Wolfram von Soden
Encyclopedia
Wolfram Freiherr
von Soden (19 June 1908, Berlin
- 6 October 1996, Münster
) was a German
Assyriologist
.
at Leipzig and received his doctorate in 1931, at age 23, with his thesis Der hymnisch-epische Dialekt des Akkadischen (The Hymnic-Epic Dialect of Akkadian). In 1936, he was appointed a professor of Assyriology and Arabic studies, a new position, at the University of Göttingen
. While his mentor, Landsberger, was obliged to leave Germany due to National-Socialist racial policy, von Soden joined the Sturmabteilung
(the SA, the so-called brownshirts) in 1934. Although he did not immediately join the Nazi Party
, in 1944 membership was automatically conferred upon him, along with all other members of the SA who were not already affiliated with the Party at that time.
From 1939 to 1945, he served in the military, primarily as a translator, and in 1940 this work prevented him accepting the offer of a chair in Ancient Near Eastern studies at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. Von Soden published significant works that implicitly supported Nazi cultural and racial policy
; during this time, Von Soden also spoke out against his doktorvater Landsberger.
Following the Second World War
, von Soden’s former activities as a Nazi initially barred his reentry to the teaching profession. Because of his extraordinary abilities, however, and ironically thanks to Benno Landsberger who wrote in his support, von Soden was appointed to an academic position in Vienna in 1954. In 1961, he accepted the offer of a professorship at Münster, where he served as director of the Oriental Seminar until his retirement in 1976. At his death in 1996, he left his scholarly library to the newly revived Institute for Near Eastern Studies at the University of Leipzig
, where he had earned his doctorate.
His significant learning, demonstrated in his scholarly publication, is undisputed. Works such as his Grundriss der akkadischen Grammatik (Outline of Akkadian Grammar) and the Akkadisches Handwörterbuch (Basic Akkadian Dictionary) remain, in new editions, standard works even up to the present day.
Very little of von Soden's scholarship has been translated from the original German; Donald Schley's English translation of von Soden's Einführung in die Altorientalistik (The Ancient Orient: an Introduction to the Study of the Ancient Near East) was published by W.B. Eerdmans in 1994.
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
von Soden (19 June 1908, 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...
- 6 October 1996, Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
) was a German
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...
Assyriologist
Assyriology
Assyriology is the archaeological, historical, and linguistic study of ancient Mesopotamia and the related cultures that used cuneiform writing. The field covers the Akkadian sister-cultures of Assyria and Babylonia, together with their cultural predecessor; Sumer...
.
Life and work
Born in Berlin, von Soden studied under Benno LandsbergerBenno Landsberger
Benno Landsberger was one of the most important German Assyriologists.- Early life and education :...
at Leipzig and received his doctorate in 1931, at age 23, with his thesis Der hymnisch-epische Dialekt des Akkadischen (The Hymnic-Epic Dialect of Akkadian). In 1936, he was appointed a professor of Assyriology and Arabic studies, a new position, at the University of Göttingen
Georg-August University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen , known informally as Georgia Augusta, is a university in the city of Göttingen, Germany.Founded in 1734 by King George II of Great Britain and the Elector of Hanover, it opened for classes in 1737. The University of Göttingen soon grew in size and popularity...
. While his mentor, Landsberger, was obliged to leave Germany due to National-Socialist racial policy, von Soden joined the Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
(the SA, the so-called brownshirts) in 1934. Although he did not immediately join the Nazi Party
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
, in 1944 membership was automatically conferred upon him, along with all other members of the SA who were not already affiliated with the Party at that time.
From 1939 to 1945, he served in the military, primarily as a translator, and in 1940 this work prevented him accepting the offer of a chair in Ancient Near Eastern studies at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. Von Soden published significant works that implicitly supported Nazi cultural and racial policy
Racial policy of Nazi Germany
The racial policy of Nazi Germany was a set of policies and laws implemented by Nazi Germany, asserting the superiority of the "Aryan race", and based on a specific racist doctrine which claimed scientific legitimacy...
; during this time, Von Soden also spoke out against his doktorvater Landsberger.
Following the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, von Soden’s former activities as a Nazi initially barred his reentry to the teaching profession. Because of his extraordinary abilities, however, and ironically thanks to Benno Landsberger who wrote in his support, von Soden was appointed to an academic position in Vienna in 1954. In 1961, he accepted the offer of a professorship at Münster, where he served as director of the Oriental Seminar until his retirement in 1976. At his death in 1996, he left his scholarly library to the newly revived Institute for Near Eastern Studies 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...
, where he had earned his doctorate.
Scholarship
Von Soden’s scholarship evidenced a Nazi outlook primarily by denigrating Semitic cultural influences in the ancient Near East in favor of Indo-European or “Indo-Germanic” cultures. This is especially marked in such works as Der Aufstieg des Assyrerreichs als geschichtliches Problem (1937, The Rise of the Assyrian Empire as an Historical Problem) and Arabische wehrsprachliche Ausdrücke (1942, Arabic Military Terminology and Expressions).His significant learning, demonstrated in his scholarly publication, is undisputed. Works such as his Grundriss der akkadischen Grammatik (Outline of Akkadian Grammar) and the Akkadisches Handwörterbuch (Basic Akkadian Dictionary) remain, in new editions, standard works even up to the present day.
Very little of von Soden's scholarship has been translated from the original German; Donald Schley's English translation of von Soden's Einführung in die Altorientalistik (The Ancient Orient: an Introduction to the Study of the Ancient Near East) was published by W.B. Eerdmans in 1994.
Works
- Das akkadische Syllabar (1948, rev. 1967, 1976, 1991, ISBN 88-7653-257-9)
- Grundriss der akkadischen Grammatik (1952, ISBN 88-7653-258-7)
- Das Gilgamesch-Epos (1958, with Albert Schott; ISBN 3-15-007235-2)
- Akkadisches Handwörterbuch (1965–1981, 3 vols; ISBN 3-447-01471-7)
- Das akkadisch-hethitische Vokabular KBo I 44+KBo XIII 1 (1968, with Heinrich Otten)
- Einführung in die Altorientalistik (1985; ISBN 0-8028-0142-0)