Hermann Volrath Hilprecht
Encyclopedia
Hermann Volrath Hilprecht (July 28, 1859 – March 19, 1925) was a German
-American
Assyriologist
and archaeologist.
Hilprecht was born in 1859 at Hohenerxleben, Germany. He graduated from Herzogliches Gymnasium at Bernburg
in 1880. Afterwards he went on to the University of Leipzig
where he studied theology
, philology
, and law, receiving his Ph.D. in 1883. From 1885 to 1886 he became an instructor in Old Testament
theology at the University of Erlangen. In 1886 he left for the United States, where he became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania
, and the next year in 1887, curator for the Semitic
department of its museum. In 1894, Hilprecht took a D. D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and an LL. D. from Princeton
in 1896.
Also in 1886 he was appointed as the Professor of Assyriology at the University of Pennsylvania. He also edited the Oriental section of the Sunday School Times.
As second Assyriologist; he participated in the first campaign of excavations at Nippur
(modern Nuffar, Iraq
) in 1889. In the following two campaigns he was member of the scientific committee in Philadelphia and eventually travelled to Constantinople in examining the portable finds and arranged the separation/acquisition of duplicate pieces for the newly constructed University Museum
in Philadelphia. He also rearranged the Imperial Ottoman Museum for which the director Hamdy Bey showed his gratitude with a favorable separation of the findings.
During the fourth and last campaign he was coordinating director of the expedition, sending out John Henry Haynes
accompanied by his wife Cassandria as field director from 1898-1900 (later in 1899 efforts were increased by sending out two young architects H. V. Geere and C. S. Fisher). Hilprecht himself overtook the responsibility of the whole excavation for the last part of this campaign from March 1 until May 11, 1900.
Afterwards he undertook the editing of the publications programme of the "Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania"(=BE). This publication series incorporated also quantities of bought cuneiform tablets, acquired in Baghdad
from the antiquities dealers which tried to undermine the efforts of continuing the US excavations.
With announcing the discovery of the Temple Library of Nippur after finishing the fourth campaign, some other team members including the former expedition director John Punnett Peters
built a strong opposition against Hilprecht who claimed "the cream" of nearly every important discovery as his work. Some American orientalists joined in and the so called "Peters-Hilprecht-Controversy" was born. This fierce controversy fought in newspapers and even lectures prevented most of the research of the acquired material for the next years.
After his resignation in 1911 of which (besides the "Peters-Hilprecht-Controversy") the main reason was the breakup of his bureau late in 1911. The numbered boxes were opened, confused and burned (including the files of the archaeological context). After this the publication series were changed to the "Publications of the Babylonian Section" (=PBS). Afterwards he returned to the United States, where he became a citizen.
After his death in 1925 his second wife according to H. V. Hilprechts last will handed over his collection of Babylonian antiquities to the University of Jena founding the "Frau Professor Hilprecht Collection of Babylonian Antiquities" (eventually Germanized under the regime of the Nazis in "Frau Professor Hilprecht Sammlung Babylonischer Altertümer") in remembrance of his first wife. It incorporates more than 2000 cuneiform
tablets and pieces and the personal archive of him. One of the most recognized pieces is the "city map of Nippur" one of the earliest city map
s recovered presumably from the late Kassite
period.
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...
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...
and archaeologist.
Hilprecht was born in 1859 at Hohenerxleben, Germany. He graduated from Herzogliches Gymnasium at Bernburg
Bernburg
Bernburg is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the district of Salzlandkreis. It is situated on the river Saale, approx. 30 km downstream from Halle. The town is dominated by its huge Renaissance castle featuring a museum as well as a popular, recently updated bear pit in its...
in 1880. Afterwards he went on to 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 studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, 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...
, and law, receiving his Ph.D. in 1883. From 1885 to 1886 he became an instructor in Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
theology at the University of Erlangen. In 1886 he left for the United States, where he became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and the next year in 1887, curator for the Semitic
Semitic languages
The Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa...
department of its museum. In 1894, Hilprecht took a D. D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and an LL. D. from Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1896.
Also in 1886 he was appointed as the Professor of Assyriology at the University of Pennsylvania. He also edited the Oriental section of the Sunday School Times.
As second Assyriologist; he participated in the first campaign of excavations at Nippur
Nippur
Nippur was one of the most ancient of all the Sumerian cities. It was the special seat of the worship of the Sumerian god Enlil, the "Lord Wind," ruler of the cosmos subject to An alone...
(modern Nuffar, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
) in 1889. In the following two campaigns he was member of the scientific committee in Philadelphia and eventually travelled to Constantinople in examining the portable finds and arranged the separation/acquisition of duplicate pieces for the newly constructed University Museum
University Museum
University Museum is a historic building that houses several museums on the campus of Harvard University on 11-25 Divinity Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The building houses both the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.The structure was built...
in Philadelphia. He also rearranged the Imperial Ottoman Museum for which the director Hamdy Bey showed his gratitude with a favorable separation of the findings.
During the fourth and last campaign he was coordinating director of the expedition, sending out John Henry Haynes
John Henry Haynes
John Henry Haynes was an American traveller, archaeologist, and photographer, best known for his archaeological work at the first two American archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia at Nippur and Assos...
accompanied by his wife Cassandria as field director from 1898-1900 (later in 1899 efforts were increased by sending out two young architects H. V. Geere and C. S. Fisher). Hilprecht himself overtook the responsibility of the whole excavation for the last part of this campaign from March 1 until May 11, 1900.
Afterwards he undertook the editing of the publications programme of the "Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania"(=BE). This publication series incorporated also quantities of bought cuneiform tablets, acquired in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
from the antiquities dealers which tried to undermine the efforts of continuing the US excavations.
With announcing the discovery of the Temple Library of Nippur after finishing the fourth campaign, some other team members including the former expedition director John Punnett Peters
John Punnett Peters
John Punnett Peters was an American Episcopal clergyman and Orientalist, born in New York City. He graduated from Hopkins School in 1868 and then from Yale in 1873. He studied at Berlin and at Leipzig...
built a strong opposition against Hilprecht who claimed "the cream" of nearly every important discovery as his work. Some American orientalists joined in and the so called "Peters-Hilprecht-Controversy" was born. This fierce controversy fought in newspapers and even lectures prevented most of the research of the acquired material for the next years.
After his resignation in 1911 of which (besides the "Peters-Hilprecht-Controversy") the main reason was the breakup of his bureau late in 1911. The numbered boxes were opened, confused and burned (including the files of the archaeological context). After this the publication series were changed to the "Publications of the Babylonian Section" (=PBS). Afterwards he returned to the United States, where he became a citizen.
After his death in 1925 his second wife according to H. V. Hilprechts last will handed over his collection of Babylonian antiquities to the University of Jena founding the "Frau Professor Hilprecht Collection of Babylonian Antiquities" (eventually Germanized under the regime of the Nazis in "Frau Professor Hilprecht Sammlung Babylonischer Altertümer") in remembrance of his first wife. It incorporates more than 2000 cuneiform
Cuneiform
Cuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
tablets and pieces and the personal archive of him. One of the most recognized pieces is the "city map of Nippur" one of the earliest city map
City map
A city map is a large-scale thematic map of a city created to enable the fastest possible orientation in an urban space. The graphic representation of objects on a city map is therefore usually greatly simplified, and reduced to generally understood symbology.Depending upon its target group or...
s recovered presumably from the late Kassite
Kassite
Kassite is a rare mineral with formula CaTi2O42. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system and forms radiating rosettes and pseudo-hexagonal tabular crystals which are commonly twinned. Crystals are brownish pink to pale yellow and are translucent with an adamantine luster...
period.