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Theodor Mommsen

German classical scholar and historian (1817-1903) · Germany · Academics · Died at 85

Theodor Mommsen is read about 478 times a day, in 106 languages.

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A German classicist who turned ancient Rome into literature impressive enough to win the 1902 Nobel Prize - not for poetry or fiction, but for history itself.

A life in dates

1903Died1 November 19031902Nobel Prize in LiteratureAward1881Member of the Reichstag of the German EmpireOffice1881-18841871Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and ArtAward1868Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts orderAward1863Member of the Prussian House of RepresentativesOffice1863-18791847ProfessorOffice1847-18851817Born30 November 1817

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

In their own words 10

,
Theodor Mommsen
,
10 statements, newest first
  1. The ancient boundary of Italy on the north was not the Alps but the Apennines.

    The History of Rome, Own words

  2. All power, as well as all the impotence of democracy is based on faith

    The History of Rome, Own words

  3. The czech skull is impervious to reason, but it is scuceptible to blows.

    , Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Awards

Nobel Prize in Literature1902
Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art1871
Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order1868
Honorary Citizen of Rome

Family

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About this person

Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen was born 30 November 1817 in Germany and trained as a jurist before pivoting to classical scholarship. His multi-volume The History of Rome became the work that defined him: rigorous, expansive, and readable enough that 18 members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences nominated him for the Nobel Prize in Literature, which he won in 1902. Beyond the archive, he served in both the Prussian and German parliaments and wrote extensively on Roman law, shaping the German civil code in the process. He worked as archaeologist, journalist, and historian until his death on 1 November 1903, leaving a body of work that made antiquity feel immediate.

Country
Germany
Category
Academics
Type
Academic
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1817 to 1903 · aged 85

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