Year: 1949
Type: article
Abstract: Few scholars of our generation have contributed so much to increasing our knowledge of the sources for the study of ancient Western Asia in periods or directions of which little was previously known as Ernst Herzfeld.An established scholar of considerable reputation not only in his own University, Berlin, by 1910, his early work was encouraged by Eduard Meyer, the historian, and aided by the active co-operation of Friedrich Sarre, whose outstanding achievements there has yet been little chance to appreciate.Friendship and co-operation with Koldewey and the archaeological architects of the mission of the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft in Iraq, led him to admire their methods and made him a sound fieldworker, without obscuring his firm understanding of the necessity for combining the study of language and history with archaeology if the tasks before him were to be accomplished.His training fitted him for the very diverse tasks he undertook.On his many journeys he continually noted new sites, and thus pointed the way for many later excavations, particularly in Persia.At some sites already well known he carried out fresh work unexpectedly rich in results, notably at Samarra and Persepolis.He continually brought to our attention neglected subjects, such as the nature of the metal-working craft in the first millennium B.C. at Wan, the significance of the designs on scratched button seals of early date from Anatolia, the importance of Sassanian gems and of coins for the study of larger monuments, the relevance of the fagades of rock tombs in the hills of Kurdistan to the development of architectural types, the standing monuments in remote, often previously unvisited areas in Persia.Everywhere he found and published new inscriptions, Akkadian, Old Persian, Aramaic, and Arabic, many of which might have been permanently lost through the activities of ignorant dealers, or might have remained unnoticed by less indefatigable travellers.It is impossible, and unnecessary to enumerate his publications ; they are well known and will remain source books for such studies for a long time.
Author: Sidney Smith
Language: German
Topic: Ancient Near East History
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2104478126