Hans Gustav Güterbock
Encyclopedia
Hans Gustav Güterbock was a German
-American
Hittitologist
. Born and trained in Germany, his career was ended with the rise of the Nazis because of his Jewish heritage, and he was forced to resettle in Turkey
. After the Second World War he immigrated to the United States
and spent the rest of his career at the University of Chicago
.
to a father of Jewish heritage who served as the secretary of the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft
, Güterbock spent a year studying the Hittite language
with Hans Ehelolf
before moving on to Leipzig University. There he continued his Hittite studies and took up Assyriology
, studying under Johannes Friedrich and Benno Landsberger
and earning a doctorate. With private funding, Güterbock managed to spend three years in Bogazköy as an epigrapher on a German team (while also employed by the Berlin Museum from 1933-35), but Nazi racial laws
compelled him to leave Germany and find employment at the Faculty of Languages, History, and Geography at Ankara
in 1936. Güterbock, who was said to have had a native command of Turkish
, was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Ankara and was also a select member of the Turkish Historical Society
.
to be a guest lecturer for a year in Sweden
's University of Uppsala, and in 1949 he was invited to settle at the University of Chicago
's Oriental Institute
by Thorkild Jacobsen
, where he would spend the rest of his academic career. In 1956 Güterbock was promoted to a full professor, and from 1969 to his retirement in 1976 he was the university's Tiffany and Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor of Hittitology. In 1962 he became president of the American Oriental Society
, and in 1996 would become the second person to receive the group's Medal of Merit. In 1976 he joined forces with fellow Chicago professor Harry Hoffner to found and co-edit the Chicago Hittite Dictionary
.
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...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Hittitologist
Hittitologist
A Hittitologist is an archaeologist, historian, linguist, or art historian who specialises in the study of the Ancient Hittites and their Near Eastern Empire which was based in Hattusa in modern day Anatolia.A partial list of notable Hittite scholars includes:...
. Born and trained in Germany, his career was ended with the rise of the Nazis because of his Jewish heritage, and he was forced to resettle in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. After the Second World War he immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and spent the rest of his career at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
Early life
Born in BerlinBerlin
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...
to a father of Jewish heritage who served as the secretary of the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft
Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft
The Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft is a Eingetragener Verein - a registered voluntary association - based at Berlin in Germany....
, Güterbock spent a year studying the Hittite language
Hittite language
Hittite is the extinct language once spoken by the Hittites, a people who created an empire centred on Hattusa in north-central Anatolia...
with Hans Ehelolf
Hans Ehelolf
Hans Wilhelm Heinrich Ehelolf was a German Hittitologist. Born in Hanover, Lower Saxony. He began his oriental studies in Marburg, focusing on Assyriology, Semitic linguistics, Indology, and Biblical exegesis. He wrote a PhD thesis entitled Ein Wortfolgeprinzip im Assyrisch-Babylonischen and...
before moving on to Leipzig University. There he continued his Hittite studies and took up Assyriology
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...
, studying under Johannes Friedrich and Benno Landsberger
Benno Landsberger
Benno Landsberger was one of the most important German Assyriologists.- Early life and education :...
and earning a doctorate. With private funding, Güterbock managed to spend three years in Bogazköy as an epigrapher on a German team (while also employed by the Berlin Museum from 1933-35), but Nazi racial laws
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...
compelled him to leave Germany and find employment at the Faculty of Languages, History, and Geography at Ankara
Ankara University
Ankara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
in 1936. Güterbock, who was said to have had a native command of Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Ankara and was also a select member of the Turkish Historical Society
Turkish Historical Society
The Turkish Historical Society also known as Turkish Historical Association or Turkish History Foundation is a research society studying the history of Turkey and the Turkish people, founded in 1931 by the initiative of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.-Presidents:The...
.
Chicago career
In 1948 he left TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
to be a guest lecturer for a year in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's University of Uppsala, and in 1949 he was invited to settle at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
's Oriental Institute
Oriental Institute, Chicago
The Oriental Institute , established in 1919, is the University of Chicago's archeology museum and research center for ancient Near Eastern studies.- History and purpose:James Henry Breasted built up the collection of the Haskell Oriental Museum...
by Thorkild Jacobsen
Thorkild Jacobsen
Thorkild Jacobsen was a renowned historian specializing in Assyriology and Sumerian literature.He was one of the foremost scholars on the ancient Near East.-Biography:...
, where he would spend the rest of his academic career. In 1956 Güterbock was promoted to a full professor, and from 1969 to his retirement in 1976 he was the university's Tiffany and Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor of Hittitology. In 1962 he became president of the American Oriental Society
American Oriental Society
The American Oriental Society was chartered under the laws of Massachusetts on September 7, 1842. It is one of the oldest learned societies in America, and is the oldest devoted to a particular field of scholarship....
, and in 1996 would become the second person to receive the group's Medal of Merit. In 1976 he joined forces with fellow Chicago professor Harry Hoffner to found and co-edit the Chicago Hittite Dictionary
Chicago Hittite Dictionary
The Chicago Hittite Dictionary is a project at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago to create a comprehensive dictionary of the Hittite language. The project was founded by Hans Gustav Güterbock and Harry Hoffner in 1975 and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It...
.