Giuseppe Acerbi

Giuseppe Acerbi ( May 3, 1773 in Castel Goffredo at Mantua; † August 25, 1846 ) was an Italian traveler and naturalist. He studied in Mantua Natural Sciences and a PhD in Pavia as a doctor of law degree.

Life and work

Acerbi was the first Italian to penetrated by land to the North Cape; a remarkable achievement on a route that was previously impassable in summer. Accompanied by the Swedish painter Skiöldebrand he traveled from 1798 to 1799 of Helsingborg by Southern Sweden to Stockholm, then Upsala, subscription and by Finland to the North Cape. " As an Italian, he was interested especially marked by the northern climate peculiarities of the Scandinavian countries and the lifestyle of the population, especially the lobes ( Saami). His itinerary includes a wealth of information on the geographical regions of Sweden, Finland and Lapland, a description of Stockholm, the Swedish chapter culture and economy as well as an ethnographic description of the tabs and fins. The German translation is slightly shortened and with an attachment. The original edition was published in 1802 in English, an Italian edition came out later ... " ( Catalogue of Eutiner State Library, Vol I, No. 0006). Leopold von Buch wrote about this in the preface of his work trip through Norway and Lapland, "Before Skiöldebrands and Acerbis Travel published by the Northern Cape, we had very imperfect notions, such as, in the north of Torneo, a connection between the Swedish and Norwegian Lapland possible sey. "

From 1825 to 1834 he was an Austrian consul in Egypt. 1828 to 1829 he accompanied the archaeological expedition Ippolito Rossellini and Jean -François Champollion to Upper Egypt. On this journey he acquired archaeological discoveries which can be seen today in the Palazzo del Te, Mantua. Several papers on this trip appeared in the Bibliotheca Italiana.

Writings (selection )

  • Travels through Sweden, Finland and Lapland, to the North Cape, in the years 1798 and 1799. London, 1802 ( 2 vols )

German edition: Acerbi, Joseph, journey through Sweden and Finland, to the farthest frontiers of Lapland, in 1798 and 1799 Translated from English by Ch Weyland. . In addition to corrective comments from a knowledgeable scholar. Berlin, Vossische Bookstore, 1803. Magazine of strange new travelogues, 26 band (the same year and the same publisher unchanged also appeared as a second volume in the series " New magazine of strange travel descriptions ").

  • Studj e lavori fatti in Egitto intorno la spiegazione de ' geroglifi as ' Travellers e principal elements dalla Commissione franco- toscana sotto la direzione del celebre M. Champollion minore. In: scienze ed arti. Tomo LVI. Milano, 1829.
  • Descrizione della Nubia e dell'Egitto monumental secondo le scoperte del sig. Vhampollion. In: In: Bibliotheca Italiana ( as before ), Tomo LIX, Milano 1830.
  • Materiali per servire ai progressi della geografia dell'Africa centrale. 1840
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