Johann Jacob Friedrich Wilhelm Parrot (14 October 1791) was a
Baltic German naturalist
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
, explorer, and mountaineer, who lived and worked in
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...
,
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
in what was then the
Governorate of Livonia of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. A pioneer of Russian and Estonian scientific mountaineering, Parrot is best known for leading the first expedition to the summit of
Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat, also known as Masis or Mount Ağrı, is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in Eastern Turkey, easternmost Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest p ...
in recorded history.
Early career
Born in
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...
, in the
Margraviate of Baden, Parrot was the son of
Georg Friedrich Parrot
Georg Friedrich Parrot (15 July 1767 – 8 July 1852) was a German scientist, the first Rector (academia), rector of the University of Tartu, Imperial University of Dorpat (today Tartu, Estonia) in what was then the Governorate of Livonia of the ...
, the first rector of the
University of Tartu) and a close friend of
Tsar
Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
Alexander I. He studied medicine and natural science at Dorpat and, in 1811, undertook an expedition to the
Crimea
Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
and the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
with
Moritz von Engelhardt. There he used a
barometer
A barometer is a scientific instrument that is used to measure air pressure in a certain environment. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Many measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis ...
to measure the difference in sea level between the
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...
and
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
. On his return he was appointed assistant doctor and, in 1815, surgeon in the
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...
. In 1816 and 1817, he visited the
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
and
Pyrenees. In 1821, he was professor of physiology and pathology, then in 1826 professor of physics at the University of Dorpat.
[Parrot, p. viii.]
Conquest of Ararat
After the
Russo-Persian War of 1826–28, Mount Ararat came under Russian control by the terms of the
Treaty of Turkmenchay. Parrot felt that the conditions were now right to reach the peak of the mountain. With a team of science and medical students, Parrot left Dorpat in April 1829 and traveled south to
Russian Transcaucasia and
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
to climb Ararat. The project received full approval from Tsar
Nicholas I, who provided the expedition with a military escort.
On the way to
Russian Armenia, Parrot and his team split into two parts. Most of the team traveled to
Mozdok, while Parrot, Maximilian Behaghel von Adlerskron, and the military escort Schütz traveled to the
Manych River and the
Kalmyk Steppe to conduct further research on the levels between the Black and Caspian Seas. The two teams reunited at Mozdok and moved south, first to
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, then to the
Armenian Oblast. An outbreak of plague in Russian Armenia and the vicinity of Erivan (
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
) delayed the expedition and the team visited the eastern Georgian province of
Kakheti until it subsided. They then traveled from Tiflis to
Etchmaidzin, where Parrot met
Khachatur Abovian, the future
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
writer and national public figure. Parrot required a local guide and a translator for the expedition. The
Armenian Catholicos Yeprem I assigned Abovian to these tasks.
Accompanied by Abovian, Parrot and his team crossed the
Arax River into the district of
Surmali and headed to the Armenian village of Akhuri (modern
Yenidoğan) situated on the northern slope of Ararat above sea level. Following the advice of Harutiun Alamdarian of Tiflis, they set up base camp at the
Monastery of St. Hakob some higher, at an elevation of . Parrot and Abovian were among the last travelers to visit Akhuri and the monastery before a disastrous earthquake completely buried both in May 1840.
Their first attempt to climb the mountain, using the northeast slope, failed as a result of lack of warm clothing.
Six days later, on the advice of Stepan Khojiants, the village chief of Akhuri, the ascent was attempted from the northwest side. After reaching an elevation of , they turned back because they did not reach the summit before sundown. Accompanied by Abovian, two Russian soldiers, and two Armenian villagers, Parrot reached the summit on the third attempt at 3:15 p.m. on 9 October 1829. Abovian dug a hole in the ice and erected a wooden cross facing north. He picked up a chunk of ice from the summit and carried it down with him in a bottle, considering the water holy. On 8 November, Parrot and Abovian climbed up
Lesser Ararat. Parrot was impressed with Abovian's thirst for knowledge and, after the expedition, arranged for a Russian state scholarship for Abovian to study at the University of Dorpat in 1830.
Later life
In 1837, Parrot went to
Tornio in the northern part of the
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed from 1809 to 1917 as an Autonomous region, autonomous state within the Russian Empire.
Originating in the 16th century as a titular grand duchy held by the Monarc ...
to observe oscillations of a pendulum and terrestrial magnetism. He invented a
gasometer and a . In
Livonia
Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia.
By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...
, he popularised the
Catalan sundial
A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...
, a small, cylindrical, pocket-sized instrument, approximately 8 cm in length and 1.5 cm in diameter.
Parrot died in Dorpat in January 1841 and was buried at
Raadi cemetery. He was survived by his daughter, Anna Magaretha Parrot, who married Conrad Jacob Strauch. Their descendants now reside in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Today Parrot is regarded as a pioneer of Russian and Estonian mountaineering.
In Armenia, he is celebrated for his role in the Ararat ascent and for his friendship with Abovian.
Honours and legacy
*The
Parrotia deciduous tree is named for Parrot.
*The
Parrotspitze peak in the
Pennine Alps is named for Parrot.
*Mount J. F. Parrot near
Tartu Ülikool 350 in the
Pamir Mountains
The Pamir Mountains are a Mountain range, range of mountains between Central Asia and South Asia. They are located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun Mountains, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya ...
in
Tajikistan
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...
is named for Parrot.
*In 1935, the
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...
named
a crater on the
near side of the Moon after Parrot.
*The 2011 documentary film ''
Journey to Ararat'' on Parrot and Abovian's expedition to Mount Ararat was produced in Estonia by filmmaker
Riho Västrik. It was screened at the
Golden Apricot International Film Festival in Yerevan in 2013.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrot, Johann Jacob Friedrich Wilhelm
1791 births
1841 deaths
Scientists from Karlsruhe
People from the Margraviate of Baden
Baltic-German people from the Russian Empire
Estonian explorers
19th-century German explorers
19th-century explorers from the Russian Empire
German naturalists
Mountaineering in Russia
Riga State Gymnasium No.1 alumni
University of Tartu alumni
Academic staff of the University of Tartu
Rectors of the University of Tartu
19th-century Estonian people
19th-century German naturalists
Burials at Raadi cemetery
Mount Ararat
Rectors of universities in the Russian Empire