ULRICH WILCKEN (1862-1944)

The founder of papyrology in Germany. He studied Egyptology (with Georg Ebers), Oriental languages, and ancient history at Leipzig. In Berlin he became a pupil of Theodor Mommsen, Eduard Meyer, and Adolf Erman. After being lecturer at several German universities, he was professor at Munich (1889-1915) and Berlin (1917-1931).

He was a member of many academies in Europe, founded the journal Archiv für Papyrus-forschung, and published many papyri, among them Griechische Ostraka aus Ägypten und Nubien (2 vols., Leipzig and Berlin, 1899). His Grundzüge und Chrestomathie der Papyruskunde (with L. Mitteis, 2 vols., Leipzig and Berlin, 1912) became the handbook of papyrologists.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Preaux, C. “Ulrich Wilcken.” Chronique d’Egypte 45/46 (1948):250-56.

MARTIN KRAUSE