CURTIUS

curtius, ernst (1814-1896), german archaeologist and historian, was born at lubeck on the 2nd of september 1814. on completing his university studies he was chosen by c. a. brandis to accompany him on a journey to greece for the prosecution of archaeological researches. curtius then became otfried muller's companion in his exploration of the peloponnese, and on muller's death in 1840 returned to germany. in 1844 he became an extraordinary professor at the university of berlin, and in the same year was appointed tutor to prince frederick william (afterwards the emperor frederick iii.)--a post which he held till 1850. after holding a professorship at gottingen and undertaking a further journey to greece in 1862, curtius was appointed (in 1863) ordinary professor at berlin. in 1874 he was sent to athens by the german government, and concluded an agreement by which the excavations at olympia (q.v.) were entrusted exclusively to germany. curtius died at berlin on the 11th of july 1896. his best-known work is his _history of greece_ (1857-1867, 6th ed. 1887-1888; eng. trans. by a. w. ward, 1868-1873). it presented in an attractive style what were then the latest results of scholarly research, but was criticized as wanting in erudition. it is now superseded (see greece: _history, ancient_, s bibliography). his other writings are chiefly archaeological. the most important are: _die akropolis von athen_ (1844); _naxos_ (1846); _peloponnesos, eine historisch-geographische beschreibung der halbinsel_ (1851); _olympia_ (1852); _die ionier vor der ionischen wanderung_ (1855); _attische studien_ (1862-1865); _ephesos_ (1874); _die ausgrabungen zu olympia_ (1877, &c.); _olympia und umgegend_ (edited by curtius and f. adler, 1882); _olympia; die ergebnisse der von dem deutschen reich veranstalteten ausgrabung_ (with f. adler, 1890-1898); _die stadtgeschichte von athen_ (1891); _gesammelte abhandlungen_ (1894). his collected speeches and lectures were published under the title of _altertum und gegenwart_ (5th ed., 1903 foll.), to which a third volume was added under the title of _unter drei kaisern_ (2nd ed., 1895). a full list of his writings will be found in l. gurlitt, _erinnerungen an ernst curtius_ (berlin, 1902); see also article by o. kern in _allgemeine deutsche biographie_, xlvii. (1903), to which may be added _ernst curtius. ein lebensbild in briefen_, by f. curtius (1903); t. hodgkin, _ernest curtius_ (1905). his brother, georg curtius (1820-1885), philologist, was born at lubeck on the 16th of april 1820. after an education at bonn and berlin he was for three years a schoolmaster in dresden, until (in 1845) he returned to berlin university as _privat-docent_. in 1849 he was placed in charge of the philological seminary at prague, and two years later was appointed professor of classical philology in prague university. in 1854 he removed from prague to a similar appointment at kiel, and again in 1862 from kiel to leipzig. he died at hermsdorf on the 12th of august 1885. his philological theories exercised a widespread influence. the more important of his publications are: _die sprachvergleichung in ihrem verhaltniss zur classischen philologie_ (1845; eng. trans. by f. h. trithen, 1851); _sprachvergleichende beitrage zur griechischen und lateinischen grammatik_ (1846); _grundzuge der griechischen etymologie_ (1858-1862, 5th ed. 1879); _das verbum der griechischen sprache_ (1873). the last two works have been translated into english by a. s. wilkins and e. b. england. from 1878 till his death curtius was general editor of the _leipziger studien zur classischen philologie_. his _griechische schulgrammatik_, first published in 1852, has passed through more than twenty editions, and has been edited in english. in his last work, _zur kritik der neuesten sprachforschung_ (1885), he attacks the views of the "new" school of philology. _opuscula_ of georg curtius were edited after his death by e. windisch (_kleine schriften von e. c._, 1886-1887). for further information consult articles by r. meister in _allgemeine deutsche biographie_, xlvii. (1903), and by e. windisch in c. bursian's _biographisches jahrbuch fur alterthumskunde_ (1886).