Henri Weil (August 27, 1818 – November 5, 1909) was a French

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 ...

Biography

Born to a Jewish family in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, he was educated at the universities of

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, and

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. He went to France, and continued his studies at Paris, graduating as

Docteur ès lettres Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

in 1845, and becoming "agrégé" in 1848. Appointed professor of ancient literature at the University of Besançon, he was in 1872 elected dean of the faculty. In 1876 he was called to Paris to fill a vacancy as instructor at the

École Normale Supérieure École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...

and to assume charge of the

École Pratique des Hautes Études École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

, both of which positions he resigned in 1891. In 1866 he was elected corresponding member of the

Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres The () is a French learned society devoted to history, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the . The academy's scope was the study of ancient inscriptions (epigraphy) and historical literature (see Belles-lettres). History ...

, becoming full member in 1882 as the successor of

Édouard Dulaurier Jean Paul Louis François Édouard Leuge-Dulaurier (29 January 1807 – 21 December 1881) was a French Orientalist, Armenian studies scholar and Egyptologist. Dulaurier was born in Toulouse. He succeeded Paul Émile Levaillant de Florival, on ...

. In 1887 he received the cross of the Legion of Honor. He died in Paris. Weil edited the poems of

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 ...

, eight tragedies of

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 ...

, and the orations of

Demosthenes Demosthenes (; ; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and cu ...

. Among his works may be mentioned: ''De l'Ordre des Mots dans les Langues Anciennes Comparées aux Langues Modernes'' (Paris, 1844; 3d ed. 1879); ''De Tragædiarum Græcarum cum Rebus Publicis Conjunctione'' (with L. Beuloew, Paris and Berlin, 1845); ''Théorie Générale de l'Accentuation Latine'' (ib. 1855); and ''Etudes sur le Drame Antique'' (ib. 1897).

Bibliography

* Curinier, Dict. Nat. i. 142 * La Grande Encyclopédie

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weil, Henri 1818 births 1909 deaths German philologists French philologists Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences Members of the French Academy of Sciences Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres