Käthe Bosse-Griffiths facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Käthe Bosse-Griffiths
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Bosse-Griffiths with her husband J. Gwyn Griffiths in 1939
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| Born | Käthe Bosse 16 July 1910 Wittenberg, German Empire |
| Died | 4 April 1998 (aged 87) Swansea, Wales |
| Occupation | Curator |
| Literary movement | Cadwgan Circle |
| Spouse | J. Gwyn Griffiths |
| Children | Robat Gruffudd Heini Gruffudd |
Käthe Bosse-Griffiths (born July 16, 1910 – died April 4, 1998) was a famous Egyptologist. She was born in Germany but moved to Britain to escape danger. She later married a Welshman. Käthe became a writer in the Welsh language and added something special to Welsh literature.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Käthe Bosse was born in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1910. She was the second of four children. Her father, Paul Bosse, was a respected doctor. Her mother, Käthe Bosse (née Levin), had a Jewish background. Käthe was raised in the Lutheran Church.
After finishing school, she went to the University of Munich. In 1935, she earned a special degree in Classics and Egyptology. Her studies focused on how people were shown in ancient Egyptian art.
Leaving Germany
Soon after her studies, Käthe started working at the Egyptology and Archaeology Department of the Berlin State Museums. However, she and her father lost their jobs. This happened because her mother had a Jewish background, and the Nazi government was persecuting Jewish people.
In 1936, Käthe left Germany to escape this danger and moved to Britain. She found research work at the Petrie Museum in London. Later, she worked at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Meeting Her Husband
In 1938, while at Somerville College in Oxford, she met J. Gwyn Griffiths. He was also an Egyptologist and a student from Wales. Gwyn Griffiths was from the Rhondda area and had studied at University College Cardiff (now Cardiff University).
Käthe and Gwyn married in 1939, and Käthe became Käthe Bosse-Griffiths. They moved to the village of Pentre in the Rhondda. Gwyn became a teacher. They had two sons, Robat Gruffudd (born 1943) and Heini Gruffudd (born 1946).
Wartime and Family
During the Second World War, Käthe and her husband started a group called the Cadwgan Circle. This was a creative group of writers and thinkers who met at their home. Through this group, Käthe grew to love the Welsh language.
Sadly, during these years, Käthe's mother died in Ravensbrück. This was a very harsh camp where many women were held. Her brothers were also imprisoned but survived. Her sister was held for a short time and then released.
Career and Writings
When her husband became a professor at Swansea University, Käthe and Gwyn moved to Swansea. Käthe joined the Swansea Museum. She became the Keeper of Archaeology, a job she did for 25 years. She took care of the museum's collections almost until she died.
She also helped bring Sir Henry Wellcome's large Egyptian collection out of storage. She spent twenty years studying its 5,000 items. This collection is now at the Egypt Centre at Swansea University.
Published Works
Käthe Bosse-Griffiths was a published author. She wrote in Welsh about German peace movements in her book Mudiadau Heddwch yn yr Almaen (1942). Her academic work included Amarna Studies and Other Collected Papers (1955). She also wrote many articles about archaeology.
She wrote short stories and novels, including Anesmwyth Hoen (1941) and Mae'r Galon wrth y Llyw (1957). This last book was reprinted in 2016. Her stories often focused on the lives of Welsh women and their connection to religion. She also wrote two travel books, Trem ar Rwsia a Berlin (1962) and Tywysennau o'r Aifft (1970).
Her son, Heini, wrote a book called A Haven from Hitler. This book tells the story of Käthe's family and how they escaped from Nazi Germany.
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