Duncker

Duncker, MAXIMILIAN WOLFGANG, an eminent historical writer, was born in 1811 at Berlin, son of the well-known bookseller, Karl Duncker (1781-1869). After studies at Bonn and Berlin, and six months out of a sentence of six years' political imprisonment, he settled to the study of history at Halle, became extraordinary professor there in 1842, next supported the right centre in the National Assembly in 1848, and the Old Liberal party in the Prussian chamber during the sessions from 1849 to 1852. He obeyed a call to a Tübingen chair in 1857, whence he was recalled to Berlin to fill a position in the ministry of state. In 1867 he became director of the state archives of Prussia, from which office he retired in 1874, but continued his lectures on history at the Academy of War and his functions as member of the Berlin and Munich Academies. His greatest work is his History of Antiquity (5th ed. 7 vols. 1878-83; new supplement, 1884 et seq.), which has been excellently Englished in 6 vols. by Evelyn Abbott (1877-82). This great work embraces the early history of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Lydians, Persians, and Indians, and bears throughout at once the stamp of monumental learning and minute accuracy. In 1883-86 was published the translation by Miss Alleyne of an only less admirable history of Greece to the end of the Persian War. Duncker's other works are mainly contributions to German history, including Die Krisis der Reformation (1845) and Feudalität und Aristokratie (1858). He died 21st July 1886. See the Life by Haym (1891).