Paul Jacobsthal

Paul Jacobsthal was born as the son of Martin Health Council Jacobsthal; his younger brother was the mathematician Ernst Jacobsthal. He studied at the University of Berlin, Georg- August- University of Göttingen and the Rheinische Friedrich- Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. His teachers included the philologist Ulrich von Wilamowitz- Moellendorff and Friedrich Leo. Even in the period of study emerged close friendships with Ernst cesspool, Paul Friedlander, and later with Richard Delbrueck and Herbert Koch. Stefan George influenced him in the use of language and attitude. In Bonn Jacobsthal was his doctorate in 1906 with Georg Loeschcke with a thesis on the flash in the Oriental and Greek art. With the help of the travel scholarship of the German Archaeological Institute, he was in 1906/07 touring the Mediterranean. On the journey Jacobsthal found several new inscriptions, which he later published with Wilamowitz- Moellendorff. In Pergamum, he participated in excavations, where he found in the hills of Kaïkosebene early Hellenic tombs and later published.

After his return Jacobsthal 1907 Wizard of Gustav Körte in Göttingen, where he habilitated in 1909 with the work of Theseus on the bottom of the sea. With the catalog of Göttingen vases he put 1912 a first major work in the field of research vases. The reception of John D. Beazley was the beginning of a lifelong connection. In the same year Jacobsthal was appointed to the archaeological Ordinariate at the Philipps- University Marburg. Under his leadership, it was superbly equipped. 1920 a prehistoric section was attached from which to operate Jacob Thal 1927, the first chair of Prehistoric Archaeology in Germany arose. 1915 married Jacobsthal Auguste Bräuning, the daughter of the pastor of the Reformed church in Potsdam. Due to the Nazi racial laws Jacobsthal had to give up and emigrate in 1935 his chair. In 1937 he was a lecturer at Christ Church College, Oxford, and was 1947-1950 University Reader at the same place for Celtic archeology.

Jacobsthal applies not only to his teacher Loeschcke as an archaeologist, who could see the whole period of the foundations of the ancient world in the ancient East to Late Antiquity and both for accurate single study as well as to the great synthesis was capable of. With his friends and teachers, he was among a group of scientists who, instead of individual aspects to discuss again and again, whole groups of monuments fully edited and published. So Jacob arose valley ornaments writings of Greek vases (1927) and The Melian reliefs (1930 ) and the published together with Beazley series images of Greek vases and Oxford Classical Archaeology ( 1947 ). Great admiration he felt for Ernst Buschor, but was Beazley and its poetic force closer.

Of particular importance Jacobsthal is the connection between Classical and Prehistoric Archaeology. He looked about with Eduard Neuffer the import and the resulting influence of Greek products in Provence, but also with Alexander Langsdorff 1929 The bronze beaked flagons. It thus belongs to the first researchers who praised the high level of early Celtic art. 1944 appeared his treatise Early Celtic Art, which is one of his most important works. This showed Jacobsthal how the Celts had taken classic antique models, but they also demonized. Were also important his research on the artistic origin of the Celtic monumental sculpture. In his last major book, Greek Pins and Their Connections with Europe and Asia, he showed the importance of adornment for the exploration of the relationships between the various neighboring peoples, and how to combine this research with collecting, organizing and issuing of the monument stock.

Jacobsthal was a regular member of the German Archaeological Institute, Honorary Member of the Society of Antiquaries and a corresponding member of the British Academy