Hermann V. Hilprecht Near East Section records

Hermann Volrath Hilprecht, eminent Assyriologist, was born in 1859 in Hohenerxleben, Anhalt, Germany, the son of Robert and Emilie Hilprecht. His education began at Herzogl, Karlsgymnasium in Bernburg, from which he graduated in 1880.

From 1880 to 1884, Hilprecht studied theology, oriental philology and law at the University of Leipzig attaining a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1893. Additional degrees included an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctor of Laws from Princeton University. Hilprecht arrived in the United States in 1886, summoned by the Sunday School Times to edit their oriental section. He was also appointed Professor of Assyriology at the University of Pennsylvania. The following year, Hilprecht assumned the duties of Curator of the Babylonian and General Semitic section of the Museum of Archaeology at Penn.

Hilprecht was the scientific director for the Babylonian expedition to Nippur. In all, he worked on four expeditions, specializing in the interpretation of the cuneiform tablets, of which he was a gifted scholar. Hilprecht was well-known to exhibit an elitist attitude and was highly critical of other researchers, namely John P. Peters who led the initial expedition to Nippur.

Peters later accused Hilprecht of misrepresenting items as "finds" that Hilprecht had in fact purchased igniting what became a controversy of major proportions for the museum and delight for the Philadelphia press. Already known to seek acclaim and aggrandizement, Hilprecht sought and obtained support from scholars in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Other learned men of science countered, denegrating some of his translations. The trustees of the University of Pennsylvania were forced to review the case and, in 1905, found Hilprecht (and ultimately the reputation of the museum) not guilty of wrongdoing. The conflict took its toll on Sara Yorke Stevenson, museum director, who resigned. Hilprecht himself resigned in January 1911, amid conflict with George Byron Gordon.

Hilprecht was the recipient of many honors, among them the Lucy Wharton Drexel medal presented by the museum in 1902. In 1909, he was honored with the presentation of a twenty-fifth anniversary commemorative volume assembled by noted friends and scholars. Upon his death in 1925, Hilprecht presented the museum with his collection of over 3500 cuneiform tablets presented to him by the Sultan in recognition of his work in Nippur.

Hermann Volrath Hilprecht, eminent Assyriologist, was born in 1859 in Hohenerxleben, Anhalt, Germany, the son of Robert and Emilie Hilprecht. His education began at Herzogl, Karlsgymnasium in Bernburg, from which he graduated in 1880.

From 1880 to 1884, Hilprecht studied theology, oriental philology and law at the University of Leipzig attaining a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1893. Additional degrees included an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctor of Laws from Princeton University. Hilprecht arrived in the United States in 1886, summoned by the Sunday School Times to edit their oriental section. He was also appointed Professor of Assyriology at the University of Pennsylvania. The following year, Hilprecht assumned the duties of Curator of the Babylonian and General Semitic section of the Museum of Archaeology at Penn.

Although sparking controversy, Hilprecht was the scientific director of the Nippur expedition and was known world-wide for his expertise in cuneiform translation.

The Hermann V. Hilprecht Near East section records consist of five boxes of data. The folders had been previously organized into correspondence, collections, publications and controversy divisions. During processing, the correspondence was placed more appropriately in general, curatorial and publishing subdivisions. The collection folders as well as the majority of the publication data required reprocessing into chronological order. Portions of the data labeled as "collections," actually reflected curatorial duties and concerns and placed in a new series. The items deemed as "controversy" were in fact part of several conflicts spawned by Hilprecht.

Publication Information: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives, 12/15/2016

Finding Aid Author:

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Personal Name(s)

• Clay, A.T. (Andrew Tobias), 1866-1925
• Coxe, Jr., Eckley B., b. 1872-d. 1916
• Fisher, Clarence Stanley, 1876-1941
• Gordon, G. B. (George Byron), 1870-1927
• Haynes, John Henry
• Hilprecht, Hermann Volrath, 1859-1925
• Houston, Samuel F., 1867-1952
• McHugh, Jane
• Pepper, William, 1843-1898
• Peters, John P. (John Punnett), 1852-1921
• Stevenson, Sara Yorke, 1847-1921

Subject(s)

• Antiquities
• Casts
• Sumerian cuneiform