Karl Deichgräber facts for kids

Karl Marienus Deichgräber (born February 10, 1903, in Aurich; died December 16, 1984, in Bovenden) was a German expert in ancient languages and history. This means he studied the languages, literature, and history of ancient Greece and Rome. He was also a member of the Nazi Party, a political group that was in power in Germany during World War II.

Life Story

Karl Deichgräber went to school at the Gymnasium Ulricianum in Aurich until 1922. After that, he studied classical philology and other subjects at several universities. These included the University of Göttingen, Humboldt University of Berlin, and University of Münster.

At Münster, a professor named Hermann Schöne encouraged Karl to focus on the history of medicine. In 1928, Karl earned his doctorate (a high academic degree) at Münster. His special project was about medical schools in Ancient Greece.

After his doctorate, he went back to Berlin. In 1931, he completed his habilitation. This is another advanced academic step in Germany that allows someone to teach as a full professor. His research was on important medical texts by Hippocrates, a famous ancient Greek doctor.

In 1935, Karl Deichgräber became a professor at the University of Marburg. He specialized in the history of Hellenistic Greece, which was a period after the time of Alexander the Great. Three years later, in 1938, he moved to the University of Göttingen. There, he took over from another professor, Max Pohlenz. From 1939 to 1945, he also served as the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at Göttingen. In 1938, he joined the Nazi Party.

On January 25, 1946, after World War II ended, Deichgräber was removed from his job. He felt this was very unfair throughout his life. In 1951, he was partly allowed to return to teaching. He was called a "professor for re-employment."

However, it wasn't until 1957 that he got his old job back as a professor of classical philology. He took over from Kurt Latte, who had been forced out by the Nazis but had returned to Göttingen. Karl Deichgräber taught at Göttingen until he retired in April 1968. After he retired, Klaus Nickau took his place.