Remember Eduard Meyer. He was born in Hamburg on January 25 1855. This Eduard Meyer Plaque commemorates him. He died in Berlin on August 31 1930 at 75.
Eduard Meyer studied at the universities of Bonn and Leipzig. He became a professor. He taught ancient history at Breslau in 1885. Later Eduard Meyer taught at Halle in 1889. Finally, he taught at Berlin in 1902. In 1909, he lectured at Harvard.
Eduard Meyer received honorary degrees. Oxford, St Andrews, Freiburg and Chicago universities gave them to him. Eduard Meyer was a German historian. He specialized in ancient history. Eduard Meyer was also an Egyptologist. Additionally, he was an Assyriologist. His brother was Kuno Meyer a Celticist.
Eduard Meyer’s main work is Geschichte des Altertums. It means “History of Antiquity”. It was published between 1884 and 1902. A third edition appeared in 1913. Eduard Meyer also wrote Forschungen zur alten Geschichte. This translates to “Research of Ancient History”. He wrote Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der Gracchen. It means “Investigations on the History of the Gracchi”.
Another of his works is Wirtschaftliche Entwicklung des Altertums. This is “Economic Development of the Ancient World”. Die Entstehung des Judentums is another title. It means “The Origins of Judaism”. He penned Zur Theorie und Methodik der Geschichte. In English, this is “Theory and Methodology of History”. Meyer wrote Israeliten und ihre Nachbarstämme. This translates to “The Israelites and their Neighboring Tribes”.
Der Papyrosfund in Elephantine is also his work. Its English title is “The Papyrus Discovery from Elephantine”. Ursprung und Geschichte der Mormonen is another book. This means “Origin and History of the Mormons”. Caesars Monarchie und das Principat des Pompejus is another title. It translates to “Caesar’s Monarchy and the Principate of Pompey”. Eduard Meyer wrote Ursprung und Anfänge des Christentums. In English, this is “Origin and Beginnings of Christianity”. Spenglers Untergang des Abendlandes is another publication. It means “Spengler’s Decline of the West”.
In 1904 Eduard Meyer identified the Sothic cycle. This cycle is based on the heliacal rising of Sirius. It became the basis for traditional Egyptian chronology. Eduard Meyer contributed to the Encyclopaedia Biblica. He also wrote for the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica. Furthermore, he contributed to The Historians’ History of the World.
Eduard Meyer’s work freed Greek history. He integrated it into a broader context. This context included politics, economics and culture. It covered Western Asia, Egypt and Greece until 355 BC. He moved beyond the isolated view of Greek history. His work remains a first-rate contribution. It has made a lasting impact on ancient studies.
So next time you see this Eduard Meyer Plaque remember him. Remember Eduard Meyer the influential historian. Think of his work. His lasting legacy continues to shape our understanding.