Johann Georg Keyßler (or Keyssler when the letter
ß is avoided; 1693–1743) 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
**Ger ...
polymath
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
, known for his
travel writing
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel ca ...
s and his
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...
. He is regarded as the father of German
protohistory
Protohistory is a period between prehistory and history during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures have already noted the existence of those pre-literate groups in their own writings. For example, in ...
.
Born in
Thurnau, Keyßler first studied at
Halle Halle may refer to:
Places Germany
* Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt
** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt
** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany
** Hall ...
. Upon returning to Thurnau he entered the service of the
Giech counts as a steward. He later moved to
Lauenburg
Lauenburg (), or Lauenburg an der Elbe ( en, Lauenberg on the Elbe), is a town in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the northern bank of the river Elbe, east of Hamburg. It is the southernmost town of Schleswig-Holstein ...
to serve the counts of
Bernstorff. As tutor to the sons and grandsons of the counts he made numerous
field trips
A field trip or excursion is a journey by a group of people to a place away from their normal environment.
When done for students, as it happens in several school systems, it is also known as school trip in the UK, Australia, New Zealand a ...
to the neighboring states of Germany, including England in 1718, where he was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematic ...
.
[ ]
His travelogues—composed as a series of letters—are an important source for geographical features and cultural monuments of his day. They were severely censored because of their discussion of political and economic conditions in the German states. ''Neueste Reisen durch Deutschland, Böhmen, Ungarn, die Schweiz, Italien und Lothringen'' was first published in German in 1740–41. An English translation, ''Travels through Germany, Bohemia, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy and Lorraine'' was first published in 1756.
Keyßler died at Gut Stintenburg, now
Zarrentin am Schaalsee.
Notes
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyssler, Johann Georg
1693 births
1743 deaths
German travel writers
Fellows of the Royal Society