Gustaf Seyffarth

Gustaf Seyffarth (* 13. July 1796 in Übigau with gate gau; † 1885 in New York, the USA) were a in former times Saxonian Ägyptologe. As a successor of the archaeologist Friedrich August Spohn at the University of Leipzig he took over its deduction, in which a deciphering attempt of the hieroglyphics was.

training

after a first instruction at the latin school he came to pc. Afra in Meissen with Dresden. There it perfected its latin and Greek knowledge and went with outstanding certifications to the University of Leipzig. It registered for theology. After four years it received the Magister and doctor titles with special recommendation to the Ministry. Whereupon it prepared for the assumption of a theologisichen Professur. Meanwhile it studied eastern languages. it received permission to 1823 for holding lectures. When 1824 the Altphilologe Spohn died, Seyffarth received the order to continue its work over the Egyptian hieroglyphics. During the sifting of the deduction he came to the view that Spohns statements at the papyrus existence of the European museums must be examined. For the journey necessary for it it received a small scholarship of the Saxonian ministry for education and cultural.

European journey and the “duel” with Champollion

for the examination and elaboration of this attempt he undertook a journey to all museums and collections, in which Aegyptiaca were. It recognized that hieroglyphics showed neither whole words nor individual letters, but groups of consonants, which it called syllables. He transmitted interpreting characters or determinative ones however against modern transcription likewise.

Historically it arranged the oldEgyptian as a forerunner Kopti in the semitische language's group .

On an Italy journey it succeeded to it to reconstruct the Turiner king papyrus. On the same journey it was provoked in Rome to a discussion duel by its colleague and competitor Jean François Champollion. Although Champollion could read only in konsonantige indications and so that behind Seyffarth back was far, Champollion took the ignorant listeners for itself.

to publish as an archaeologist in

Leipzig back in Leipzig tried Seyffarth the results of its study trips, which failed however. 1830 he was appointed the extraordinary professor for archaeology at the University of Leipzig.

It did not create it to fight against the network of Ägyptologen which was developed by the Prussian civil servant Bunsen and Champollion represented as Entzifferer of the hieroglyphics. Seyffarth had only few pupils; one the most well-known was a later archaeologist Maximilian Adolph UHL man.

Seyffarth was forced to give its place up in Leipzig and emigrated 1854 into the United States. There he worked first in pc. Louis as teachers. Starting from 1859 it lived in New York, where it investigated the there Egyptian objects and 1885 died.

Seyffarth is the tragic and most unfortunate person in the history of the Ägyptologie. Despite large gift and trouble it did not succeed to it against the developing establishment of the Ägyptologen in Paris to maintain Berlin and Pisa its own position. With the British Ägyptologen John Gardner Wilkinson or George Rawlinson, with which he divided many opinions, it never got in touch.

works

• alpha beta genuina Aegyptiorum (1840)
• Beyträge for the knowledge of the Litteratur, art, mythology and history old Egypt (1833)
• of the Clavis Aegyptiaca (1826)
• De Hieroglyphica Aegyptiorum scriptura (1826)
• De lingua literis veterum Aegyptiorum ( 1825) et
• Rudimenta Hieroglyphices (1826)
• thesaurus Copticus libri quattuor (1829)

literature

• Karl Knortz: Gustav Seyffarth. A biographic sketch, riser, New York, 1886