Hermann

See Arminius; Germania.

(1) Johann Gottfried Jakob. A distinguished German classical philologist, born at Leipzig, November 28, 1772. He studied law and literature at Leipzig and Jena, and after acting as privat-docent at Leipzig for four years, he became Professor Extraordinarius of Philosophy in that university, occupying subsequently the chair of Eloquence (1803), and of Poetry (1809). From 1834 he conducted the philological seminary. He died December 31, 1848.

Hermann was a scholar of great originality in research, and his presentation of the results arrived at was remarkable for vigour and directness. He is especially noted for the new principles developed by him in the study of classical prosody and Greek grammar, with regard to the former of which he endeavoured to establish a philosophical theory based upon the categories of Kant. His metrical views will be found in his dissertations De Metris Graecorum et Romanorum Poetarum (Leipzig, 1796); Handbuch der Metrik (1798); Elementa Doctrinae Metricae (1816); Epitome Doctrinae Metricae (1818, 4th ed. 1869); and De Metris Pindari in Heyne's edition of Pindar (1817). His grammatical theories are set forth in his treatise De Emendanda Ratione Graecae Grammaticae (1801), and in his annotations on Vigier's De Graecae Dictionis Idiotismis (1802; 4th ed. 1834), and Libri IV. de Particula ἄν (1831). He also edited the Hecuba, Hercules Furens, Bacchae, Supplices, Alcestis, and Ionof Euripides; Aeschylus (1859); Sophocles (completing the edition begun by Erfurdt), the Clouds of Aristophanes, the Trinummus of Plautus, the Poetica of Aristotle, the Homeric Hymns, the Lexicon of Photius, and Bion and Moschus. On the significance of mythology he wrote a treatise, De Mythologia Graecorum Antiquissima (1807) and the Briefe über Homer und Hesiodus, the latter in collaboration with Creuzer (Heidelberg, 1818). In his Opuscula (8 vols. 1827-1876) he treats of a wide range of topics, with breadth, force, and originality. See the memoirs by Jahn in the Biogr. Aufsätze (Leipzig, 1849), Köchly (1874), and Bursian, Geschichte der class. Philologie, etc., pp. 575 foll., 666-686 (Munich, 1883).

(2) Karl Friedrich. A classical scholar born at Frankfort, August 4, 1804. He was educated at Heidelberg and Leipzig, and after spending some time in Italy (1825), was appointed Professor of Classical Philology at the University of Marburg in 1832. In 1840 he accepted a call to Göttingen, where he died, January 8, 1856. His principal works are his Lehrbuch der griechischen Antiquitäten (1841; 6th ed. 1892); Geschichte und System der platonischen Philosophie (1839); and Culturgeschichte der Griechen und Römer (1857).