"Eine Schreckliche Zeit ist eingebrochen"

Abstract

Lars Schreiber Pedersen: “Eine schreckliche Zeit ist eingebrochen”.H.O. Lange’s correspondence with Adolf Erman 1914‑1919 Taking outset in the comprehensive correspondence between the Egyptologist andchief librarian at the Royal Library from 1901 to 1924, H.O. Lange (1863‑1943), and hisGerman mentor and professor in Egyptology at the University of Berlin, Adolf Erman(1854‑1937), this article focuses on their correspondence during the four years of theFirst World War (1914‑18) and in the first year of peace in 1919.The letters between the long-time colleagues and friends are far from fully preserved,but they still provide a good insight into their views on the predominant talking pointof the time – the war, especially who they held responsible for much of the misery andhorror of the war. Furthermore, the correspondence provides insight into an internationalacademia under pressure, in particular Egyptology, where international researchcollaboration came to a halt at the outbreak of war, and Germany’s longstanding leadingposition within the field was challenged.For the Egyptologist H.O. Lange the time before the outbreak of war in the summerof 1914 had been quite satisfying academically. In March, although he had otherwiseoften felt rather academically isolated in Copenhagen, he had an opportunity to visitErman in Berlin, and at the end of July, Erman presented Lange’s recent scientific workto the members of the Philosophical-Historical Class at the Royal Prussian Academyof Sciences.After the outbreak of war, Lange quickly proclaimed his full loyalty to Erman, andat the same time he stressed the importance of securing peace and unity within thescientific community. This was a task that, probably more than anyone else in the fieldof Egyptology, the Danish Egyptologist felt the need to take on in the following years,and he returned to this again and again in his letters to Erman.Just as for Lange, the outbreak of war in 1914 sparked deep concern for the almostsixty-year-old Erman, who, in a sort of internal exile, decided to intensify work on hismasterpiece, the dictionary of the Egyptian language, which he had started in 1897.However, Erman also felt a degree of optimism and confidence in a German victoryon the battlefield that had also seized many of his countrymen. He welcomedthe national enthusiasm triggered by the outbreak of the war. In early August 1914Germany had declared war on Russia and France, and then invaded neutral Belgium,but in his opinion Germany was the victim, not the aggressor. Like almost all Germanacademics Erman shared the perception that the Entente was primarily responsible forthe outbreak of war, and like them he looked forward to settling the score with theprincipal opponent: Britain. Lars Schreiber Pedersen: “Eine schreckliche Zeit ist eingebrochen”.H.O. Lange’s correspondence with Adolf Erman 1914‑1919Taking outset in the comprehensive correspondence between the Egyptologist andchief librarian at the Royal Library from 1901 to 1924, H.O. Lange (1863‑1943), and hisGerman mentor and professor in Egyptology at the University of Berlin, Adolf Erman(1854‑1937), this article focuses on their correspondence during the four years of theFirst World War (1914‑18) and in the first year of peace in 1919.The letters between the long-time colleagues and friends are far from fully preserved,but they still provide a good insight into their views on the predominant talking pointof the time – the war, especially who they held responsible for much of the misery andhorror of the war. Furthermore, the correspondence provides insight into an internationalacademia under pressure, in particular Egyptology, where international researchcollaboration came to a halt at the outbreak of war, and Germany’s longstanding leadingposition within the field was challenged.For the Egyptologist H.O. Lange the time before the outbreak of war in the summerof 1914 had been quite satisfying academically. In March, although he had otherwiseoften felt rather academically isolated in Copenhagen, he had an opportunity to visitErman in Berlin, and at the end of July, Erman presented Lange’s recent scientific workto the members of the Philosophical-Historical Class at the Royal Prussian Academyof Sciences.After the outbreak of war, Lange quickly proclaimed his full loyalty to Erman, andat the same time he stressed the importance of securing peace and unity within thescientific community. This was a task that, probably more than anyone else in the fieldof Egyptology, the Danish Egyptologist felt the need to take on in the following years,and he returned to this again and again in his letters to Erman.Just as for Lange, the outbreak of war in 1914 sparked deep concern for the almostsixty-year-old Erman, who, in a sort of internal exile, decided to intensify work on hismasterpiece, the dictionary of the Egyptian language, which he had started in 1897.However, Erman also felt a degree of optimism and confidence in a German victoryon the battlefield that had also seized many of his countrymen. He welcomedthe national enthusiasm triggered by the outbreak of the war. In early August 1914Germany had declared war on Russia and France, and then invaded neutral Belgium,but in his opinion Germany was the victim, not the aggressor. Like almost all Germanacademics Erman shared the perception that the Entente was primarily responsible forthe outbreak of war, and like them he looked forward to settling the score with theprincipal opponent: Britain.