Christian Ludwig Ideler (21 September 1766 – 10 August 1846) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

chronologist and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

Life

He was born in Gross-Brese near

Perleberg Perleberg (; North Margravian: ''Perlberg'') is the capital of the district of Prignitz, located in the northwest of the German state of Brandenburg. The town received city rights in 1239 and today has about 12,000 inhabitants. Located in a mostly ...

. His earliest work was the editing in 1794 of an astronomical almanac for the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n government. He taught mathematics and mechanics in the school of woods and forests, and also in the military school. In 1821, he became professor at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

, and in 1829 became a foreign member of the

Institute of France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...

. From 1816 to 1822 he was tutor to the young princes William Frederick and Charles. He died in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

on 10 August 1846. This source reports Ideler becoming a member of the French Institute 18 years after becoming a professor in Berlin.

Works

He devoted his life chiefly to the examination of ancient systems of chronology. In 1825–1826 he published his great work, ''Handbuch der mathematischen und technischen Chronologie'' (“Handbook of mathematical and technical chronology,” 2 vols.; 2nd ed., 1883), re-edited as ''Lehrbuch der Chronologie'' (“Textbook of chronology,” 1831); a supplementary volume, ''Die Zeitrechnung der Chinesen'' (“The reckoning of time by the Chinese”), appeared in 1839 in Berlin. He wrote also ''Historische Untersuchungen über die astronomischen Beobachtungen der Alten'' (“Historical investigations on the astronomical observations of the ancients,” Leipzig, 1806), ''Untersuchungen über den Ursprung und die Bedeutung der Sternnamen'' (“Investigations on the origin and significance of the names of stars”) and ''Über den Ursprung des Thierkreises'' (“Origins of the zodiac,” 1838). With Nolte, he published handbooks on English and French language and literature. His son,

Julius Ludwig Ideler Julius Ludwig Ideler (3 September 1809, in Berlin – 17 July 1842, in Berlin) was a German philologist and naturalist. He was the son of astronomer Christian Ludwig Ideler. From 1828 he studied medicine, mathematics and natural sciences at th ...

(1809–1842), wrote ''Meteorologia veterum Graecorum et Romanorum'' — ''Prolegomena ad novam Meteorologicorum Aristotelis — Editionem adornandam''. (PhD thesis, 1832).

Notes

References

External links

* Scans of Ideler's works at

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:
Handbuch der mathematischen und technischen Chronologie
(Volume 1)
Handbuch der mathematischen und technischen Chronologie
(Volume 2)
Lehrbuch der ChronologieUntersuchungen über den Ursprung und die Bedeutung der Sternnamen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ideler, Christian Ludwig 1766 births 1846 deaths People from Prignitz Chronologists 18th-century German astronomers Historians of astronomy Humboldt University of Berlin faculty Members of the French Academy of Sciences 19th-century German astronomers