which we are now familiar. Besides suggesting the existence of the two previous proto-Parthenons, he was able to reconstruct the dimensions of their ground plans.
After Schliemann's death in 1890, his widow hired Dörpfeld to continue where Schliemann had stopped his excavations of Troy
. Dörpfeld found nine separate cities, one atop the other, at the Hisarlik site. He argued that the sixth of these was the legendary Troy, because it was larger than the first five cities and had high limestone walls, surrounding the city. Dörpfeld also found evidence for his claims in Mycenaean pottery
, which he found in the same strata. Modern archaeologists however, think that it was probably Troy VII that was the city Homer
wrote about.
Dörpfeld spent a lot of time and energy trying to prove that Homer’s epics were based on historical facts. He proposed that the bay of Nidri, on the eastern coast of Lefkada
, was Ithaca, home of Odysseus
. Dörpfeld compared several passages from the Odyssey to the actual geographical location of Lefkada, and concluded that it must be the Homer
ic Ithaca. He was especially convinced by the passage:
Lefkada is today connected to mainland Greece by a causeway, although this was cut through by the Corinthians in the seventh century BCE. Modern geographers
and hydrographers, however, have claimed that ancient Lefkada was an island
. They noted that the causeway that connects it to the mainland today is a recent product of silt
ing in the channel, and so Lefkada may have experienced varying degrees of connection with the mainland over the last few thousand years. Dörpfeld may have believed that Lefkada was a free standing island (or was regarded as such) at the time of Homer’s descriptions, in accordance with the above passage. Dörpfeld may also have felt that the difficulty of crossing the narrow causeway was referred to in Homer’s enigmatic and repeated jest, “For nowise, methinks, didst thou come hither on foot.” Homer, Odyssey 14.190,, 16.224.
. His stratigraphic
method of dating archaeological sites based on the strata in which objects were found and the type of building materials remains at the core in archaeological site analyses. His excavations, however, had many flaws, and his seeking to prove that Homer
based his Odyssey on real places, was rather romantic. His fellow archaeologists remarked that he overemphasized the importance of buildings in the dating of sites, and often neglected less visible artifacts, such as pottery
. Dörpfeld however remains known as one who brought much order and integrity into archaeology, and one who saved many archaeological sites from Schliemann
’s reckless excavations.
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...
architect
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and archaeologist
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, the pioneer of stratigraphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
excavation and precise graphical documentation of archaeological projects. He is famous for his work on Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
sites around the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, such as Tiryns
Tiryns
Tiryns is a Mycenaean archaeological site in the prefecture of Argolis in the Peloponnese, some kilometres north of Nauplion.-General information:...
and Hisarlik (the site of the legendary city of Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
) where he continued Heinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann was a German businessman and amateur archaeologist, and an advocate of the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer. Schliemann was an archaeological excavator of Troy, along with the Mycenaean sites Mycenae and Tiryns...
's excavations. Like Schliemann, Dörpfeld was an advocate of the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
. While the details of his claims regarding locations mentioned in Homer's writings are not considered accurate by later archaeologists, his fundamental idea that they correspond to real places is accepted. Thus, his work greatly contributed not only to scientific techniques and study of these historically significant sites but also renewed public interest in the culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
of ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
.
Life
Wilhelm Dörpfeld was born in Barmen, Wuppertal, in today’s GermanyGermany
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...
, the son of Christine and Friedrich William Dörpfeld. His father, a convinced Evangelist Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and a famous pedagogue
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
, tried to bestow deep religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
sentiment to his family, so Dörpfeld attended religious schools, where he received basic education in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. He graduated from Barmer High School in 1872, the year after his mother died.
In 1873 Dörpfeld enrolled in architectural
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
studies 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...
, into the famous Academy of Architecture (Bauakademie). At the same time he started to work for the Bergisch-Maerki industrial company. His father could not finance his studies, and so Dorpfeld’s sister Anna loaned him money. During holiday breaks, Dörpfeld worked for the Rheine railway company, drawing sketches of buildings and different architectural objects. Dörpfeld graduated with honors in 1876.
In 1877, Dörpfeld became an assistant at the excavations of Olympia, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, conducted under Richard Bohn, Friedrich Adler, and Ernst Curtius
Ernst Curtius
You may be looking for Ernst Robert Curtius .Ernst Curtius was a German archaeologist and historian.-Biography:...
. He later became the technical manager of the project. The group uncovered, among other artifacts, an intact statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
by Praxiteles
Praxiteles
Praxiteles of Athens, the son of Cephisodotus the Elder, was the most renowned of the Attic sculptors of the 4th century BC. He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue...
. The excavations revived the memory of the ancient Olympic Games and contributed toward the establishment of the modern Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, in 1896.
After his return from Olympia, Dörpfeld intended to take his architectural exam and settle down in Berlin. He needed a permanent source of income, as he prepared for the family life. In February 1883 he married Anne Adler, the daughter of his university professor Friedrich Adler. The couple had three children. Around the same time, he met Heinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann was a German businessman and amateur archaeologist, and an advocate of the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer. Schliemann was an archaeological excavator of Troy, along with the Mycenaean sites Mycenae and Tiryns...
, who persuaded him to join his archaeological expedition.
In 1882 Dörpfeld joined Schliemann, who was then excavating Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
. The two eventually became good friends and continued their collaboration on other projects as well. They excavated in Tiryns
Tiryns
Tiryns is a Mycenaean archaeological site in the prefecture of Argolis in the Peloponnese, some kilometres north of Nauplion.-General information:...
, from 1884 to 1885, and at Troy again from 1888 to 1890. Dörpfeld also excavated at the Acropolis of Athens
Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known acropolis in the world. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification...
from 1885 to 1890, where he unearthed the Hekatompedon temple
Hekatompedon temple
The Hekatompedon or Hekatompedos called also as the first Parthenon was an archaic temple built from limestone, some say that it was placed in the position of the present Parthenon. The temple built in the second half of 6th century BC, during the Peisistratids age, and was the older temple of...
(the pre-Classical Parthenon
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
). He continued excavations at Pergamon
Pergamon
Pergamon , or Pergamum, was an ancient Greek city in modern-day Turkey, in Mysia, today located from the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north side of the river Caicus , that became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon during the Hellenistic period, under the Attalid dynasty, 281–133 BC...
(1900–1913, with Alexander Conze), and in the 1931 in the Agora of Athens.
In the year 1886 Dörpfeld founded the German School of Athens
German School of Athens
The German School of Athens, or Deutsche Schule Athen , is a coeducational independent, high school in Greece. The school has been in operation since 1896...
, which was later named after him, the Dörpfeld Gymnasium. From 1887 to 1912 he was the director of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens. He published, in 1896, Das griechische Theater, which was the first study of Greek theater construction.
After his retirement in 1912, Dörpfeld engaged in numerous academic debates on different archaeological topics. For example, in the mid-1930s he took part in a celebrated debate with American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
archaeologist William Bell Dinsmoor
William Bell Dinsmoor
William Bell Dinsmoor, Sr. was an architectural historian of classical Greece and a Columbia University professor of art and archaeology.-Biography:He was born on July 29, 1886 in Windham, New Hampshire....
on the nature of configuration of the three phases of the Parthenon. At the beginning of the 1920s, he started to lecture at the University of Jena, but was not satisfied with teaching as a profession and returned to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Dörpfeld died on April 25, 1940 on the island of Lefkada
Lefkada
Lefkada, or Leucas or Leucadia , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway and floating bridge. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Lefkada . It is situated on the northern part of the island,...
, Greece, where he had a house, believing that the bay of Nidri on the eastern coast of Lefkada was the historical Ithaca
Ithaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
, home of Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
in Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
.
Work
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
sites through the strata in which objects were found and the type of materials used for the buildings. He corrected many of Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann was a German businessman and amateur archaeologist, and an advocate of the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer. Schliemann was an archaeological excavator of Troy, along with the Mycenaean sites Mycenae and Tiryns...
's previous conclusions, including the shaft burial sites at Mycenae
Mycenae
Mycenae is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 11 km to the south; Corinth, 48 km to the north...
. Dörpfeld realized that the site was a "tholos" tomb, and not the "Treasury of Atreus," as Schliemann claimed.
During the Kavvadias’ excavations, Dörpfeld was instrumental in correcting the previous belief that the temple of Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
, destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE, was not beneath the Parthenon
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
, but to the north of it. He suggested the three different structures build in the same place, speaking thus of Parthenon I, Parthenon II, and Parthenon III, applying the last term to the temple with which we are now familiar. Besides suggesting the existence of the two previous proto-Parthenons, he was able to reconstruct the dimensions of their ground plans.
After Schliemann's death in 1890, his widow hired Dörpfeld to continue where Schliemann had stopped his excavations of Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
. Dörpfeld found nine separate cities, one atop the other, at the Hisarlik site. He argued that the sixth of these was the legendary Troy, because it was larger than the first five cities and had high limestone walls, surrounding the city. Dörpfeld also found evidence for his claims in Mycenaean pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, which he found in the same strata. Modern archaeologists however, think that it was probably Troy VII that was the city Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
wrote about.
Dörpfeld spent a lot of time and energy trying to prove that Homer’s epics were based on historical facts. He proposed that the bay of Nidri, on the eastern coast of Lefkada
Lefkada
Lefkada, or Leucas or Leucadia , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway and floating bridge. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Lefkada . It is situated on the northern part of the island,...
, was Ithaca, home of Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
. Dörpfeld compared several passages from the Odyssey to the actual geographical location of Lefkada, and concluded that it must be the Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
ic Ithaca. He was especially convinced by the passage:
- I dwell in shining Ithaca. There is a mountain there,
- high NeritonNeritumNeritum is an Ancient Greek name of an island in the Ionian Sea, near Ithaca and Cephalonia. In Homer's Iliad, book II, Neritum is part of Odysseus's kingdom....
, covered in forests. Many islands - lie around it, very close to each other,
- Doulichion, SameSame (Ancient Greece)Same is an Ancient Greek name of a Homeric and unidentified island in the Ionian Sea, near Ithaca and Cephalonia. In Homer's Iliad, book II, in the Catalogue of Ships, Same is described as part of Odysseus's kingdom...
, and wooded Zacynthos— - but low-lying Ithaca is farthest out to sea,
- towards the sunset, and the others are apart, towards the dawn and sun.
- It is rough, but it raises good men." Homer, Odyssey 9.1:
Lefkada is today connected to mainland Greece by a causeway, although this was cut through by the Corinthians in the seventh century BCE. Modern geographers
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
and hydrographers, however, have claimed that ancient Lefkada was an island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
. They noted that the causeway that connects it to the mainland today is a recent product of silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
ing in the channel, and so Lefkada may have experienced varying degrees of connection with the mainland over the last few thousand years. Dörpfeld may have believed that Lefkada was a free standing island (or was regarded as such) at the time of Homer’s descriptions, in accordance with the above passage. Dörpfeld may also have felt that the difficulty of crossing the narrow causeway was referred to in Homer’s enigmatic and repeated jest, “For nowise, methinks, didst thou come hither on foot.” Homer, Odyssey 14.190,, 16.224.
Legacy
William Dörpfeld was one of the seminal figures in classical archaeologyArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
. His stratigraphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
method of dating archaeological sites based on the strata in which objects were found and the type of building materials remains at the core in archaeological site analyses. His excavations, however, had many flaws, and his seeking to prove that Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
based his Odyssey on real places, was rather romantic. His fellow archaeologists remarked that he overemphasized the importance of buildings in the dating of sites, and often neglected less visible artifacts, such as pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
. Dörpfeld however remains known as one who brought much order and integrity into archaeology, and one who saved many archaeological sites from Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann was a German businessman and amateur archaeologist, and an advocate of the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer. Schliemann was an archaeological excavator of Troy, along with the Mycenaean sites Mycenae and Tiryns...
’s reckless excavations.
Publications
- Dörpfeld, Wilhelm. Das griechische Theater. Berlin: Weidmannsche BuchhandlungWeidmannsche BuchhandlungWeidmannsche Buchhandlung is a German book publisher established in 1680 that remained independent until it was acquired by Verlag Georg Olms in 1983..-History:...
, 1896. - Dörpfeld, Wilhelm. Troja und Ilion. Athens: Beck & Barth, 1902.
- Dörpfeld, Wilhelm. Olympia in römischer Zeit. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1914.
- Dörpfeld, Wilhelm. Alt-Ithaka: Ein Beitrag zur Homer-Frage, Studien und Ausgrabungen aus der insel Leukas-Ithaka. München: R. Uhde, 1927.
- Dörpfeld, Wilhelm. Alt-Olympia: Untersuchungen und Ausgrabungen zur Geschichte des ältesten Heiligtums von Olympia und der älteren griechischen Kunst. Berlin: E. S. Mittler & Sohn, 1935.
- Dörpfeld, Wilhelm. Meine Tätigkeit für die griechische Archäologische Gesellschaft. Athenais: Archaiologikē Hetaireia, 1937.
- Dörpfeld, Wilhelm, and Walther Kolbe. Die beiden vorpersischen Tempel unter dem Parthenon des Perikles. Berlin: Verlag von E.S. Mittler & Sohn, 1937.
External links
- Biography – Dörpfeld’s biography in German. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
- Dörpfeld on the wall of Troy – Photo of Dörpfeld standing on Troy VI site. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
- Excavations of Troy – History of the excavations of Troy. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
- Map of Troy – Dörpfeld’s map of Troy, from his 1904 monograph Troja und Ilion. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
- The archeology of Hissarlik – History of the excavations of Troy conducted by Schliemann, Dörpfeld, and Blegen. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
- The theory of William Dörpfeld – Map of the world as Dörpfeld knew it. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
- Wilhelm Dörpfeld on Schliemann – Preface by Dörpfeld to the book "Schliemann Briefe" (1932), published by Ernst Meyer. Retrieved July 20, 2007.