Friedrich W. Solmsen (February 4, 1904 – January 30, 1989) was a German-American

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

and professor of

classical studies Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek and Roman literature and their original languages ...

. He published nearly 150 books,

monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...

s, scholarly articles, and

review A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a content rating, ...

s from the 1930s through the 1980s. Solmsen's work is characterized by a prevailing interest in the history of ideas.G.M. Kirkwood, "Foreword to the Paperback Edition," in Friedrich Solmsen, ''Hesiod and Aeschylus'' (Cornell University Press, 1995), p. ix. He was an influential scholar in the areas of Greek tragedy, particularly for his work on

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...

, and the philosophy of the physical world and its relation to the soul, especially the systems of

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

and

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

Life and career

Friedrich Solmsen, sometimes called "Fritz" by friends and intimates, was born and educated in Germany. He was among the "Graeca" of Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, the Graeca being a group of "young scholars" who met in his home during his last decade of life to read a Greek author with a view toward emending the text. In an essay fifty years later, Solmsen recalled those years and the legendary philologist in a biographical sketch that combines politico-historical perspective, sociology of

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, and personal, sometimes wry observations. "I do not recall Wilamowitz ever laughing aloud," he mused in a

footnote In publishing, a note is a brief text in which the author comments on the subject and themes of the book and names supporting citations. In the editorial production of books and documents, typographically, a note is usually several lines of tex ...

d aside. "Nor did he ever grin." Solmsen was also a student of Eduard Norden, Otto Regenbogen, and Werner Jaeger, to the three of whom along with Wilamowitz he dedicated the first volume of his collected papers. He was one of the last people to whom the terminally ill Wilamowitz addressed correspondence. Solmsen's dissertation on

Aristotelian logic In logic and formal semantics, term logic, also known as traditional logic, syllogistic logic or Aristotelian logic, is a loose name for an approach to formal logic that began with Aristotle and was developed further in ancient history mostly b ...

and

rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...

was published in 1928. He left Germany to escape

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

in the mid-1930s, and after a time in England came to the United States, where he taught at Olivet College (1937–1940) in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. He then moved to

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, where he served a term as chair of the classics department. He taught at Cornell for twenty-two years. Among his courses was "Foundations of Western Thought," which explored the history of philosophical, scientific and religious ideas from early Greece through the

Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

and Roman periods. In 1962, he was named Moses Slaughter Professor of Classical Studies at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

."Friedrich Solmsen, Professor, 84," ''New York Times'' (February 10, 1989), obituary. In 1972 he won the Goodwin Award of Merit, presented by the

American Philological Association The Society for Classical Studies (SCS), formerly known as the American Philological Association (APA), is a non-profit North American scholarly organization devoted to all aspects of Greek and Roman civilization founded in 1869. It is the pree ...

for an outstanding contribution to classical scholarship, for his Oxford Classical Text edition of Hesiod's works, the ''

Theogony The ''Theogony'' () is a poem by Hesiod (8th–7th century BC) describing the origins and genealogy, genealogies of the Greek gods, composed . It is written in the Homeric Greek, epic dialect of Ancient Greek and contains 1,022 lines. It is one ...

,'' ''

Works and Days ''Works and Days'' ()The ''Works and Days'' is sometimes called by the Latin translation of the title, ''Opera et Dies''. Common abbreviations are ''WD'' and ''Op'' for ''Opera''. is a didactic poem written by ancient Greek poet Hesiod around ...

,'' and '' Shield of Heracles''. Solmsen retired in 1974. In retirement, he lived in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

, and continued to publish. He gave occasional lectures at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

, conducted a

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

seminar, and led readings in

Pindar Pindar (; ; ; ) was an Greek lyric, Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes, Greece, Thebes. Of the Western canon, canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar i ...

and

Plotinus Plotinus (; , ''Plōtînos''; – 270 CE) was a Greek Platonist philosopher, born and raised in Roman Egypt. Plotinus is regarded by modern scholarship as the founder of Neoplatonism. His teacher was the self-taught philosopher Ammonius ...

.''Tabulae,'' newsletter of the Department of Classics, University of North Carolina (Fall 1989), p. iii. The bulk of his library was donated to the university upon his death from a perforated ulcer at the age of 84. He was survived by his wife, Lieselotte. Colleagues mourned him as "one of the last giants of the German tradition of classical

humanism Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and Agency (philosophy), agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The me ...

." The Institute for Research in the

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

at the University of Wisconsin offers four one-year

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

ships in his name for

postdoctoral A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

work on literary and historical studies of the Classical,

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

, and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

periods to 1700. The fellowship fund was established by a bequest from Friedrich and Lieselotte Solmsen.

Works

In his essay on Wilamowitz, Solmsen reflected on classical studies as a

discipline Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a ...

and an intellectual pursuit within a broadly historical context. "The post- World-War-I generation for whom the value of the Classics had become a problem," he writes, "did not find rom Wilamowitzan answer to their question what made ancient civilization particularly significant and worth intensive study," adding that Wilamowitz "did not realize the need of justifying their study to a generation for whom the continuity of a tradition that reached back to the age of

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

was weakened (though not completely broken) and whose outlook was still in the process of formation; many in fact were consciously striving for a new orientation." The following

bibliography Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliograph ...

, arranged by topic and then

chronologically Chronology (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , , ; and , ''-logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of t ...

within the topic, attempts to represent the range of Solmsen's contributions to scholarship but is by no means exhaustive. Omitted are most articles in German, reviews, and notes (i.e., articles of less than three pages). The articles are for the most part collected in his '' Kleine Schriften'', 3 vols. (Hildesheim 1968–1982).

Hesiod and Homer

* ''

Hesiod Hesiod ( or ; ''Hēsíodos''; ) was an ancient Greece, Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer.M. L. West, ''Hesiod: Theogony'', Oxford University Press (1966), p. 40.Jasper Gr ...

and Aeschylus''. Cornell University Press, 1949; republished with a new foreword by G.M. Kirkwood, 1995
Online preview.
* "The Gift of Speech in Homer and Hesiod." ''Transactions of the American Philological Association'' 85 (1954) 1–15. * "Zur Theologie im grossen Aphrodite-Hymnus." ''Hermes'' 88 (1960) 1–13. * "Hesiodic Motifs in Plato." In ''Hésiode et son influence: six exposées et discussions'', edited by Kurt von Fritz (Geneva: Fondation Hardt, 1962) 171–211. * "The Days of the ''Works and Days''." ''Transactions of the American Philological Association'' 94 (1963) 293–320. * "'' Ilias'' XVIII, 535–540." ''Hermes'' 93 (1965) 1–6. * ''Hesiodi Theogonia, Opera et Dies, Scutum'' (with selected fragments edited by R. Merkelbach and M.L. West). Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970. Second edition with a new appendix of fragments, 1983. Third edition, 1990. Oxford Classical Text edition of the Greek text of

's ''

'', ''

'', and ''Shield'' (usually in translation as the '' Shield of Heracles''). * "Hesiodic

φρόνησις In ancient Greek philosophy, () refers to the type of wisdom or intelligence concerned with practical action. It implies good judgment and excellence of character and habits. In Aristotelian ethics, the concept is distinguished from other words ...

." ''Classical Philology'' 71 (1976) 252–253. * "The Sacrifice of

Agamemnon In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans during the Trojan War. He was the son (or grandson) of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of C ...

's Daughter in Hesiod's ''Ehoeae''." ''American Journal of Philology'' 102 (1981) 353–358. * "The Earliest Stages in the History of Hesiod's Text." ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'' 86 (1982) 1–31. * "The Two Near Eastern Sources of Hesiod." ''Hermes'' 117 (1989) 413–422.

Greek tragedy

* ''

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

' '' Ion'' im Vergleich mit anderen Tragödien''. Berlin 1934. * "Ὄνομα and πρᾶγμα in Euripides' '' Helen''." ''Classical Review'' 48 (1934) 119–121. * "The Erinys in Aischylos' ''Septem''." ''Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association'' 68 (1937) 197–211. * "Strata of Greek Religion in Aeschylus." ''Harvard Theological Review'' 40 (1947) 211–226. * ''Hesiod and Aeschylus''. See under "Hesiod and Homer" (preceding). * ''

Electra Electra, also spelt Elektra (; ; ), is one of the most popular Greek mythology, mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, ''Electra (Sophocles play), Electra'' by Sophocles and ''Ele ...

and

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; ) was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the brother of Electra and Iphigenia. He was also known by the patronymic Agamemnonides (), meaning "son of Agamemnon." He is the subject of several ...

: Three Recognitions in Greek Tragedy.'' Berlin 1967. * "'Bad Shame' and Related Problems in Phaedra's Speech (Eur. ''Hipp.'' 380–388)." ''Hermes'' 101 (1973) 420–425. On a passage from the '' Hippolytus'' of Euripides. * "Φρήν, καρδία, ψυχή in Greek tragedy." In ''Greek Poetry and Philosophy: Studies in Honour of Leonard Woodbury.'' Edited by Douglas E. Gerber. Scholars Press, 1984, pp. 265–274. * "Ἀλλ᾽ εἰδέναι χρὴ δρῶσαν: The Meaning of

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

' '' Trachiniai'' 588-93." ''American Journal of Philology'' 106 (1985) 490–496.

Plato

* "The Background of

's Theology." ''Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association'' 67 (1936) 208–218. On Book 10 of Plato's ''

Laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

''. * "Plato and the Unity of Science." ''Philosophical Review'' 49 (1940) 566–571. * ''

's Theology''. Cornell University Press, 1942. Reviewed at length by William C. Greene in ''Classical Philology'' 40 (1945) 128–133. * "On Plato's Account of Respiration." ''Studi italiani di filologia classica'' 27–28 (1956) 544–548. * "Platonic Influences in the Formation of Aristotle's Physical System." In ''Aristotle and Plato in the Mid-Fourth Century. Papers of the Symposium Aristotelicum Held at Oxford in August 1957.'' Edited by Ingemar During and G.E.L. Owen. Göteborg 1960, pp. 213–235. * "Hesiodic Motifs in Plato." See under "Hesiod and Homer" above. * "''

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

'' III,389b2–d6: Plato's Draft and the Editor's Mistake." ''Philologus'' 109 (1965) 182–185. * Review of ''Preface to Plato'' by Eric A. Havelock (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1963). In ''American Journal of Philology'' 87 (1966) 99–105. * "Plato's First Mover in the Eighth Book of Aristotle's ''

Physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

''." ''Philomathes: Studies and Essays in the Humanities in Memory of Philip Merlan.'' Edited by Robert B. Palmer and Robert Hamerton-Kelly. The Hague: Nijhoff, 1971, pp. 171–182. * "Plato and Science." In ''Interpretations of Plato: A Swarthmore Symposium''. Edited by Helen F. North. E. J. Brill, 1977. * "Platonic Values in Aristotle's Science." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 39 (1978) 3–23. * "Some Passages in Plato's ''

'' IV and V." ''Illinois Classical Studies'' 5 (1980) 44–48. * "The Academic and the Alexandrian editions of Plato's Works." ''Illinois Classical Studies'' 6 (1981) 102–111. * "Plato and the Concept of the Soul (Psyche): Some Historical Perspectives." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 44 (1983) 355–367.

Aristotle

* ''Die aristotelische Methodenlehre und die spätplatonische Akademie'', dissertation. Berlin 1928. Revised and published as ''Die Entwicklung der aristotelischen Logik und Rhetorik'' in 1975 and again i
2001.
* "The Origins and Methods of Aristotle's '' Poetics''." ''Classical Quarterly'' 29 (1935) 192–201. * "The Aristotelian Tradition in Ancient Rhetoric." ''American Journal of Philology'' 62 (1941) 35–50 and 169–190. * "

Boethius Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known simply as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480–524 AD), was a Roman Roman Senate, senator, Roman consul, consul, ''magister officiorum'', polymath, historian, and philosopher of the Early Middl ...

and the History of the Organon." ''American Journal of Philology'' 65 (1944) 69–74. * "

Syllogism A syllogism (, ''syllogismos'', 'conclusion, inference') is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true. In its earliest form (defin ...

and Its Platonic Background." ''Philosophical Review'' 60 (1951) 563–571. * Introduction to the

Modern Library The Modern Library is an American book publishing Imprint (trade name), imprint and formerly the parent company of Random House. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, Moder ...

edition of Aristotle's ''

Rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...

'', translated by W. Rhys Roberts, and '' Poetics'', translated by Ingram Bywater. New York 1954. * "Antecedents of Aristotle's Psychology and Scale of Beings." ''American Journal of Philology'' 76 (1955) 148–164. * "Aristotle and Prime Matter: A Reply to H. R. King." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 19 (1958) 243–252. * "Aristotle and Presocratic

Cosmogony Cosmogony is any model concerning the origin of the cosmos or the universe. Overview Scientific theories In astronomy, cosmogony is the study of the origin of particular astrophysical objects or systems, and is most commonly used in ref ...

." ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'' 63 (1958) 265–282. * ''Aristotle's System of the Physical World: A Comparison with His Predecessors''. Cornell University Press, 1960. This lengthy, densely packed book investigates the natural philosophy of the Presocratics and Plato as well as Aristotle's ''Physics'', '' De caelo'', '' De generatione et corruptione'' and '' Meteorologica''. * "Aristotle's Word for

Matter In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. All everyday objects that can be touched are ultimately composed of atoms, which are made up of interacting subatomic pa ...

." In ''Didascaliæ: Studies in Honor of Anselm M. Albareda,

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

of the

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library (, ), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City, and is the city-state's national library. It was formally established in 1475, alth ...

.'' Edited by Sesto Prete. New York 1961, pp. 393–408. * "Misplaced Passages at the End of Aristotle's ''Physics''." ''American Journal of Philology'' 82 (1961) 270–282. * "

Leisure Leisure (, ) has often been defined as a quality of experience or as free time. Free time is time spent away from business, Employment, work, job hunting, Housekeeping, domestic chores, and education, as well as necessary activities such as ...

and

Play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

in Aristotle's Ideal

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

." ''Rheinisches Museum'' 107 (1964) 193–220. * Review of ''Aristotle and the Problem of Value'' by Whitney J. Oates (Princeton University Press, 1963). In ''Journal of Philosophy'' 62 (1965) 298–303. * ''Ursprünge und Methoden der aristotelischen Poetik''. Darmstadt 1968. * "

Dialectic Dialectic (; ), also known as the dialectical method, refers originally to dialogue between people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to arrive at the truth through reasoned argument. Dialectic resembles debate, but the ...

without the Forms." In ''Aristotle on Dialectic: The'' Topics''. Proceedings of the Third Symposium Aristotelicum.'' Edited by G. E. L. Owen. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968, pp. 49–68. * "The Fishes of

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...

and Their Alleged Significance for the Development of Aristotle." ''Hermes'' 106 (1978) 467–484. * "Citations in Their Bearing on the Origin of 'Aristotle' '' Meteorologica'' IV." ''Hermes'' 113 (1985) 448–459.

Empedocles, Epicurus, Lucretius

* Review of ''T. Lucreti Cari, De rerum natura, Libri sex'', edition and commentary by William Ellery Leonard and Stanley Barney Smith (University of Wisconsin Press, 1942), in ''Philosophical Review'' 53 (1944) 208–211. * "

Epicurus Epicurus (, ; ; 341–270 BC) was an Greek philosophy, ancient Greek philosopher who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy that asserted that philosophy's purpose is to attain as well as to help others attain tranqui ...

and

Cosmological Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

Heresies." ''American Journal of Philology'' 72 (1951) 1–23. * "Epicurus on the Growth and Decline of the

Cosmos The cosmos (, ; ) is an alternative name for the universe or its nature or order. Usage of the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos is studied in cosmologya broad discipline covering ...

." ''American Journal of Philology'' 74 (1953) 34–51. * ''Αἴσθησις in Aristotelian and Epicurean Thought''. Amsterdam, 1961. ''Aisthesis'' originally meant both cognitive perceptions and feelings (as of pleasure and pain); Solmsen traces the restriction of the term by Plato to cognitive perceptions and so in Aristotle and the

Stoics Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome. The Stoics believed that the universe operated according to reason, ''i.e.'' by a God which is immersed in nature itself. Of all the schools of ancient ...

; Epicurus, however, uses the word to mean the capacity of feeling pleasure and pain as conveyed by the "soul atoms" generally to the body. * " Love and Strife in

Empedocles Empedocles (; ; , 444–443 BC) was a Ancient Greece, Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a native citizen of Akragas, a Greek city in Sicily. Empedocles' philosophy is known best for originating the Cosmogony, cosmogonic theory of the four cla ...

' Cosmology." ''Phronesis'' 10 (1965) 109–148. * "Ζωρός in Empedocles." ''Classical Review'' 17 (1967) 245–246. * "A Peculiar Omission in

Lucretius Titus Lucretius Carus ( ; ; – October 15, 55 BC) was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is the philosophical poem '' De rerum natura'', a didactic work about the tenets and philosophy of Epicureanism, which usually is t ...

' Account of Human Civilization." ''Philologus'' 114 (1970) 256–261. * "Eternal and Temporary Beings in Empedocles' Physical Poem." ''Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie'' 57 (1975) 123–145. * "Epicurus on Void, Matter and Genesis: Some Historical Observations." ''Phronesis'' 22 (1977) 263–281. * "Empedocles' Hymn to

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

." ''Phronesis'' 35 (1980) 219–227. * "Abdera's Arguments for the

Atomic Theory Atomic theory is the scientific theory that matter is composed of particles called atoms. The definition of the word "atom" has changed over the years in response to scientific discoveries. Initially, it referred to a hypothetical concept of ...

." ''Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies'' 29 (1988) 59–73. * "Lucretius' Strategy in ''De rerum natura'' I." ''Rheinisches Museum'' 131 (1988) 315–323.

Philosophical and literary topics

* "

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

's First Speeches: A Rhetorical Analysis." ''Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association'' 69 (1938) 542–556. * "Some Works of Philostratus the Elder." ''Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association'' 71 (1940) 556–572. * "

Eratosthenes Eratosthenes of Cyrene (; ; – ) was an Ancient Greek polymath: a Greek mathematics, mathematician, geographer, poet, astronomer, and music theory, music theorist. He was a man of learning, becoming the chief librarian at the Library of A ...

as Platonist and Poet." ''Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association'' 73 (1942) 192–213. * "Chaos and

Apeiron ''Apeiron'' (; ) is a Greek word meaning '(that which is) unlimited; boundless; infinite; indefinite' from ''a-'' 'without' and ''peirar'' 'end, limit; boundary', the Ionic Greek form of ''peras'' 'end, limit, boundary'. Origin of everything ...

." ''Studi italiani di filologia classica'' 24 (1949) 235–248. * Review of ''Empedocles' Mixture, Eudoxan Astronomy and Aristotle's Connate

Pneuma ''Pneuma'' () is an ancient Greek word for "breathing, breath", and in a religious context for "spirit (animating force), spirit". It has various technical meanings for medical writers and philosophers of classical antiquity, particularly in rega ...

'' by Harald A. T. Reiche (Amsterdam 1960), in ''American Journal of Philology'' 84 (1963) 91–94. * ''The Eleatic One in Melissus''. Amsterdam, 1969. * "Tissues and the Soul: Philosophical Contributions to Physiology." ''Philosophical Review'' 59 (1950) 435–468. * "Neglected Evidence for Cicero's ''

De re publica ''De re publica'' (''On the Republic''; see below) is a dialogue on Roman politics by Cicero, written in six books between 54 and 51 BC. The work does not survive in a complete state, and large parts are missing. The surviving sections derive ...

''." ''Museum Helveticum'' 13 (1956) 38–53. * "The Vital Heat, the Inborn Pneuma and the Aether." ''Journal of Hellenic Studies'' 77 (1957) 119–123. * "Greek Philosophy and the Discovery of the Nerves." ''Museum Helveticum'' 18 (1961) 150–167 and 169–197. * ''

Cleanthes Cleanthes (; ; c. 330 BC – c. 230 BC), of Assos, was a Greek Stoic philosopher and boxer who was the successor to Zeno of Citium as the second head ('' scholarch'') of the Stoic school in Athens. Originally a boxer, he came to Athens where ...

or Posidonius? The Basis of

Stoic physics Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome. The Stoics believed that the universe operated according to reason, ''i.e.'' by a God which is immersed in nature itself. Of all the schools of ancient ...

''. Amsterdam 1961. A study of the sources of Cicero's '' De Natura Deorum'', II, 23–32. * "

Anaximander Anaximander ( ; ''Anaximandros''; ) was a Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher who lived in Miletus,"Anaximander" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes Ltd, George Newnes, 1961, Vol. ...

's Infinite: Traces and Influences." ''Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie'' 44 (1962) 109–131. * "

Anaxagoras Anaxagoras (; , ''Anaxagóras'', 'lord of the assembly'; ) was a Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. Born in Clazomenae at a time when Asia Minor was under the control of the Persian Empire, Anaxagoras came to Athens. In later life he was charged ...

B 19 Diels-Kranz." ''Hermes'' 91 (1963) 250–251. * "Nature as Craftsman in Greek Thought." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 24 (1963) 473–496. * " Diogenes of Apollonia B3D.-K." ''Classical Review'' 20 (1970) 6. * "

Thucydides Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...

' Treatment of Words and Concepts." ''Hermes'' 99 (1971) 385–408. * "The Tradition about

Zeno of Elea Zeno of Elea (; ; ) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Elea, in Southern Italy (Magna Graecia). He was a student of Parmenides and one of the Eleatics. Zeno defended his instructor's belief in monism, the idea that only one single en ...

Re-examined." ''Phronesis'' 16 (1971) 116–141. * "

Parmenides Parmenides of Elea (; ; fl. late sixth or early fifth century BC) was a Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic ancient Greece, Greek philosopher from Velia, Elea in Magna Graecia (Southern Italy). Parmenides was born in the Greek colony of Veli ...

and the Description of Perfect Beauty in Plato's ''Symposium''." ''American Journal of Philology'' 92 (1971) 62–70. * ''Intellectual Experiments of the Greek Enlightenment''. Princeton University Press, 1975. Six chapters dealing with such topics as argumentation, persuasion, utopianism and reform, language experiments, and empirical psychology. * "Light from Aristotle's Physics on the text of Parmenides B 8 D-K." ''Phronesis'' 1977 XXII : 10–12. * "

Theophrastus Theophrastus (; ; c. 371 – c. 287 BC) was an ancient Greek Philosophy, philosopher and Natural history, naturalist. A native of Eresos in Lesbos, he was Aristotle's close colleague and successor as head of the Lyceum (classical), Lyceum, the ...

and Political Aspects of the Belief in Providence." ''Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies'' 19 (1978) 91–98. * "Emendations in Cosmological Texts." ''Rheinisches Museum'' 124 (1981) 1–18. * "

v,5,3,21 ff.: A Passage on

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

." ''Museum Helveticum'' 43 (1986) 68–73.

Augustan poetry

* "

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

's First Roman

Ode An ode (from ) is a type of lyric poetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structu ...

." ''American Journal of Philology'' 68 (1947) 337–352. * " Propertius in his Literary Relations with Tibullus and Vergil." ''Philologus'' 105 (1961) 273–289. * "Three Elegies of Propertius' First Book." ''Classical Philology'' 57 (1962) 73–88. * "Tibullus as an Augustan poet." ''Hermes'' 90 (1962) 295–325. * "On Propertius I, 7." ''American Journal of Philology'' 86 (1965) 77–84. * "

Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus (; ), known as Catullus (), was a Latin neoteric poet of the late Roman Republic. His surviving works remain widely read due to their popularity as teaching tools and because of their personal or sexual themes. Life ...

' Artistry in ''C.'' 68: A Pre-Augustan Subjective Love-Elegy." ''Monumentum Chiloniense: Studien zur augusteischen Zeit. Kieler Festschrift für Erich Burck zum 70. Geburtstag.'' Edited by Eckard Lefèvre. Amsterdam 1975, pp. 260–276.

Afterlife, religion, myth

* Review of ''The Greeks and the Irrational'' by E.R. Dodds, in ''American Journal of Philology'' 75 (1954) 190–196. * Review of '' Αἰών da Omero ad Aristotele'' by Enzo Degani (University of Padua, 1961). In ''American Journal of Philology'' 84 (1963) 329–332. * "Two

ic Passages on the Hereafter." ''Hermes'' 96 (1968) 503–506. * "Greek Ideas of the Hereafter in Vergil's Roman Epic." "Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society" 92 (1968) 8–14. * "Ἀμοιβή in the Recently Discovered ' Orphic' Katabasis." ''Hermes'' 96 (1968) 631–632. * "The World of the Dead in Book 6 of the ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...

''." ''Classical Philology'' 67 (1972) 31–41. * "''Symphytos Aion'' (A., ''Ag.'' 106)." ''American Journal of Philology'' 100 (1979) 477–479. On Aeschylus, ''Agamemnon'', line 106. * ''

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

among the Greeks and Romans''. Harvard University Press, 1979. "It was a surprise, but also a pleasure," noted J. Gwyn Griffiths, "to find Friedrich Solmsen concerning himself with the impact of Isis on the Graeco-Roman world." J. Gwyn Griffiths, review in ''Classical Review'' 32 (1982), p. 53. * "Achilles on the Islands of the Blessed: Pindar vs. Homer and Hesiod." ''American Journal of Philology'' 103 (1982) 19–24. * "'

Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas ( , ; from ) was a Troy, Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus (mythology), Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy ...

Founded Rome with

Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...

.'" ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'' 90 (1986) 93–110.

Christian topics

* "The Powers of Darkness in Prudentius' ''Contra Symmachum'': A Study of His Poetic Imagination." ''Vigiliae Christianae'' 19 (1965) 237–257. * "The Conclusion of Theodosius' Oration in Prudentius' ''Contra Symmachum''." ''Philologus'' 109 (1965) 310–313. * " Providence and the Soul: A Platonic Chapter in

Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria (; – ), was a Christian theology, Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem. A ...

." ''Museum Helveticum'' 26 (1969) 229–251. * " George A. Wells on Christmas in Early

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

Criticism." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 31 (1970) 277–280. * "Early Christian Interest in the Theory of Demonstration." In ''Romanitas et Christianitas; studia Iano Henrico Waszink.'' Edited by W. den Boer. Amsterdam 1973, pp. 281–291. * "

Reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

in Ancient and Early Christian Thought." In '' Kleine Schriften'', vol. 3. Hildesheim 1982, pp. 465–494.

Bibliography

* "Friedrich Solmsen, Professor, 84." ''New York Times'' (February 10, 1989)
obituary
* Kirkwood, G.M. "Foreword to the Paperback Edition." I
''Hesiod and Aeschylus''
by Friedrich Solmsen. Cornell University Press, 1995, pp. ix–xi. * Solmsen, Friedrich. '' Kleine Schriften'', 3 vols. Hildesheim 1968–1982. * Solmsen, Friedrich. "Wilamowitz in His Last Ten Years." ''Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies'' 20 (1979) 89–122. * ''Tabulae.'' Newsletter of th
Department of Classics
University of North Carolina (Fall 1989)
pp. iii–iv.
* Ward, Leo R. ''My Fifty Years at Notre Dame''

References

External links

* *Georgia Mouroutsou, "Friedrich Solmsen: German and Anglo-Saxon Virtue," a tribute a

A Forum for the Mediation of Dialogue in Ancient and Modern Academies * {{DEFAULTSORT:Solmsen, Friedrich German classical philologists American classical scholars German classical scholars Classical scholars of Cornell University 1904 births 1989 deaths Emigrants from Nazi Germany Immigrants to the United States Classical scholars of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Classical scholars of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Scholars of ancient Greek literature American scholars of ancient Greek philosophy Aristotle scholars Plato scholars Humboldt University of Berlin alumni